Impacts from mining on cultural values of water: Overcoming policy fragmentation at the domestic and international scale

Resource frontiers are often home to communities whose worldviews are deeply interconnected with the natural environment. Yet, prevailing policy frameworks frequently impose divisions - separating the tangible from the intangible and the natural from the cultural. Although human rights discourses hold significant potential, they too can fail to capture the subtleties of cultural values. As a result, important values across landscapes risk being overlooked or inadequately considered in resource activities. This paper examines examples of regulatory and industry-led (voluntary) approaches to addressing impacts from mining on the cultural values of water. Our research focuses on the language and scope of written instruments. We conclude that while some evidence of integration exists, dominant paradigms may require reconsideration and greater consistency in terminology is needed.