Improving land use before mining
In 1986, Rio Tinto acquired a research permit to investigate a potential mining area in Madagascar for heavy minerals. A commercial deposit was found near Fort Dauphin in southeast Madagascar, containing the heavy minerals ilmenite and rutile, feedstocks for titanium dioxide manufacturing.
Over more than 15 years, QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM), 80 per cent owned by Rio Tinto and 20 per cent by the Government of Madagascar, has evaluated the project area's mineral potential as well as the potential social and environmental impacts of mining. A decision was made in 2005 for development of a large scale mine representing a US$585 million investment in Madagascar and the creation of employment for thousands of people.
The area has little mining tradition -mica is mined nearby but there are no modern commercial mines - and extreme poverty is widespread. Above the mineral deposits lies a complex littoral forest ecosystem with many important variations in biological diversity, forest structure, and endangered species. For many years these forests have been exploited in an unsustainable way by local people to obtain food, building materials, charcoal, and fuel. The original forest is present only in small remnants today, and the pressures on the forest and related natural resources continue.
After several years of assessing the project area in the context of its mineral potential and the impacts that mining operations could have on the region, QMM decided to pursue a fully staffed social and environmental programme with collaboration from other organisations such Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Earthwatch, the Smithsonian Institute, Missouri Botanical Gardens, various universities, the national and regional governments in Madagascar, and local residents. Long before mining operations are due to start in 2008, QMM has achieved the following:
- Established an Ecological Research Centre, completed in 1998 within the first proposed mining area, Mandena. Smaller stations were set up in the two other mining areas, Petriky and Ste-Luce. The centre includes a plant nursery, seed treatment station, restoration trials, and an information and education centre.
- Conducted basic research and collected data on the social environment and how it interacts with the natural environment.
- Consulted extensively with villagers to determine their concerns and how to address them.
- Conducted basic research and monitoring on the biodiversity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
- Established conservation zones, with the cooperation of all stakeholders, to protect 720 hectares of key ecosystems within the mining area.
- Investigated restoration techniques for degraded ecosystems.
- Created a tree nursery with a capacity of 170,000 trees per year, and sustainable plantations (planting 100 hectares per annum) that will supply communities with fuelwood and charcoal.
- Conducted full scale trials of rehabilitation methods and ecological ecosystem restoration.
- Built schools, clinics, and wells in the rural area around the mining site.
- Established an international biodiversity committee with 10 members, which has met once or twice a year since 2000.
The Madagascar programme represents one of the most far reaching engagement efforts that Rio Tinto has pursued, from the point of view of the complex interconnections between mining operations, environmental conditions, and the social and economic situation. Along the way, Rio Tinto is learning many new ways of working with partners in the region and learning how mining can facilitate a more sustainable environment.
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