With substantial progress in the practice of closing mines over the last three decades or so largely driven by better regulation and third-party standards, it is now technically achievable to close a mine to leave behind a ‘safe, stable and non-polluting’ site in harmony with regulatory requirements (long-term management requirements notwithstanding). However, such limited vision often does little to realise possibilities for rebuilding broader ecological integrity and enhancing people’s lives for the long term – particularly those in mining communities. 

Mining sector practices – and policies – need further refinement to address such challenges, especially given the inevitable large-scale mine closures planned over the next couple of decades, and growing expectations for the responsible mining of critical metals and minerals to supply the green industrial revolution. 

Reflecting on over 30 years of research and the stories presented in the recently published not-for-profit book 102 Things to Do with a Hole in the Ground, this paper will highlight how such challenges have been turned into pragmatic opportunities as illustrated with examples from around the world. It posits the notion that – arguably – there are few if any new problems in the mine closure/transition and post-mining regeneration space; bespoke solutions have been developed that address them by balancing environmental, social and financial outcomes – somewhere – by mining companies, government, communities and/or unexpected actors. The main challenges to converting such liabilities into new opportunities are, therefore, of perspective, communication and will. 

Building on the existing library of excellent mine closure good practice technical guidance, the paper will discuss further advances for doing more with our holes in the ground based on empirically derived, generic findings from the first-hand analysis of very many hundreds of projects, including some non-mining examples too.