National Mineral Policy 2006 - Department of Mines

Further, Rule 7D of the MCR specifies the forms of the registers of RP applications and RPsto be maintained; Rule 21 of the MCR does the same for PL applications and PLs; and Rule40 of the MCR for ML applications and MLs. The standardised forms for the registers arespecified in the Rules. These forms contain information on permit/licence/lease location andsize of area, ownership, transfers, duration, expiry, etc. However, there is no recognition of amineral title atlas requirement.2.24 While the above provisions provide for registers of mineral titles these do not containall the data needed by investors for decision making. Investors want an established and easilyaccessible mineral titles system (cadastre) to provide adequate transparency while choosingareas for mineral concessions, as it becomes a daunting task to find out which area is openand which area is not. Under the provisions, the applicant for a PL is required to describe thearea applied for in the MCR Form B (Application for Prospecting Licence). The system is notbased on a geographic grid/block system but instead relies on drawing borders on officialmaps, if available, hand sketches, etc. A description of the area granted, and where availablea map of the area, is attached to the PL [MCR Form F (Model Form of PL) Schedule A].2.25 International literature on mining shows that almost all resource-rich nations todaymaintain on-line registers (cadastres) that contain a digitised record of actual mineral titles aswell as available greenfield and relinquished areas. These registers generally are open forpublic inspection (accessible on-line) and provide a means not only to determine if the land isalready under some sort of mineral title but also to provide other geological information(meta data) in respect of that land so as to enable investors to identify opportunities forinvestment. Many mining laws require the maintenance of a mineral title atlas, which is mucheasier to use than a mere sequential registry. Many nations have already, or are nowimplementing, computerised Geographical Information System (GIS) that link maps withregistry records and geological databases and previous prospecting reports. This type of GISsystem is being rapidly introduced worldwide. Most nations with such systems haveintroduced block based exploration areas on the basis of geographical coordinates in theirvarious types of exploration titles. Consideration needs to be given to requiring applicants toapply for concessions for areas based on blocks tied to a geographical coordinate system.Almost all new mining laws provide for such a system. Block based systems allow forefficient determination of area availability and reduce or eliminate conflicts between62