Sustainability’s CEO David Hunt recently welcomed delegates from the Mongolian Ministries of Mining, Environment Green Development and Tourism to our head office in Perth where staff shared their industry experiences.
During their week long study tour, the Mongolian Ministry delegates had the aim of learning about the Western Australian mining industry and, in particular, government policies in the time of economic downturn. As mining plays a significant role in both Mongolia and Western Australia, the delegates were able to discuss common issues such as licensing, environmental approvals, and community and stakeholder engagement processes for project approvals.
The delegates from the Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Green Development were conducting their Western Australian study tour to explore and learn about Australia’s experiences in Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), government policies for water regulations and sustainable water management.
- They were specifically interested in Western Australia’s experiences and government policies for water licensing, allocation schemes and pricing. The delegates learnt how those issues are dealt with in Western Australia, including lessons learnt from the Murray Darling Basin water licencing and the Government’s policy shift in recent years included a water licence buy back initiative to ensure healthy ecosystems.
The group included heads of the three River basins in southern Mongolia, where water is scarce and there are significant mineral resources including copper, gold and coal. As Mongolia moves to developing these vast mineral deposits it is becoming increasingly important to have sustainable water management in the country.
Sustainability appreciated the opportunity to assist and further strengthen its ties with Mongolia.