Environmental Assessment
Volume B-3.10
Mine
Visual Aesthetics
Ambatovy Project
149
January 2006
Table 3.10-4 Residual Impact Classification for Visual Aesthetics
Phase
Direction Magnitude Geographic
Extent
Duration Reversibility Frequency
Environmental
Consequence
Issue: Effect of Mine Landforms on Visual Aesthetics
construction /
operations
negative
moderate
local
medium-
term
no
medium
low
closure
negative
low
local
long-term
no
medium
low
Issue: Effect of Mine Facilities on Visual Aesthetics
construction /
operations
negative
negligible
local
medium-
term
yes
low
negligible
Issue: Effect of Light on Visual Aesthetics
construction /
operations
negative
negligible
local
medium-
term
yes
medium
negligible
Issue: Effect of Visible Emissions and Dust on Visual Aesthetics
construction /
operations
negative
low
regional
medium-
term
yes
medium
moderate
Monitoring
No monitoring is proposed specifically for visual aesthetics. Monitoring of the
effectiveness of erosion control measures and reclamation success, which have
important implications for visual effects, are described in Volume B, Section 6.
3.10.6 Conclusions
The mine will have moderate environmental consequences for visual aesthetics
as a result of dust and emissions which may be regularly visible from outside of
the LSA. Low effects will occur due to the alteration of landscape elements
visible from relatively close to the mine, such as parts of the Torotorofotsy
Ramsar site and populated areas along the mine access road. Negligible
environmental consequences are expected due to mine facilities and lighting as
these effects are expected to be very localized with mitigation applied. In
general, this is a conservative assessment and the effects on most observers will
be very small, as they will not find their modified views to be very different from
pre-existing views. The greatest effects are likely to be on ecotourists in the
Torotorofotsy area, who will have specific notions about desirable views in the
area and will not expect to see stack emissions or mine landforms from the
Ramsar site.
