Socio-economic impact management: programme design and implementation considerations

While larger mineral resource development projects offer new jobs and provide a stimulus to the economy of the area where they are sited, they may also pose problems in rural areas associated with rapid population growth. The purpose of an impact management programme is to anticipate and alleviate project effects that are generally perceived as undesirable and to enhance effects that are beneficial to site area communities. While the effective management of project effects is the end towards which all impact assessment efforts are directed, an integrated approach to impact management has been notably lacking. This paper suggests a systems framework for meeting this need by: (1) reviewing the need for impact management efforts; (2) discussing the objectives of, and considerations in, designing impact management programmes; (3) presenting a conceptual framework for, and key components of, such a programme; and (4) suggesting an approach for implementing such a system as an integral part of the project development process.