Due diligence in mine feasibility studies for the assessment of social risk

Mining communities in different geographic locations may differ widely in terms of culture, environmental characteristics, and collective attitudes towards mineral resource development. The mining industry and a number of communities have realised the need to work together to establish a framework for sustainable equitable partnership that meets the priorities of each side. Risk assessment of a mineral resource development project contains social factors that needs to be addressed as part of due diligence in feasibility studies. The findings of such an analysis can provide key inputs for the identification of issues required to be negotiated as part of an agreed framework, leading to an impact benefits agreement (IBA). This article reviews and analyses IBAs in Canada for classification of the issues into categories and sub-categories. Following this, a specific methodology for pre-feasibility due diligence that addresses social issues is described, with the implementation of a proposed confidence assessment demonstrated through case study analysis. The work introduces an approach for addressing social risk in mine feasibility studies.