Sustainable resource management: a societal uncertainty perspective

ABSTRACT

The oil sands deposits in Nigeria have attracted the attention of the Federal Government as a means of diversifying the economy. These resources are not yet commercially exploited for development because of several uncertainties. This study attempts to explore one of these uncertainties, namely societal uncertainty of the immediate host communities. Societal uncertainty is a combination of tribal sentiment, public perception, and displacement of residents, security issues and host community perspective. The interrelationship between these uncertain factors and their influence on the resource development is highly sensitive and volatile, hence the use of system dynamics (SD) methodology for monitoring. The findings of this study can be used as a focal point for policy intervention for future sustainable development of oil sands in Nigeria.

KEYWORDS:

• System dynamics
• societal uncertainty
• sustainability
• local community
• oil sands
• Nigeria
• resource management

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their valued propositions that have made the paper more systematic and instructive.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.