Extractive Industries Program

Extractive Industries in Vulnerable Places

The principal objective of this project is to strengthen the WWF Network’s capacity to influence extractive industry policies and projects at national and international levels as they threaten vulnerable places and vulnerable peoples.

Specific objectives:
• Catalyze support for environmentally and socially responsible mining practices through a variety of stakeholder engagement events related to the Responsible Mine Framework, to include regional (international) workshops and engagement with the private sector as opportunities arise;
• Together with Michael Rae in WWF-Australia, explore the potential for third party, independent mine certification as a result of WWF-Australia’s Mine Certification Evaluation Project (to be completed by the end of 2005) and the results of the Responsible Mine Framework;
• Develop pilot tests of principles contained in the Framework in key WWF ecoregions. Examples of possible projects could include testing a methodology for identification of “no go” zones for mining, or testing the potential for conservation offsets in a particular ecoregion.
• Continue to engage with the WWF network in the development of its oil/gas strategy as appropriate.

Responsible Mining Framework:

The 2005 release of the Responsible Mine Framework marks the beginning of a new stage in MPO’s work on mining. This report, which reflects a comprehensive review of environmentally and socially responsible mining practices, provides the basis upon which the MPO can build a dialogue with NGOs, the mining industry, and mining affected communities. Although research projects conducted by NGOs and the mining industry have made the case for more responsible behavior on the part of the mining industry, a synthesis of recommended practices for environmentally and socially responsible mining has been lacking.

MPO will participate with its NGO partners in workshops conducted in Washington and around the world to build support for adoption of the practices promoted in the Framework. These workshops will serve as an opportunity for negotiation and dialogue among NGOs, community groups, and the private sector. From this broad stakeholder engagement, we aim to build support for a commonly accepted set of international standards that could be applied to mining projects around the world, and could result in the development of a third party certification system for this sector, similar to the Forest Stewardship Council’s Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Forestry.