CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND DEFENCE POLICY BRIEFING NOTE FOR INFORMATION

Microsoft Word - Edited - Brief Madagascar Illegal Sapphire Mining.docx CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND DEFENCE POLICY BRIEFING NOTE FOR INFORMATION SUBJECT: Illegal Sapphire Mining in Madagascar The illegal sapphire mining industry in Madagascar has been a major issue for the country, contributing to a number of different security issues that are of concern to public and private interests. [...] Extractive companies need to be aware of the illegal sapphire trade and its effects, especially in regions of Madagascar that potentially have deposits of the precious mineral.i Sapphire mining in Madagascar accounts for an estimated 50% of the world’s supply, with sapphire deposits located in all regions of the island. [...] The largest threat that the illegal sapphire industry poses to Malagasy security comes in the form of the large migrations of informal miners from region to region, largely dependent on the discovery of sapphire deposits. [...] The migrant nature of these populations and there settlements can have negative environmental consequences for the community in the short and long term, including improper filtration of wastewater, contamination of land, deforestation, and the endangering of local species. [...] Institutionalized corruption severely hampers efforts to regulate the sapphire industry, with interested parties reluctant to change the status quo of the industry for fear of a loss of personal profit.