ABSTRACT
Large-scale mining is a significant economic activity in mineral-rich African countries. However, mining has had a detrimental impact on the environment, creating various challenges for mineworkers and residents of nearby communities. By pre-independence, mining and government officials in Zambia (then Northern Rhodesia) demonstrated knowledge of the impact of mining. This resulted in emphasis on the health and safety of mineworkers. Despite this, the actual effect of mining on environmental pollution remained poorly addressed even after independence. Environmental management on the Copperbelt was worsened by the privatisation of the industry and subsequent environmental exemptions granted to foreign investors. This chapter examines environmental management on the Zambian Copperbelt, almost 100 years since the onset of commercial mining. The chapter argues that political and economic developments in the country have adversely affected mining-related environmental management. The chapter contributes to scholarship on the impact of local developments on environmental management in the extractive industry in Africa.
