Biodiversity, Water Stewardship & Mine Closure

Mining operations can affect biodiversity through habitat disturbance, water abstraction, water contamination and land transformation. Mine closure and rehabilitation are among the most significant long-term obligations of the mining life cycle, requiring financial assurance (rehabilitation bonds) and multi-decade monitoring. This directory covers the principal international frameworks, standards and NGOs that govern biodiversity, water stewardship and mine closure for the mining industry.

Primary sources only 11 providers Updated 2026-06-19

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Biodiversity, water and mine closure framework directory

Alphabetical.

Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS)

Role: International water stewardship standard — Bonn
Role: AWS Standard certification for water stewardship; used by mining companies to demonstrate responsible water management in catchment context.
Standard: AWS Standard 2.0 (2019) published at a4ws.org; third-party certification available.

Primary source: a4ws.org

CDP Water Security

Role: Environmental disclosure body — London
Role: Annual water disclosure and scoring for mining companies; CDP Water A-list represents leadership in water stewardship disclosure.
Methodology: CDP Water Scoring Methodology published at cdp.net; includes mining-specific water risks (tailings, dewatering, community water).

Primary source: cdp.net/en/water

CEO Water Mandate

Role: UN Global Compact water initiative — New York
Role: Corporate water stewardship commitment platform; signatory companies report on water-related actions annually to the CEO Water Mandate.
Coverage: Global; open to companies across all sectors; mining signatories include Rio Tinto, Anglo American and others.

Primary source: ceowatermandate.org

Conservation International — Extractives Programme

Role: Environmental NGO — Arlington, VA
Role: Biodiversity assessment, no-net-loss target setting, and offset framework development for mining companies.
Coverage: Global; field operations in Africa, Latin America, Asia-Pacific where mining intersects with biodiversity hotspots.

Primary source: conservation.org

Equator Principles

Role: Project finance environmental standard — London
Role: Project finance risk framework incorporating IFC PS6 (biodiversity) and PS3 (water, GHG); adopted by 135+ financial institutions globally.
Coverage: Project finance transactions with total project capital costs over USD 10 million in designated countries.

Primary source: equator-principles.com

ICMM — Mine Closure Good Practice Guide

Role: Mining industry association — London
Role: Industry standard for mine closure planning; addresses community transition, ecological rehabilitation, water management and financial provision.
Coverage: Applicable to all ICMM member company operations globally; guidance also freely available to non-member operators.

Primary source: icmm.com — Mine Closure

IRMA — Biodiversity Criteria

Role: Multi-stakeholder mine certification — Washington, DC
Role: Third-party mine certification including biodiversity impact avoidance, mitigation hierarchy implementation and offset requirements.
Coverage: IRMA Standard applicable to all large-scale industrial mines; third-party audited certification.

Primary source: responsiblemining.net

IUCN — International Union for Conservation of Nature

Role: International conservation body — Gland, Switzerland
Role: International biodiversity standards; IUCN Red List used in IFC PS6 critical habitat assessment; STAR metric used by mining companies for biodiversity impact measurement.
Coverage: Global; IUCN STAR metric adopted by Rio Tinto, Norsk Hydro and others for biodiversity quantification.

Primary source: iucn.org

SBTN — Science Based Targets for Nature

Role: Nature targets initiative — New York
Role: Provides science-based targets methodology for freshwater and biodiversity for corporate adoption; aligned with Kunming-Montreal GBF targets.
Coverage: Global; open to companies in all sectors; mining companies piloting SBTN Land/Freshwater targets include Holcim and others.

Primary source: sciencebasedtargetsnetwork.org

TNFD — Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures

Role: Nature-related risk disclosure framework — London
Role: Voluntary nature-related risk disclosure framework; TNFD recommendations align with Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target 15 on corporate disclosure.
Coverage: Global; open to all sectors; over 400 TNFD early adopters announced at 2024 Davos.

Primary source: tnfd.global

WWF — Mining and Biodiversity

Role: International conservation NGO — Gland, Switzerland / Washington, DC
Role: Biodiversity advocacy and industry engagement; WWF has published mining-biodiversity guidance documents and participates in multi-stakeholder standards processes (IRMA, ICMM).
Coverage: Global; WWF's Priority Ecoregions and protected area assessments used in IFC PS6 critical habitat determinations.

Primary source: worldwildlife.org — Mining

Biodiversity, Water Stewardship & Mine Closure

Biodiversity, water and mine closure framework directory

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