Socioeconomic framework and indicators for assessing cumulative effects of resource development on indigenous nations

Abstract

The development of natural resources, particularly mining and associated infrastructure, has profound impacts on ecosystems and people, particularly on host communities, with Indigenous people often bearing unequal burdens. Mainstream impact assessments continue to be disproportionately directed towards evaluating mostly biophysical impacts, usually neglecting the critical issues of cultural, social, health and economic aspects that impact Indigenous ways of knowing and being. In this paper, we provide a conceptual contribution to the search for a holistic socio-economic assessment of the cumulative impacts of resource development on Indigenous people. Drawing upon existing research and direct engagement with Indigenous people, we propose a holistic framework for regional cumulative socio-economic effect assessments of resource development. We anchored our framework in the concepts of environment, place, and space linked to the Indigenous concept of wellbeing. To operationalize the framework at the regional level, we recommend building Indigenous representation and capacity by adopting Indigenous governance systems, legal principles and values based on the concepts such as the mino pimatisiwin. Our approach provides a holistic, relational, interrelated, and interdependent view that is culturally sensitive, responsible, and reciprocal and provides a relevant foundation for selecting appropriate socio-economic indicators to assess regional cumulative effects of mining on Indigenous people.