Environmental Assessment
Volume B-4.2
Mine
Fauna
Ambatovy Project
218
January 2006
transitional habitats (12%; 186 ha) will be impacted by dust. As discussed in
Volume B, Section 4.1, plants most sensitive to the effects of dust may be
vegetation on the ground and in particular lichens, mosses and other life forms
that derive some of their moisture and nutrient requirements from the air such as
epiphytic orchids. These plants include some rare species thought to be specific
to azonal and transitional habitats.
Most of the dust is predicted to be dispersed outside of the proposed azonal
conservation areas. At Analamay, no dust is predicted to occur within this
conservation zone. Within the conservation area at Ambatovy, dust is predicted
to be dispersed over an area of 10 ha (10% of Ambatovy conservation area).
Introduction of Non-Native and Invasive Species and Microclimatic Changes
The largest potential impacts as a result of edge effects due to mine construction
and operation will be to azonal, transitional and ephemeral pond habitats with
proportional losses of 11.1%, 11.6% and 4.3%, respectively (Table 4.2-6). Edge
effects will influence 255 ha of zonal habitats (2.0%) and 455 ha of “other”
habitats. These impacts are in addition to the direct losses due to site clearing.
The marsh and marsh edge habitats are not predicted to be impacted by non-
native and invasive species or microclimate changes due to edge creation.
Table 4.2-6 Habitats (ha) Within a 100 m Edge Effects Zone of the Mine Site Local
Study Area
Habitat Type
Baseline
(ha)
Area Impacted
(ha)
% Indirect Habitat
Loss
azonal
1,380
-153
-11.1
transitional
1,489
-172
-11.6
zonal
12,527
-255
-2.0
ephemeral ponds
5
-<1
-4.3
marsh
1,114
0
0.0
marsh edge
231
0
0.0
river/water
13
0
0
other
(a)
6,134
-455
-7.4
total
22,892
-1,034.8
-4.5
(a)
Includes pasture, rice paddies, eucalyptus woodlots, slash and burn areas, and villages.
Residual Impact Classification
Residual impacts as a result of indirect effects are provided in Table 4.2-7.
