Mining Engineering
Mining Operations
Rehabilitation and Restoration of Mining Sites
Returning disturbed land to a stable, agreed end use, and funding it before the revenue stops.
- Duration
- 5 days
- Contact hours
- 30
- Level
- Intermediate
- Fee from
- On enquiry
Overview
Rehabilitation done at the end of a mine's life is done with no cash flow and no workforce, which is why so much of it is not done at all. This week treats it as an operational activity running throughout: progressive rehabilitation as mining advances, landform design still stable in fifty years, soil handling that preserves a seed bank, and the financial provision that has to exist long before closure. Success criteria and relinquishment are covered honestly, because agreeing them late is how liability becomes permanent.
Who should attend
Environmental and closure managers, mine planners, rehabilitation practitioners and contractors, and finance staff responsible for closure provision.
What you will be able to do
- Agree an end land use with the people who will live with it.
- Design a landform that remains stable without maintenance.
- Handle soil and growth medium so revegetation can succeed.
- Plan progressive rehabilitation into the mine schedule.
- Set and evidence success criteria that lead to relinquishment.
How it is taught
Short input, then work, across 5 days of roughly 6 teaching hours each. Exercises run on situations delegates bring rather than on a case study written for a different organisation. Cohorts are capped so that everybody is asked something.
Available as classroom, live online, in house.
Programme outline
Day 1
Planning
- End land use, and who decides it
- Closure planning from the start of operations
- Progressive rehabilitation in the mine schedule
Day 2
Landform
- Slope stability and erosion over the long term
- Drainage and runoff design
- Waste rock and tailings capping
Day 3
Soil and vegetation
- Stripping, stockpiling and degradation
- Amelioration and growth medium
- Species selection and establishment
Day 4
Monitoring
- Success criteria that can actually be measured
- Vegetation, erosion and water quality monitoring
- Remedial intervention when it fails
Day 5
Money and release
- Cost estimation and provisioning
- Guarantees and financial instruments
- Relinquishment and residual liability
What you leave with
- A rehabilitation plan tied to the mine schedule.
- Landform and soil handling specifications.
- Success criteria with a monitoring programme behind them.
Dates and fees
| Dates | Location | Format | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 27 November 2026 | Maseru, Lesotho | Classroom | R15,000 |
| 30 November 2026 to 4 December 2026 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 7 to 11 December 2026 | Kampala, Uganda | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 14 to 18 December 2026 | Lagos, Nigeria | Classroom | US$1,500 |
Fees are per delegate and cover tuition, all programme materials and the certificate. Travel, accommodation and visas are arranged by the delegate. Registration closes two weeks before a programme starts.
Certificate
A GATI certificate recording what was attended, issued after the programme has run and attendance has been taken. Attending at least 80 per cent of the days earns a certificate of completion; attending less earns a certificate of attendance stating exactly what was attended. Every certificate carries a code that anybody can check against GATI's own record.
It records participation. and GATI does not claim one it does not hold.