Classification and Co-ordination of Conflicting Rights for Sustainable Land Use

The aim of this article is to investigate the possibilities to detect
the conflicts between national interests and rights for sustainable land use.
The analysis is based on a newly developed standardized terminological
framework for classification of interests in land, the Legal Cadastral
Domain Model. The model is used to classify conflicting rights in two
Swedish mining areas, Kiruna and Bunge, in Kiruna the relocation of the
city due to mining interests and in Bunge the ongoing conflict between
mining interests and national nature preservation interests.
The study shows that it is relevant to use a standardized approach
for getting an overview of and thus comparing the multi-facetted nature
of private and public interests in land. For example, land use regulations,
such as a zoning plan, often contain prohibitions and obligations for the
property owner embedded in the same document and a mining concession
may contain instructions for environmental protection activities. They are
in the model classified as separate interests beneficial or limiting for the
right holder. A detailed classification therefore provides an overview and
can assist officials and decision makers in identifying and co-ordinating
conflicting interests.