Metal-rich mining wastes represent a major source of long-term contamination in coastal and marine environments, yet information on their global distribution, management and governance remains fragmented. This PRISMA-ScR-guided scoping review synthesises worldwide evidence on large-scale mining waste discharges affecting coastal systems. Searches conducted in Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus and complementary grey-literature sources identified 515 records, of which 115 sources met the inclusion criteria for evidence synthesis. The review documents 65 coastal sites impacted by mining waste discharges, plus 3 additional sites proposed or under-development for mining projects, including marine waste disposal in the near future, and provides a structured, updated compilation of coastal environments reported in the literature as affected by large-scale metal-rich mining waste discharges, revealing strong geographical clustering, particularly in New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Chile, the Mediterranean and Norway. Beyond establishing a structured global inventory, the study synthesises management approaches, remediation strategies and governance frameworks reported across affected coastal environments. The findings highlight persistent environmental impacts on sediments, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, along with major deficiencies in long-term monitoring, management effectiveness and regulatory coordination. Two conceptual frameworks are proposed to support integrated management and governance of mining-impacted coastal systems. The review shows that coastal disposal of these wastes creates long-term environmental liabilities and should be a last-resort measure within sustainable resource management strategies. The findings are constrained by uneven geographical coverage and the limited availability of long-term monitoring datasets, highlighting the need for standardised global inventories, improved environmental monitoring and comparative assessment of management effectiveness.
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