Project Outcomes
57
BBOP Pilot Project Case Study – Ambatovy Project
Improved communication: information available to international NGOs did not reflect the full scale of works
conducted in the field by the Project. The reason was linked to rather limited communication efforts by the
Project, which was subsequently ramped up. The high velocity of Project implementation has been
generally overwhelming for most NGOs, who felt they needed a deeper involvement with the Project. Such
aspects were discussed in detail with CI, Forest Trends and WCS in November 2008. The Project will
present and implement its communication strategy on biodiversity management and BBOP activities in
2009. The offset programme is not yet mentioned as a standalone project on the Sherritt web site, however
it is mentioned on the Environmental Assessment documents (page 12), available at:
A specific web page will ultimately describe in detail the biodiversity offset process and activities, including
this case study and subsequent, updated versions of it.
Stakeholder confidence: the Project hopes to increase and consolidate the confidence of the public
(government, NGOs, authorities and the public at large) and private partners, (banks) and demonstrate its
commitment to sustainability. This is strongly linked to both the communication effort and compliance
activities. The governmental authorities and local communities are aware of, and have taken part in, the
offset activities. Project partners and lender banks have monitored the progress of the offset programme
through quarterly audits and bi-annual biodiversity audits.
Significant scientific knowledge will be obtained through biological surveys (which underpin the loss and
gain calculations), especially at Ankerana, where studies have been limited despite the description of these
ultramafic outcrops as biodiversity hotspots. The Project intends to prepare external publications of its
biodiversity management programs, especially for
MITIGATION
in high biodiversity areas, possibly setting a
precedent for other mining projects in Madagascar. A publication, likely a monograph of both the impact
and offset sites, will be produced in collaboration with scientific partners. An article on the Project was
provided to the CBD newsletter
Business 2010
in April 2008 (
-
2008-04/
).
Forest restoration: the reforestation activities include targeted reforestation with native species to improve
connectivity around the Ankerana offset site and between it and the remaining forest corridor; similar
programs exist around the mine and the pipeline component.
Taxa-specific conservation: species taxa conservation management programs will be developed for key
taxa such as lemurs,
Mantella
spp., flora and fish, on the same basis as those developed at the mine site.
