The Scientific Consultative Committee (SCC) has just concluded its new mission this November. The meeting was held from November 2 to 4, 2011 in Antananarivo. The Committee was created in 2009 and it reflects Ambatovy’s commitment to transparency and environment protection. It is composed of fourteen independent Malagasy and foreign Scientists, who are renowned in their respective fields such as biodiversity, environment conservation and management. This year, the committee has been expanded to welcome an international social sciences expert.
The Consultative Committee meets every six to twelve months to carry out an external evaluation of Ambatovy’s environmental management program and to issue their recommendations on the preservation of Madagascar’s exceptional biodiversity.
The experts can freely submit their comments and recommendations on the company’s major aims in terms of environmental policy. The Committee also assesses Ambatovy’s biodiversity preservation strategies, as well as the conservation programs resulting from these strategies.
Ambatovy’s environmental program is monitored by the Malagasy State’s regulatory bodies and independent engineers who conduct regular audits on behalf of Ambatovy’s lenders. The programs are conducted in total respect for the Equator Principles, through which lending banks establish the social and environmental criteria for the investment projects they finance.
