Assessing the application of decision analysis in stakeholder consultation in the mining industry ...

• Main Author: Thrift, Andrew
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2009
• Subjects: Northwest Territories
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0081052; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0081052

Earning and sustaining a "social license to operate" is of critical importance to the mining industry. Aligning mining practice with societal expectations of sustainability and public participation is crucial to achieving this aim. Multi-stakeholder Structured Decision Processes based on decision analysis are promising tools for effective stakeholder consultation, but have seen very little application in the mining industry. This innovative approach involves stakeholders in collaboratively building a structured decision framework that is transparent and grounded in principles of effective decision making. This thesis assesses the effectiveness of using decision analysis in consultation by evaluating a case study consultation process regarding the optimization of a tailings management plan at the Ekati Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories, Canada. This represents the first time a decision analysis-based process has been used for project-based consultation with wide stakeholder involvement in the Canadian ...