Environmental Assessment
Volume B-5.3
Mine
Land Use
Ambatovy Project
359
January 2006
5.3.4
Issue Scoping
Key issues raised by the public relating to land use during public consultations
include:
•
degradation of forest lands, including loss of economic timber
resources;
•
deterioration of rice growing areas;
•
sedimentation of rivers, affecting water use and agriculture;
•
changes to hydrology (water volumes, especially in rice growing areas);
•
in-migration of others into the area and subsequent land use conflicts;
and
•
will reclaimed lands be usable and will pit areas left after mining will be
filled.
5.3.5
Assessment Methods
Two cases are considered for land use: a base case, assuming no project occurs,
and a project case under which specific impacts will occur on land use. Land use
changes under the base case are considered under an extrapolation of existing
land use trends. Land use changes under the project case are considered through
a spatial analysis of the kinds of land use areas that will be altered or made
inaccessible by the project.
The effects of land use impacts are social in nature and are addressed within the
impact rating system in the socioeconomics section (Volume B, Section 5.1).
5.3.6
Impact Assessment
5.3.6.1 Base Case
Based on the existing activities in the mine LSA, and historical trends, it is
important to consider that without mining activity, deforestation is likely to
continue at a rate of about 1% per year in areas not physically protected from
land use activity. Over the same time span that the project is projected to last
(30 years), 26% of the primary forest in the LSA would be converted. At the
same time, however, under the future base (no project) case, the local populations
would have the opportunity to use and access lands that will be made
inaccessible by mine operations.
