Identifying and Evaluating Impacts - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 436

mining project. More importantly, mine development will become a nucleus for regional
growth independent of what is stated in existing regional planning documents. To maxi-
mize the benei ts for the region as well for the mine, mine planning and regional planning
need to be carefully aligned. Chapter 22 provides a more detailed discussion of this subject.

To maximize the benefi ts for the
region as well for the mine, mine
planning and regional planning
need to be carefully aligned.

Community Cohesion

It is often argued that the social costs of mining projects are borne by those communi-
ties near the mine, while the benei ts are shared by a larger population located mainly
elsewhere. For this reason, analysis of social impacts should be generally directed at the
community level, where the majority of negative impacts are to be felt, without neglecting
regional social benei ts associated with any mine project.
Community cohesion is the degree to which residents have a 'sense of belonging' to their
community, a level of commitment and attachment of residents to the community, and
its formal and informal institutions, usually as a result of continued association over time.
Cohesion depends on interactions among the individuals, groups, and institutions that make
up a community. Mining projects tend to be disruptive to cohesive communities due to the
inl ux of large numbers of outsiders, especially during the construction period when large
numbers of people enter the project area for a relatively short period of time, with no par-
ticular commitment or attachment to existing communities unless it is in their interest.
One of the traditional tools for measuring community cohesion is the stability index.
The stability index, a methodological approach used for more than a quarter of a century,
is based on the assumption that the longer people live in a community, the more com-
mitted they become to it and the more cohesive the community. A quick snapshot of a
community may be gained by analyzing existing demographic data, providing that this
includes information on how long community members have been in their current resi-
dence. The stability index may be most useful when it is viewed as just a rough indicator
of neighbourhood stability. In any event, it is essential that community studies are backed
up with direct i eld observation and other primary data collection.

It is often argued that the social
costs of mining projects are
borne by those communities
near the mine, while the benefi ts
are shared by a larger population
located mainly elsewhere.

Mining projects tend to
be disruptive to cohesive
communities due to the infl ux
of large numbers of outsiders,
especially during the construction
period.

Relocation
Relocation or displacement is discussed in depth in Chapter Fourteen. It has three aspects:
the number and type of families and businesses displaced; the probability that comparable
housing relocation sites can be found for those affected; and the psychological and eco-
nomic impacts associated with relocation. Relocation impacts are among the most sensitive
community-related impacts of development; they tend to modify relationships between
people and their community. The relocation of families or businesses from their exist-
ing locations affects not only the relocated people themselves, but also those who are left
behind and those who live in the areas where the relocated people will live.
As with most approaches to social impact evaluation, no simple analytical formu-
lae or engineering approaches exist to identify and evaluate the signii cance of relocation
impacts. World Bank (2001), IFC (2006), ADB (1998), and other i nancial institutions have
developed useful frameworks that can guide the relocation process, and assist in evalu-
ating its signii cance. It is widely accepted that not all social impacts associated with dis-
placement are offset by i nancial compensation or physical relocation. On the contrary,
i nancial compensation is discouraged if relocation involves rural communities without a
well-developed monetary value system. The impacts to a person's social attachment to a
particular community or the loss of close proximity to customary land may not be dupli-
cated in another community.

Relocation impacts are among
the most sensitive community-
related impacts of development.

Financial compensation is
discouraged if relocation involves
rural communities without a
well-developed monetary value
system.