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Evaluating Governance for its Contribution to Sustainable Development: Large-Scale Mining in the Yukon Territory, Canada

Haney, Lauren Elizabeth LU (2009) IMEN41 20091
The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Abstract
Few industries have as profound an impact on the natural environment and local and regional
development as mining does. This work is premised on the notion that sustainability
principles can be applied to mining development toward ensuring it contributes to and does not
undermine sustainable development. This research focuses on large-scale mining in the Yukon
Territory of northern Canada. The Yukon has deep historical and societal roots in mining,
which has persisted as a cornerstone of its economy. The Territory is also characterised by a
legacy of unsustainable mineral development that has left its mark on the region’s
environment and people.
Amid increasing large-scale mining development and a legacy of impacts, decision-makers... (More)
Few industries have as profound an impact on the natural environment and local and regional
development as mining does. This work is premised on the notion that sustainability
principles can be applied to mining development toward ensuring it contributes to and does not
undermine sustainable development. This research focuses on large-scale mining in the Yukon
Territory of northern Canada. The Yukon has deep historical and societal roots in mining,
which has persisted as a cornerstone of its economy. The Territory is also characterised by a
legacy of unsustainable mineral development that has left its mark on the region’s
environment and people.
Amid increasing large-scale mining development and a legacy of impacts, decision-makers
have committed to sustainable development of the Yukon’s mining sector. Despite this, the
governance regime for large-scale mining does not explicitly consider sustainability in its
decision-making or management practice. In the context of the unique political, socio-cultural
and institutional conditions that shape the Yukon, this research explores the planning,
assessment and regulatory instruments of governance for major mines. It aims ultimately to
provide insight into how successful the regime is at achieving progress toward sustainable
development. It addresses the individual and collective contributions of the instruments and
goes beyond the theoretical to understand the sustainability implications of the governance
regime in practice.
Two sustainability frameworks are applied to evaluate the governance regime. Data collected
through literature reviews and in-depth semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders
inform the analysis. The analyses reveal some strengths and considerable shortcomings of the
instruments in terms of their sustainability contribution. Overall, it is determined that the
Yukon’s governance regime is not successfully contributing to sustainable development of
large-scale mining. Strong foundations in sustainability are recognised, however, and key
considerations highlighted by the analysis guide the suggestion of measures for improving the
regime’s sustainability contribution. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Haney, Lauren Elizabeth LU
supervisor
organization
course
IMEN41 20091
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
report number
2009:07
ISSN
1401-9191
language
English
id
1578594
date added to LUP
2010-03-17 16:28:00
date last changed
2010-03-17 16:28:00
@misc{1578594,
  abstract     = {{Few industries have as profound an impact on the natural environment and local and regional
development as mining does. This work is premised on the notion that sustainability
principles can be applied to mining development toward ensuring it contributes to and does not
undermine sustainable development. This research focuses on large-scale mining in the Yukon
Territory of northern Canada. The Yukon has deep historical and societal roots in mining,
which has persisted as a cornerstone of its economy. The Territory is also characterised by a
legacy of unsustainable mineral development that has left its mark on the region’s
environment and people.
Amid increasing large-scale mining development and a legacy of impacts, decision-makers
have committed to sustainable development of the Yukon’s mining sector. Despite this, the
governance regime for large-scale mining does not explicitly consider sustainability in its
decision-making or management practice. In the context of the unique political, socio-cultural
and institutional conditions that shape the Yukon, this research explores the planning,
assessment and regulatory instruments of governance for major mines. It aims ultimately to
provide insight into how successful the regime is at achieving progress toward sustainable
development. It addresses the individual and collective contributions of the instruments and
goes beyond the theoretical to understand the sustainability implications of the governance
regime in practice.
Two sustainability frameworks are applied to evaluate the governance regime. Data collected
through literature reviews and in-depth semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders
inform the analysis. The analyses reveal some strengths and considerable shortcomings of the
instruments in terms of their sustainability contribution. Overall, it is determined that the
Yukon’s governance regime is not successfully contributing to sustainable development of
large-scale mining. Strong foundations in sustainability are recognised, however, and key
considerations highlighted by the analysis guide the suggestion of measures for improving the
regime’s sustainability contribution.}},
  author       = {{Haney, Lauren Elizabeth}},
  issn         = {{1401-9191}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Evaluating Governance for its Contribution to Sustainable Development: Large-Scale Mining in the Yukon Territory, Canada}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}