150 conducted at MAC gathered more than 5,000 people, with around 4,000 participants specifically involved in sports-focused activities. These individuals not only provided feedback but also actively tested all aspects associated with sporting use in a post-mining environment, generating practical evidence for decision-making. Other relevant outcomes include job creation, with more than 300 direct and indirect positions generated across the events, as well as increases in tourism and local economic activity, benefiting the municipality. Reputational gains were equally significant. The events strengthened relationships with key stakeholders, enhanced institutional credibility with regulatory and oversight agencies, and triggered a highly positive response from society. Across all actions, more than 3 million social media interactions were recorded, demonstrating strong public interest and visibility. The logic of “closing while operating”—even though current operations at MAC are limited to closure works, since the mine has been inactive since 2002—combined with progressive planning, success criteria, and continuous monitoring, is fully aligned with recommendations from the ICMM Integrated Mine Closure Guide (ICMM, 2019). At the same time, the emphasis on iterative participatory processes reinforces consistency with the principles outlined by UQ/CSRM for meaningful engagement throughout the project lifecycle (UQ/CSRM, 2020). Discussion The long-term vision and international experience brought by partners such as XTerra and Blue Hole demonstrate that sustainable and enduring land-use models can emerge even during the closure phase, provided they are developed responsibly and transparently. The paradigm shift of operating pilots in a sensitive territory — marked by multiple interests and unique characteristics — required coordination among 17 internal departments and a strong learning culture at each testing stage. From an industry perspective, the case reinforces three key insights: (i) the importance of meaningful participation throughout the process (UQ/CSRM, 2020; ICMM, 2020); (ii) the usefulness of the Double Diamond framework for structuring cycles of opening, listening, refining, and scaling (Januário et al., 2023); and (iii) the need for success criteria and continuous monitoring to support decision-making and strengthen post-mining governance (ICMM, 2019). Figure 3 — Xterra 2025
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