Complexity and interdependence in local mineral extraction planning: The Nasa Mountain Quartz Case in Northern Norway

• Published in: The extractive industries and society Vol. 17; p. 101434
• Main Authors: Stjernström, Olof, Ellingsen, Tanja, Dankertsen, Astri, Sandersen, Håkan T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2024
• Subjects: China; Green shift; Indigenous rights; Mineral extraction; Multilevel planning; Green shift; Multilevel planning; Indigenous rights; Mineral extraction; China
• ISSN: 2214-790X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.exis.2024.101434

•The highlights of this paper are the land-use conflicts in terms of multilevel governance/planning on and between different levels of planning, the paradoxes of planning. The green transformation does not come without planning challenges. In this paper we focuses on the challenges related to the extraction of rare earth minerals. The paper is based on a case study concerning Nasa mountain in Norway and the process of the proposed exploitation of a quartz resource.•The Nasa mountain case is complex and demanding. The point of departure for the present study was the challenges inherent in the local planning process. During this process, global, regional and local concerns are all manifested in a proposed land-use change. The proposed exploitation of the quartz deposits at Nasa mountain in Rana municipality in Norway clearly illustrates the arguments for and against development at different levels of governance and planning. The various logics and rationales are related to the levels of governance and planning. Splitting the process into parts and handing them out to different governing and planning levels, with different appeal processes, is an effective way of ignoring the complexity.•Even though we do not yet have the results of the planning process for the proposed implementation of the quartz mine on Nasa Mountain, we would still argue that the complexity of the decision-making at different levels by different authorities, and a planning process with different layers of geographical legitimacy, is a challenge that illustrates the blindness of rational planning to the cumulative and holistic effects of governing and planning in a complex social and environmental system. To limit the extent of climate change and achieve the SDGs at the global level there is a need for mineral extraction, but to reduce its dependence on minerals from violent and/or non-democratic countries such as China and the DRC, Europe (supraregional level) aims to become more self-sufficient, and aims to extract minerals in a more sustainable way from countries such as Norway. Meanwhile Norway – having also signed up to the Paris agreement and the SDGs – wants to contribute (national level), particularly because economic development is desperately needed in remote areas of northern Norway (national/local level). However, at the local level, this mining activity has potential negative environmental, economic and social impact, particularly for the Sámi people (local level/crossborderlevel (Norway-Sweden)..•Multilevel governance opens up space for rational planning conflicts between levels. Something that might be the best option at the global level has a high price at the regional or local level. We need to address the challenges of multilevel systems, rather than hiding them inside a plethora of complicated and delimited systems and geographically limited rational planning systems. Raising awareness around this amongst the local planners themselves – in particular in small and remote areas where competencies might be limited – seems to be a first important step in that direction.•Finally, the parallel between the Nasa mountain situation and the previous supreme court case, ‘Fosen Wind’, is obvious. Now, even two years after the supreme court ruling, the Norwegian government has not removed the wind farms, resulting in further tension between the sámi people and the norwegian government and leading to demonstrations and protests. The Norwegian prime minister had to publicly apologize to the Sámi. How this discussion will end is still unknown, but will have a huge impact on the ruling in the Nasa mountain case, as well as other similar cases/areas involving reindeer herding. With the ruling of the supreme Court, as well as the recent demonstrations, it is likely that the final decision on the Nasa mountain case will be put on hold also in the next few years, at least until a new government is installed in 2025.. The Green Transition demands mineral extraction. The importance for Europe to gain independence from China within this area is also high on the political agenda, which has resulted in a renewal of interest in mineral-extraction in the Nordic countries, including Norway. Despite the increasing demand at the global, European and national level, the planning process itself though takes place at the local level, raising issues of complexities, contradictions and dependencies. This study focuses on the Nasa Mountain Quartz Case in Northern Norway,and finds that the local mineral extraction planning process is best described as a “wicked problem”. Different local concerns – regional development vs environmental concerns and violation of reindeer areas in a cross-border context - as well as different global demands and conventions - contradict each other, making the presumably limited local planning process of Rana municipality quite demanding, crossing sectorial and the local, national and global/EU domain. Increased understanding and awareness of this is needed at all levels.