Interdisciplinary approaches to environmental histories of metal mining

Australia has tens of thousands of abandoned mines and mineral processing sites. Most are largely unknown and almost all are poorly managed. These places are the unruly heritage of past mining booms, the chaotic yet durable detritus of past places, events and processes that were and remain discarded, neglected and forgotten. Addressing the unruly heritage of mining’s environmental legacy is a wicked problem with many and diverse stakeholders. Interdisciplinary approaches provide vital insights needed to increase understanding of these issues. A long-term research program investigating the environmental history of gold mining in Victoria illustrates some of the methods, sources of evidence, and outcomes that interdisciplinary approaches can provide and the range of audiences that can be reached. It demonstrates the contribution that historical perspectives provide for addressing contemporary problems of mineral extraction, river health, ecological balance and cultural heritage.