Summary
including responsibilities for social services and development planning.
However, the process of strengthening the capacity of rural communes
has been difficult and is ongoing.
Fokontany and fokonolona are kinship-based units, composed of
extended families and are traditionally governed by elder representatives
of principal families. These units are no longer recognized by the new
legislation on decentralization, but still have real value in practical terms.
These have been the basic units of social organization.
Regional Planning
A number of important government planning initiatives relevant to the
development of the Ambatovy Project also take place at a regional level.
Madagascar has been split into 22 regions for the purpose of aiding
decentralisation of economic development, with each region producing a
regional development plan focused on sustainable development and
poverty reduction. The regions are not only planning units, but also
decentralized territorial collectives and administrative areas (Article 4,
law no. 2004-001). Alaotra–Mangoro and Atsinanana are the main
regions in the project area. At a smaller scale, Toamasina Province is
split into three regions, with each developing a regional development
plan. The project is located within the Mangoro and Toamasina
economic zones. Lastly, within a large central part of Toamasina
Province, a planning structure has been created for the Ankeniheny–
Zahamena Corridor. (This corridor was previously called the Mantadia–
Zahamena Corridor, and is so named within most of the EA.) The
planning region comprises much remaining tropical forest and the
initiative aims to harmonise development with natural resource
conservation needs.
Lake Alaotra
The Environmental Assessment Process
The Ambatovy Project requires an EA approval to commence mining, as
described in Madagascar’s Environmental Charter of 1990 with
subsequent modifications. This EA follows the Terms of Reference
(ToR) issued in 2004 by the Malagasy National Office for the
Environment (ONE). The ONE therefore appointed a Technical
Evaluation Committee (CTE) in 2004 to review the EA.
Community consultation
Work on the EA started in January 2004, and benefited from studies
during 1996 - 1998 for the Phelps Dodge mine project at Ambatovy. As
required by the ToR and international guidelines, ongoing consultation
has been, and continues to be, an important part of the EA process.
Over 150 disclosure and consultation meetings took place in 2004 and
2005, with a variety of stakeholders: the public, NGOs, special interest
groups, and regional and national government. Some meetings were
large and involved many stakeholder groups at once, while others were
small, such as meetings with village members living near the project.
Along with professional expertise, consultation provided a solid basis for
January 2006
Ambatovy Project — 3
