Sherritt's brush with nature

The Toronto-based miner behind one of the biggest nickel projects in the world must contend with plummeting prices, political instability and the humble lemur GEOFFREY YORK Thursday, April 30, 2009 MORAMANGA, MADAGASCAR - [e-mail] When bulldozers began clearing the forest for the biggest industrial project in the history of ...

[Axel Donning]

This is really a nightmare - project. And the worst thing about it is, that it`s impact on biodiversity is totally underestimated and ignored. Moreover it`s a typical example for a wrong policy; it is a new step towards unstabel socio- economic and ecological circumstances. And as usual the invetsors get the benefit, the damage has to be carried by the local population and the nature.

[Ellhnas]

hi

[Rob]

Wow, Axel, rather heavy on the hyperbole and jargon and rather weak on the facts. I worked on this project. I'll debate you on the impacts on biodiversity, anytime, anywhere. But you haven't got the jam to do so, because you don't have any facts to support your tired words. So go ahead, keep trolling on message boards, spreading your ignorance. When (if) you man up, let me know, I'll show you my facts and you show me your ... well ... tired old jargon.

[Axel Donning]

I have seen the impact of the project with my own eyes. I`m working for a very long time in impact assessment- projects (special area of interest: mammal and forest ecology) so that I feel able to evaluate the impact of this project.

I`would like to now, what kind of information you have about this (especially the compensation strategies and how to compensate the total loss of intact forest patches and even bigger areas where the status of conversation is so weak allready).

At least the plantation of new trees can`t compensate the bottleneck- effect on Populations caused by the lack of intact and undestroyed forest areas. If you really want to discuss this send me your information about your strategies of the compensating the environmental impact of the project. Even I`m not expecting you to be transparent in your knowledge I offer you honestly to discuss about the facts.

[Christopher]

I agree with Axel. This project is hideous for Madagascar. You cannot replace those forests and their flora and fauna once it is mined. Plus, bringing in outside laborers does nothing whatsoever for the local economy except introduce SIDA. Typically Canadians are so nice, why are their mining companies such proles?

As for "manning up" I think the writer who supposedly worked on the project clearly had no facts to support his views or else he would have stated them.