Legislative support for regulating social impacts of the extractive industry

Resource extraction induces a range of positive (economic progress) and negative impacts at the local, regional and even national level. The most dominant negative aspects include environmental degradation, as well as diverse social (b) social impacts are briefly acknowledged however without detailed mitigation strategies (a superficial approach); (c) several important strategies are outdated or have been abolished without suitable replacements; and (d) while environmental issues are prioritized, other social impacts are inadequately addressed or inconsistently considered. The introduction of a comprehensive law to regulate mining development would address these hierarchical and horizontal inconsistencies, fill gaps, and incorporate overlooked aspects, such as the social impacts of mining activities.