The National Projects & Advise Division maintains Australia¡¦s national inventory of mineral resources; studies the nation¡¦s mineral potential; maintains national databases; produces national maps; studies the thick layer of weathered materials and transported sediments (regolith) that covers prospective rocks over much of Australia; applies a geological systems approach to increase understanding of land and water degradation; oversees and coordinates Antarctic geoscience studies; conducts strategic thinking on sustainable development issues; and provides wide-ranging advice to government and the broader community.

This week we have interviewed Dr. Ian Lambert, leader of National Projects & Advise Division of the Mineral Division of the Australian Geosciences Organization. Dr. Lambert is a well known researcher in the field of minerals and metals.

In this interview, Dr. Lambert introduces AGSO and shares a few reflections regarding sustainable development and the Earth Summit.

- What is AGSOƒ{Geoscience Australia and what are its main responsibilities and activities?

AGSOƒ{Geoscience Australia is Australia¡¦s national geoscience agency. It is generally similar to the Geological Surveys of other western nations. It has just over 400 staff and is located in Australia¡¦s capital, Canberra. It is attached to the federal Government¡¦s Department of Industry, Science and Resources.

It was formed in 1946 as the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics (BMR), to conduct regional geological surveys and mapping to stimulate exploration for minerals and petroleum.

In 1992, BMR was renamed the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO), and through the 1990s it worked collaboratively with the Geological Surveys of each Australian state and the Northern Territory under the National Geoscience Mapping Accord.

AGSO has recently been re-named AGSOƒ{Geoscience Australia, to reflect its broadening roles. Over the past few years, it has been moving away from routine regional survey work to focus on:
* addressing major problems that can benefit from geoscience inputs including:
¡P understanding the main mineral and petroleum systems of onshore and offshore Australia;
¡P advice on land use;
¡P provision of important information to guide land, coastal and marine management;
¡P urban risk and sustainability;
¡P defining Australia¡¦s marine jurisdiction.
* providing national coordination of geological activities;
* providing national facilities (such as for seismic imaging and geochronology).

- .What is your responsibility within AGSOƒ{Geoscience Australia?

I lead the National Projects and Advice Group, comprising some 40 professionals, which is in the Minerals Division.

(My Group maintains Australia¡¦s national inventory of mineral resources; studies the nation¡¦s mineral potential; maintains national databases; produces national maps; studies the thick layer of weathered materials and transported sediments (regolith) that covers prospective rocks over much of Australia; applies a geological systems approach to increase understanding of land and water degradation; oversees and coordinates Antarctic geoscience studies; conducts strategic thinking on sustainable development issues; and provides wide-ranging advice to government and the broader community.]

We conduct externally funded work where our expertise is required.

- What considerations do you consider relevant regarding minerals supply within the context of mining and sustainable development?

I will start from the fact that mining has to be an important part of sustainable development. This is because there will continue to be considerable demand for virgin mineral resources for the foreseeable future, broadly reflecting population growth and the increasing aspirations of developing nations. Minerals ƒ{ and here I include metals, fuels, industrial and construction materials ƒ{ are required for agriculture, water supply, power, housing, transport and communications, ¡§new economy¡¨ industries and lifestyle.

However, there has been a dramatic decline through the 1990s in the global rate of discovery of large economically recoverable resources. The sharply declining rate of discovery of large economic mineral deposits does not appear to be part of a cyclic trend, or an erratic pattern of discovery. It implies that it is very difficult to discover new resources that can be mined economically at current commodity prices. More favourable commodity price to total cost of production ratios are needed to achieve adequate rates of discoveries of major new ores in existing mining belts and ¡§frontier¡¨ regions. An additional key constraint is that the regional scale geoscience information currently available appears to be reaching the limits of its usefulness for guiding exploration.

There is a need for new generation regional surveys to help identify favourable areas for buried mineralisation.

The minerals industry has been changing rapidly, with takeovers and mergers leading to a relatively small number of major companies. Many successful medium sized exploration and mining companies are also being caught up in takeovers and mergers. The number of smaller companies will continue to decrease, with the survivors being those that can take advantage of opportunities for provision of specialist exploration, mining and environmental services.

Ongoing globalisation and rationalisation of the minerals industry is leading to an emphasis on very large mines in regions of reasonable political stability. Only large, low cost ¡§world-class¡¨ deposits can add significantly to the bottom line of very large companies. The importance being accorded by the major mining houses to large deposits with good grades is unlikely to diminish. In the medium to long term, mineral production is likely to be focused in regions having a combination of major mineral endowments, favourable conditions for mining and political stability.

Countries seeking to optimise the economic benefits accruing from minerals production, while avoiding or minimising lasting harmful effects, will have to plan strategically to provide a framework that supports responsible exploration and mining. It is vital to limit uncertainty in relation to resource access, to maintain attractive economic and fiscal regimes for exploration and mining, and to have effective impact assessment, regulatory and reporting regimes in place.

There is increasing pressure for waste minimisation in mining and mineral processing. Life cycle assessments (LCA) are being used increasingly to establish which materials and processes ¡V and potentially resource producers ¡V are environmentally superior, particularly in terms of minimising greenhouse emissions and wastes. A growing emphasis on recycling is driven by new business opportunities as well as interests in minimising wastes and virgin resource requirements.

Companies are responding at varying rates to the need to accept primary responsibility for enhancing perceptions of mining through the adoption of best practicable practices; ethical and socially responsible investment and corporate behaviour; and credible and comparable public reporting of economic, social and environmental performance. They are giving increasing importance to their environmental and social responsibilities, or ¡§image¡¨, in decisions about their participation in new and existing mines. Less developed countries are no longer seen as places to mine with fewer constraints.

The Global Mining Initiative (GMI) is widely regarded as a key to sustainable leadership for the mining and minerals industry in the areas of economic, social and environmental performance. Individual companies will need to implement the GMI principles in consultation with governments.

- What do you think are the strategic issues for Australia¡¦s minerals sector in regard to sustainable development?

I consider that there needs to be more strategic planning to clarify how the minerals sector should contribute to the nation¡¦s sustainable development, taking account of these international trends. There is active debate about the extent to which Australia should move on from its ¡§old¡¨ (natural resources based) economy and grow a ¡§new economy¡¨, to demonstrate maturity as a nation. This is despite nothing having been identified that could go close to replacing the export earnings from minerals ¡V which currently account well over a third of the value of total exports of goods and services. It appears logical to me that the sustainable development of Australia needs to encompass innovation and high technology developments that build on the nation¡¦s mineral, agricultural and environmental strengths. Strategic planning is neded to achieve this.

The international trends limiting mining appear to offer considerable opportunities for Australia. Firstly, Australia has an excellent track record for the discovery of large and high-grade deposits, and considerable potential for further discoveries of world-class mineralisation beneath cover. From a global perspective, its mineral endowment is so considerable, both in magnitude and diversity, that it is difficult to see global demand being met in the long term unless Australia remains a major minerals exporter. Secondly, Australia has favourable conditions for mining with minimal lasting environmental and social impacts.

Australia is generally well placed to take advantage of the opportunities to sustain and strengthen its minerals sector.
* The mineral industries Code of Practice for Environmental Management commits the industry to sustainable development, continual improvement, the application of risk management techniques, rehabilitation, setting environmental targets and reporting to governments and the community. These values are reinforced through support for the Global Mining Initiative¡¦s Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development Project (MMSD).
* There are satisfactory levels of research and development on exploration for buried deposits, improved understanding of how and where major styles of mineralisation formed; mineral processing; and mining¡Venvironmental issues.

Australia is seen in some quarters as mature in an exploration sense. While this may be true for the top hundred metres or so in the main mining districts, there is considerable potential for new resources at greater depths in these areas, and beneath thin cover in vast regions across Australia ƒ{new generation regional surveys are needed to guide exploration for buried deposits in these little explored regions.

- Is Australia prepared for the discussions on mining that will likely arise before, during and after Earth Summit next year in Johannesburg?

Australia¡¦s position paper for the Earth Summit is being prepared by Environment Australia, who are in the process of gathering views from a wide range of agencies, groups and people.

There is no evidence that this will have a mining emphasis. This is comforting to the extent that it indicates that mining is not seen as threatening Australia¡¦s sustainable development.

Supplementary material is likely to be produced, largely arising from Australia¡¦s active engagement in the MMSD process, which will be used in mining-related discussions before, during and after Johannesburg.

By Raul Campusano