Towards social sustainability of mining: The contribution of new directions in impact assessment and local governance

Abstract

While considerable attention has been devoted to reducing environmental damage associated with mining, less is known about how to manage the social impacts of mining. Most achievements in this respect are associated with two approaches to managing corporate social responsibility: voluntary measures to gain a social licence to operate on the one hand and compliance with government regulation on the other. However in mining-intensive regions of Australia these have not delivered more sustainable management regimes and the challenge of accumulating problems remains. This article discusses two innovations-social impact management plans and strategic regional plans-that seek to introduce more integrated, collaborative management and achieve more than is possible for governments or corporations working alone. These may be characterised as examples of 'clumsy solutions' which have been suggested as appropriate for dealing with so-called 'wicked problems'. The chapter considers their potential to leverage social sustainability for communities hosting mining operations.