Thematic Network on Sustainable Strategies for Waste Removal and Restoration of Arctic Mine Waste Areas (RAMWA)

The Arctic region is a unique and fragile ecosystem that is currently undergoing significant environmental, cultural, political, and societal changes due to global warming and urbanization. The region is considered rich in natural resources, including minerals, oil, and gas, which have attracted the attention of many countries as well as industrial consortia and interest organizations. The geopolitical and economic implications of industrial development and Arctic mining are complex and multifaceted.

Creating a thematic expert network of Arctic scientists aiming at the development of advanced scientific interdisciplinary methods for sustainable mine waste removal and remediation techniques RAMWA) is, hence, overdue considering the rapid growth of the mining industry throughout the Arctic. The use of sustainable strategies will help mitigating the environmental impact of mining waste and ensure that the Arctic remains a clean and healthy environment for future generations.

The creation of this thematic network (TN) on removal and remediation technologies for Arctic mine wastes (RAMWA) will provide a first communication and discussion platform for researchers, decision makers, indigenous experts and other stakeholders for sharing knowledge and expertise, collaborate on interdisciplinary research projects, and develop new technologies for sustainable mine waste removal and remediation in the Arctic.

The network will foster the development of advanced scientific interdisciplinary methods for sustainable and environmentally friendly mine waste removal and remediation technologies in the Arctic.

The network on Sustainable Strategies for Waste Removal and Restoration of Arctic Mine Waste Areas (RAMWA) will also serve as platform for education (school & University level) and as initiator for the development and establishment of advanced international research proposals.

For achieving the challenging tasks ahead of us, We will actively use and combine the following communication and information tools:

1. Joint research workshops/conferences
2. Digital communication platforms
3. International working groups /joint publications
4. Close connections to Arctic stakeholders (i.e Arctic Monitoring Assessment Programme (AMAP) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the Arctic Economic council, The Sustainable Development Working Group of the Arctic Council, Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat - IPS, The Saami Council and other relevant entities).
5. Joint Academic educational program development
6. Exchange program for Master/Ph.D students, support of Master/Ph.D theses
7. Collaboration/sharing data archives

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The RAMWA team currently consisting of 16 experts from 13 institutions and 8 countries agreed recently to produce a position paper on requirements for sustainable waste handling in Arctic mining. The planned document is aiming at providing expert guidance to decision maker for planning and executing sustainable frameworks for regulation and licencing.

The initial idea to develop the TN RAMWA collaboration was first discussed during a dedicated workshop on Bioremediation of mine waste in the Arctic arranged by UArctic and Yukon University, Whitehorse, Canada.