Mining industry of Madagascar
The mining industry of Madagascar is mostly on a small scale, centred mainly around remote locations with large mineral deposits.
[3] In 2013, the mining industry, a main source of foreign investment, was struggling due to "low metals prices and distrustful companies", attributed to a 2009 coup.
[6] These speculations of valuable metal and mineral deposits are rooted in a traditional Malagasy story titled Tantaran'ny Andriana (which translates as The History of the Nobles).
[7] In addition to sharing the history of the Imerina kings, Tantaran'ny Andriana suggests that there are prevalent silver deposits across the island.
[7] Upon arrival, explorers did not find the extent of valuable deposits that they were expecting – they found that the gold, silver, and other metals and minerals were typically imported to Madagascar and then turned into jewelry.
[7] Madagascar contains deposits of copper, iron and manganese ores, graphite, rock salt, niter, pyrites, and some minor minerals.
While the auriferous gravel was being washed in pans by approximately 3,000 local workers in the early 20th century, there were expectations that reef mining would supersede the primitive methods of gold extraction.
In 1905, several syndicates were formed in the Transvaal to acquire properties in Madagascar, with some Rand mining experts visiting the island that year.
When conducting explorations or excavations of an area for the purposes of mining, entire ecosystems are destroyed which in turn results in a loss of overall biodiversity.
In terms of ASM operations, there are fewer miners that work individually or in small groups in remote areas to find precious metals and stones.
"[18] When looking at large-scale public-private mining initiatives, "tany malalaky" doesn't play a significant role in the land selection process.
[18] When selecting an area for a large-scale initiative, the factors taken into consideration are mainly economic – the amount of mineral or metal available for extraction and the potential profits.
[13][12][19] Many of these social and cultural factors are rooted in the loss of individual livelihood and communities by way of physical displacement of (typically rural) populations or restricted access to protected natural zones.
[13] [12] [19] Over the past 40 years, these social and cultural injustices have gained nationwide attention due to two large-scale mining initiatives: the QIT Madagascar Minerals operated Mandena mine in Fort Dauphin, Anosy,[12] and the World Titanium Resources' (WTR) Toliara Sands project located just outside of Toliara, Madagascar in the Ranobe protected area.
[13][19] The QMM SA project is an initiative that began with a 1986 agreement between QIT-Fer et Titane Inc. – a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, one of the largest mineral and metal mining corporations globally, and Office des Mines Nationales et des Industries Stratégiques (the Office of National Mines and Strategic Industries of Madagascar) – a Malagasy public agency – saying that the profits of the QMM project will be split 80% to the Rio Tinto Corporation and 20% to the Malagasy government.
This lack of communication resulted in those who were displaced, who are typically the rural populations, having two options: to move to a dedicated piece of land or to be bought out by the government or corporation involved.
[2] Minerals, both industrial and metallic, are numerous including ilmenite, graphite, limestone, gypsum, dolomite, silica, mica, titanium, quartz, gold, platinum group, silver, iron, copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, chromite, coal, and uranium.
Madagascar is also rich in precious and semi-precious stones: ruby, sapphire, emerald, aquamarine, beryl, tourmaline, topaz, garnet, cordierite, rose quartz, amethyst, and citrine.
