The Water Legacies of Conventional Mining (Routledge Special Issues on Water Policy and Governance)

The impact of mining is too big to ignore in a world of oversubscribed water. This is true of conventional mining as much as – or even more than – hydraulic fracturing (fracking). The legacy issues of such mining on water have not been fully appreciated, especially the irretrievable effects mining has had on communities and ecosystems around the world through its impact on water. Yet this is not an ‘us-or-them’ problem: the wealth, influence and technical knowledge of mining interests can and must be part of the solution. All of the contributions to this volume either consider the deficiencies of existing governance structures and the need for better ones, or explore the use of new techniques to identify and evaluate social and environmental impacts.

The chapters in this book were originally published in the journal Water International.

James E. Nickum is an institutional economist, affiliated with the Centre for Water and Development at SOAS, UK, and the University of Hong Kong.

David B. Brooks is a natural resource economist working mainly in North America and the Middle East; he is affiliated with the International Institute for Sustainable Development in Manitoba, Canada.

Anthony Turton is a water strategist in both the academic and commercial world, affiliated with the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Surina Esterhuyse is a geohydrologist working on oil and gas extraction in South Africa, and affiliated with the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.