Economic importance of the mining and quarrying industry in the Bodensee-Oberschwaben region and aspects of regional planning

The region Bodensee-Oberschwaben, located in the south of Baden-Württemberg, has a leading position in the sector of quarrying of sand and gravel. Nevertheless, the regional quarrying industry is subject to conflicting interests between economic needs of the resident firms, regional planning and environmental concerns. The study aims to describe and analyse the economic importance of this sector while taking into account the relevant context at the regional level and beyond. Methodologically, the study is based on analyses of data and literature, a standardised business survey and guided interviews with regional experts. The following aspects will be covered:

• Direct and indirect effects of the industry with regard to value added and employment.
• Integration of the (local) extractive industry into regional and national value chains and significance of upstream and downstream relations.
• Planning procedures and periods concerning both investments in this industry as well as (regulatory) approval procedures.
• Framework conditions and secondary effects of the extraction of resources as, for instance, matters of transportation, land use, environmental issues, societal acceptance, but also potential effects and benefits for biodiversity.

Based on the results, we will induce an overall assessment of the current and potential future economic importance of the quarrying industry for the development of the region including policy recommendations for the local economic and political stakeholders.