History of IUCN ICMM Dialogue

During the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002, IUCN and the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM) agreed to a dialogue on improving the performance of the mining industry in relation to biodiversity conservation and protected areas.

In its 57th meeting, held on 9 - 11 December 2002, the IUCN Council reviewed the dialogue and endorsed its continuation on the basis of good faith negotiations. From 2002-2004, Mr Mohammad Rafiq was appointed as a Special Adviser to coordinate the dialogue from within IUCN headquarters and a core group of senior staff was assigned to oversee the management of the dialogue.

The mining dialogue is set in the context of broader interaction between the conservation community and extractives industries on environmental and social issues. IUCN has established a Working Group on Extractive Industries and Biodiversity (WGEIB) to explore common issues within the conservation community, and establish a means of working together towards a common goal.

One of the initial work items under the Dialogue was to convene a meeting on mining and protected areas.

7-9 July 2003 workshop
Mining, Protected Areas and Biodiversity Conservation: Searching and Pursuing Best Practice and Reporting in the Mining Industry

Workshop outline

ICMM Principles

Papers presented at the workshop

Mining and biodiversity: towards best practice. Summary and discussion of results

Mining and Biodiversity Conservation: Case studies from around the world, 2004

List of Participants

Furthermore IUCN and ICMM worked together to encourage mining industries to be present at the World Parks Congress in Durban in 2003. Information about the Extractive Industries and Protected Areas Plenary Session at the World Parks Congress (16 September 2003, Durban South Africa) is available here

21-23 September 2000,
Technical Workshop, Gland, Switzerland on World Heritage and Mining