THE issues that confront our community – landuse conflicts and the environmental impacts from mining – are causing similar problems across the globe in Finland.
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This is the opinion of two visiting academics from Finland, Jukka Sihvonen and Rauno Sairnen, who were visiting the Hunter Valley to study our approach to mining development, planning laws and best practice in environment protection.
Professor Rauno Sairinen and researcher Jukka Sihvonen from the Department of Geographical and Historical, Studies Institute for Natural Resources, University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu are spending time in the district seeing how we have handled our own mining boom.
During the past decade there has been a mining boom in Finland with income from mining doubling since 2007 and demand for the country’s nickel, zinc and gold leading to a huge increase in applications for mining permits.
Two Australian companies Altona and Dragon have operated mines in Finland.
Finding the right balance between mine development, protecting the environment and maintaining social cohesion are concerns occupying the minds of the visitors.
“In our research project, we are examining the mining and community relations and their local management in Finland, Australia, Sweden and Canada,” Prof Sairinen told The Argus.
“Our project – Social license to operate: a real tool or rhetoric? Examining the mining industry in Finland, Australia and Canada – concerns social acceptance of mining and dialogue between local communities.
“Our aim is to assess if it would possible in Finland’s mining policy to learn from the Australian experiences.”
While the pair are in Australia, they will look at how the mining companies, local government and communities are working together to solve local disagreements and developing impact management.
“We are studying the Mt Thorley Warkworth mine expansion and its social and regional impacts,” Prof Sairinen said.
“We are interviewing some members of Bulga Milbrodale Progress Association and representatives of the Singleton Council consultative committees.”
Although our local economy has been hit by the mining downturn, applications for mining permits in Finland continue, especially in the Lapland regions of eastern Finland.
These sparsely settled natural environments are popular tourist areas and conflicts have arisen between the tourism industry and reindeer farmers and the miners, Mr Sihvonen said.
The other major problem in Finland has concerned environment protection.
In 2012, the Talvibaara mine disaster took place where toxic water leaked from a tailings dam into nearby lakes and rivers.
Developing systems to regulate and protect the environment is a priority for our government, Mr Sihvonen added.
“We are looking to Australia to find some answers as your country has a long mining history and a large mining industry.”