There are attractive commercial and social reasons for the development of a bauxite mine. The mining company wants the ore to use or sell while the local inhabitants want the mine for employment and for the community assistance that the mining company usually offers. National governments want the development for these social reasons and also for the revenue provided by a mining company.

These social benefits are complemented, according to the International Aluminium Institute's last "Bauxite Mine Rehabilitation Survey", by the mining companies' increasing awareness of environmental factors.

Environmental factors

Mined areas are being restored to an environmentally stable condition: the overwhelming majority of operations have formal, written rehabilitation procedures in place. Typically the minimisation of environmental impacts is achieved by setting environmental standards, often reinforced by legislation, and by developing environmental planning, training, management, monitoring and rehabilitation processes that enable the standards to be met.

Bauxite mining is accompanied by land rehabilitation and environmental control to restore the area to a desirable environmentally friendly condition. While the total annual area mined by reporting operations has grown by 25% since 1998, the area rehabilitated per year has increased by 32.5%.

Sustainability

Bauxite miners are engaging with local communities and endeavouring to ensure that the benefits of mining are shared with present and future generations. Good environmental management and rehabilitation, which ensures that all potential land-use options are conserved, is one way in which the industry is meeting its responsibility to the wider, global community. Other ways in which the industry supports the maintenance and development of local communities are by providing:

• well-paid employment under conditions that comply with accepted labour standards
• training opportunities
• support to local businesses
• support to community initiatives and various social programmes
• infrastructure that will benefit the communities into the future
• compensation for those people who are disadvantaged or displaced by mining.

It is possible for everyone to gain from mining activities.

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