Environmental Assessment
Volume B-5.1
Mine
Socioeconomics
Ambatovy Project
324
January 2006
project will ensure that despite the potential for such problems, communities near
the mine will see overall net benefit.
While not impacts as such, there is also some potential that project risks, such as
accidents, spills and other risks as identified elsewhere in the EA, could be
realized with potential effects on not only public health and safety, but also
livelihoods. Emergency response planning will include a public education
component to advise people of risks, how to avoid these, and how to respond
should a risk be realized.
5.1.2.7 Community Involvement
Over and above specific mitigations, the project will consider to provide planning
assistance and capacity building as a contribution toward enhancing the net
benefit of the project. Until the approach and needs are more fully defined
through consultations between the project and the full range of potential
participants, details cannot be prescribed.
The work of socioeconomic consultants and of the project’s community relations
staff at the mine site and in the Toamasina area has provided information on
community perceptions of needs, much of which is included in the consultation
sections (Volume A, Section 6), the baseline discussion and reports in Volume K,
Appendix 1.1. Concerns centre on i) accessing economic opportunities,
including access to employment, education and support to businesses towards
economic diversification; ii) issues related to access to land, forest and water
resources and the livelihoods that depend on these; iii) issues related to public
health; iv) social and cultural issues; and v) support to decentralization and
development planning.
The socioeconomic impact assessments in Volumes B to F note expected
impacts, and also the potential for negative impacts that are not within the direct
control of the project to fully mitigate. The most difficult of these include
migration to the mine and tailings/plant sites (and consequent health, service
delivery, resource and economic effects); induced urbanization at the plant site;
and economic and social change that will certainly benefit many but can also
disadvantage others.
Taking into consideration both articulated priority needs on the part of affected
populations and the actual and potential negative project effects, potential areas
for planning and assistance are briefly described below.
