spotlight madagascar

So something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, obviously, is how to have responsible investment in developing countries that both benefits local people and helps boost the national economy, while not destroying the natural environment that, especially in Madagascar, is hugely unique and in danger of being completely demolished. I think the answer is NOT MINING. I hate what is happening with this nickel mine (and all of the others), and I hate that the government and the minions of the president are getting richer through all of these ‘development projects’.  Sherritt, you make me physically ill.

“Local sentiments are ambivalent. People surely are happy about the prospects of being employed. However, most of the employment is short-term (only during construction but not operation of the mine). Local people are rarely skilled so that very few will have the chance to work for the mine in the end. People are not happy about being displaced by pipeline construction, but they appreciate the homes that Sherritt has built for them as compensation. People would love to use the pipeline trajectory as a regular road to transport goods on, but Sherritt has not said whether it will allow that. People are definitely not happy about environmental impacts of the mine, most importantly silting of streams and rice fields, as well as social ones, including rising food prices due to inflation and pregnancies among teenage girls by miner workers. At least local people benefit from the mine in terms of being able to sell their produce to the mine workers.”

Conservationists worry that the long-term impact of the mine with be difficult to gauge because “there is no independent oversight of the project. There is no independent institution that will follow up on Sherritt’s activities with respect to what was stated in the environmental impact assessment and the cahier de charges.”

Read the whole article here:

Nickle mine in Madagascar may threaten lemurs, undermine conservation efforts

travelers take note, madagascar is taking the necessary steps to move towards a more responsible, sustainable framework for tourism. this will not only help conserve the many endemic species that exist on the island, but give people a chance to have a true cultural and environmental experience while traveling. this is certainly the adventure you’ve been looking for!

here are the winners of the madagascar responsible tourism awards 2009:

Winners!!

and here’s how to get in touch with these agencies:

Winners of the Madagascar Responsible Tourism Award:

Menabe:

Travel Flying Services

tfsmadagascar@moov.mg

+261 33 11 177 70 / +261 32 40 199 90

CAZ:

Eastern Tours

Fortin.chan@moov.mg

+261 20 53 315 79/ +261 32 11 566 31

www.mananara.net/

-courtesy of Adventure Travel News

what do we use nickel for? lots of things.

End Use

Nickel is used in thousands of applications in virtually every industry:

this is from sherritt’s website :

The Ambatovy project is a foreign investment success story for Madagascar. It will contribute significantly to how the country is perceived – especially in the global natural resources sector. With the construction phase advancing nicely, it is likely that more investors – of all industries and sizes – will begin to view Madagascar as a stable country for business, a claim shared by Bretton Woods institutions.

I’m anxious to get back and see if things have gotten better than the last time I was there. Corporate Social Responsibility–is this a real concept or just a lot of jargon? Who will benefit from these investments?

Here’s an overview of the project:

Ambatovy Nickel Project, Madagascar

Here’s what an open-pit mine looks like: