What can Australia learn from Lusatia? This was one of the topics of discussion at the East German Economic Forum from 18 to 20 May in Bad Saarow. During a panel discussion, Australian and German experts exchanged views on the transformation of the Australian mining sector. Prof Carsten Drebenstedt from the Institute of Mining and Specialised Civil Engineering at TUBAF was also present. In this interview, he talks about his research on mine closures.
Numerous mining pits in Australia are soon to be closed. Can Lusatia and other former mining regions in Germany set an example?
Massive mining closures are imminent, particularly in the Hunter Valley, an important coal mining region in Eastern Australia. The Australian delegation with experts from administration, business and science with different profiles such as regional planning, nature conservation, economic development, geotechnics / water management, learnt about the experiences in mining development. Lusatia has only achieved economic significance along with municipal and infrastructural development through the mining and energy industries. It is a good example of how regions can deal with the loss of this industries. Conclusions for future transformation projects can be drawn in particular from the experience of the massive, largely unprepared closures of mining and processing companies in the early 1990s with equally massive social consequences, as well as from the ongoing transformation process. In Australia in particular, there are many ghost towns that were created during the development of a mining operation and abandoned after its closure. In Lusatia, the partners can easily understand the time, technical and financial dimensions of the reorganisation of the abandoned mining areas on the one hand and the social consequences that had to be overcome on the other. In the current transformation process, it is particularly important to create attractive long-term conditions in the affected regions for the establishment of downstream industries and for people to stay or move in. For example, through the targeted relocation of state offices and authorities to them, with better transport connections and the expansion of municipal infrastructure.
Where has the transformation been most successful in your opinion?
The transformation is a constant learning process and is embedded in the existing environment. A very good example is the reutilisation of the mining lakes in the Lusatian Lakeland for tourism. Nature conservation, water management and fishing utilisation are also embedded. New opportunities have been created for the region there, attracting people and nature!
What role does, or did, TU Bergakademie Freiberg's research play in mining rehabilitation and transformation?
The TU Bergakademie Freiberg is involved in the transformation process in a variety of areas, both in the development of sites for science and innovation, for example for circular economy, as well as on issues relating to geotechnical safety and water management development in Lusatia, in particular to safeguard water quality. There is also close collaboration on concepts for the culture of remembrance in the museum sector and on topics such as the development of financial-mathematical models for the evaluation of remediation alternatives. With the English-language Master's degree programme "Sustainable Mining and Remediation Management", the unique knowledge and experience of mining remediation has been passed on to international students since 2012. In 2018, the highly regarded international conference " was organised as a scientific conference on this topic. The extensive knowledge is also secured in books, such as "".