Summary
TAILINGS FACILITY
Social Context
The tailings facility will be located on the boundary between the
communes of Toamasina II and Fanandrana. The number of
households surveyed in or near the tailings facility site was 406, of which
165 are identified for resettlement. The tailings site population is a long
established rural population. They experience constraints to agricultural
production due to extreme rainfall and reduced access to both services
and markets. The area is remote without easy access to the
opportunities presented by Toamasina. Artisanal production (largely
weaving and the making of small stools) is important, but given the
generally low returns to this type of economic activity, this importance
suggests marginal livelihoods. Agriculture, including crops in addition to
rice, is an important economic activity. Other agriculture includes
cultivation of fruit trees, but also maize, manioc, sweet potatoes and
other subsistence crops, as well as limited cultivation of cash crops,
particularly ginger.
Valleys in the tailings area
Water management is not generally perceived to be a problem, as there
seems little demand for irrigation systems. This is likely because the
high year-round rainfall ensures continual river flow and thus the
capacity to route water for agricultural use. There is a problem with
excess flow during periods of exceptionally high rainfall. Potable water
comes mainly from springs, which are characteristic of the higher altitude
hills and are considered to be cleaner than rivers.
Forest cover has largely been removed, although some stands of
secondary vegetation appear to be maintained and isolated woodlots
have been established. There is some harvesting of available vegetation
for household needs and for artisanal products. Fishing contributes to
wellbeing, however, biological resources do not make the degree of
contribution to livelihoods that forests make in the mine site area.
During the assessment of the tailings area, seven tombs, 12 ceremonial
sites, 10 archaeological sites and one symbolic tomb site were found.
Seven ceremonial sites, three tomb sites and two archaeological sites
were also found near the tailings area boundary.
Culture
Environmental Context
A series of three valleys west of Toamasina make up the planned tailings
facility. The valleys are moderately steep often with vegetated hillsides
and valley walls which descend into flat, wide valley floors. The highest
elevation is 90 masl at the western end and the lowest elevation is
4 masl in the eastern portion of the tailings study area. The valley floors,
in particular the northern valley, have been developed into rice paddies.
January 2006
Ambatovy Project — 34
