Saqqummersitaq

This report presents the findings from a workshop that was held in December 2019 in Nuuk, Greenland, as part of a project that focused on inclusion of local communities and Indigenous peoples, and their knowledges and experiences, in relation to social and environmental impact assessments in the European Arctic. The project was titled: ’LOVISA’ (Lokal Viden og Oprindelig Viden i Sociale Konsekvensvurderinger i Europæisk Arktis).

The study presented in this paper explored how people in South Greenland perceive their future prospects and the role of mining in this regard. This region hosts two important mining projects still in relatively early stages. The study further investigated how mining projects influence local decisions about individual and community development. The study is based on qualitative interviews with people from the towns of Narsaq and Qaqortoq and from a sheep farm near Narsaq, during a fieldtrip in May 2017. The authors found that the mining projects, even though they are still in the exploration phase, have already had great impact on local expectations for future development and on decision-making and planning in people’s daily lives and thereby the development of the communities. Further, although located relatively close together in the same region, there are significant differences between the towns and their relations to the neighboring mining projects. There is both support and opposition towards the projects, which triggers division between individuals, between groups and between the towns. However, all agree on a need for more transparent processes and for timelines to inform people of when they can expect decisions to be made and activities to take place.