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Geological Society, London, Special Publications; 2005; v. 250; p. 195-211;
DOI: 10.1144/GSL.SP.2005.250.01.18
© 2005 Geological Society of London

Sustainable development and minerals: measuring mining’s contribution to society

D. J. Shields1 & S. V. Solar2

1 USDA Forest Service — Research and Development, 2150 Centre Ave, Bldg A, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA dshields{at}fs.fed.us
2 Geological Survey of Slovenia, Dimiceva 14, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Traditional development theory focuses on two goals, income growth and poverty alleviation, and many mineral-rich developing countries have depended on resource exploitation to achieve those goals. In reality, mineral-driven economies have often experienced less growth than mineral-deficient economies. Conversely, the potential positive contributions of mineral development are often overlooked in countries with limited mineral endowment. Such under- or over-emphasis on the minerals sector can be lessened by addressing mineral development within the context of sustainable development. Each country identifies sustainability goals, with respect to social equity, environmental health, and economic growth that are appropriate to its circumstances. The contribution of mineral resources to the achievement of those goals will be similarly context dependent. In this paper we discuss the concept of sustainable mineral resource management. We then describe how indicators of sustainability can be used to measure the contribution of the minerals sector to a country’s economic development and track progress toward its overall sustainability goals. We present an example of sustainable mineral management policy and related mineral indicators from a country with a transitional economy and limited mineral resources.





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[Abstract] [PDF]