Perceptions of reclamation success as “as close as possible to the pre-mining state” undermine public participation and Indigenous consent in mineral governance

Indigenous peoples and local communities in mineralized regions are under increasing pressure to support mining on their lands. The promise of reclamation is commonly used to help secure support for a project, yet proposed reclamation outcomes are often vague during impact assessment. We asked how local understandings of reclamation success interact with deliberations on whether to support a proposed mine through a case study in the Yukon Territory, Canada. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of written submissions by Yukon people and organizations to public engagements about mining from 2010 to 2021. We found Yukoners require “proper” reclamation for approval of mining and conceptualized success as “as close as possible to the pre-mining state”. We problematize the concept of “reclamation as reversal” as it (falsely) implies that mining is a reversible process. We further demonstrate how reclamation as reversal appears ethically responsible but constrains Indigenous self-determination in decision-making and can create artificial agreement on goals. We conclude that a robust understanding of realistic reclamation outcomes is required during impact assessment for meaningful public participation and for Indigenous peoples to provide/withhold consent. To achieve this, local engagement on reclamation must be premised on transformational change to landscapes, not a return to a past state.