PW01 Assessment
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Wednesday
(PW003) Mineral policy, land use planning and sustainable development.
Wagner, H.1, Tiess, G.1, Solar, S.2, Nielsen, K.3, 1 Department of Mining Engineering Montanuniversity, Leoben, Austria, Styria2 Geological Survey of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia3 Department of Geology and Mineral Resources Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
ABSTRACT- Mineral resources are an important basis for value creation, welfare and social development in both the industrialised and less developed economies. Extraction and use of minerals has, however, raised concerns about their long term availability because mineral resources are non-renewable in terms of human life spans. According to economic theory will resource depletion push up the real prices of mineral commodities over time, and this could threaten the quality of life for future generations and make it difficult or even impossible to maintain sustainable development. The mineral industry has, however, been able to compensate for the depletion of present reserves by making more efficient use of existing deposits, and turning non viable resources into economic reserves, thanks to innovation leading to technological development and much improved resource management. It is consequently a broad agreement in the mineral industry that depletion of mineral resources does not seem to be a problem on a global scale. However, the situation with regard to reserves and security of supply on a regional and local scale may be quite different, especially for construction materials and low value industrial minerals. Land use planning is of crucial importance in this context, both with regard to access to mineral resources and in order to prevent resource sterilisation and preserve resources for future generations. The paper will describe and discuss the findings of an ongoing project investigating mineral planning policies in Europe, including mining, environmental and land use policies, legislation and practices. The various elements will be assessed in a cross sectorial context including resource availability, security of supply both for the present and future generations. The project has been commissioned by the Directorate General: Enterprise of the European Union, and involves contributors from all the 25 EU member countries plus Norway.
Key words: Mineral supply, Mineral resources, Mineral policy , Land use planning