(cest2017_01262) Application of systems thinking in the management of a mineral resource active region.

摘要

Most mineral active regions with stocks of mineral andenergy resources have undergone decades of extraction,‘fueling' economic development. Although some countrieshave benefited greatly from mineral extraction and havepursued policies to translate mineral wealth to human andfixed capital, others have failed to capitalize on these,whilst often left with the environmental damage ofextractive activities and trade-offs on social and economicvariables. Inequity in distribution of resource benefits andcost predispose these regions to conflicts, whilst flows ofinteraction amongst economic, environmental, and socialvariables that evolve over time underpin the complexstructure that exists in resource systems. These interactionsmake mineral active regions complex to manage andobscure efforts toward sustainability. Several of the modelsthat evolved to manage subsoil mineral resources lackholistic and multi-disciplinary perspective and fail toaddress the complexity of the issues. The potential ofsystems thinking to address these limitations and deliverholistic solutions that are not simply based on competitionbut collective system benefits has been investigated here inthe context of a case study. Findings demonstrate thepotential of employing systems tools in understanding andcommunicating the complexity of these regions, with aconceptual framework for how resources and stakeholdersare 'connected' within a 'texture of interdependencies'proposed as an integrated and holistic way to improvemanagement of these regions.