This document discusses social impacts of mining. It defines social impacts as effects on people and communities, including ways of life, culture, health, safety, and human rights. Social impacts can include changes to communities, environment, access to resources, and participation in decision making. The mining cycle from prospecting to closure has different social impacts that require assessment and management plans. A single impact assessment is needed to consider interconnected social, health, environmental, cultural, and human rights issues. The document provides examples of potential social impacts from mining at the exploration stage and during construction and operations.

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What are the Social Impacts of Mining?
Mining Sector Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and
Management Workshop
24-26 October 2017, MONREC, Naypyidaw
myanmar.responsible.business
What are social impacts?
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Social impacts?
They’re just those
demonstrations
stirred up by NGOs,
aren’t they?
Comment from an Myanmar EIA
Consultant, MCRB/Vermont Law
School training workshop,
Yangon 2016
No, demonstrations are
what happens when you
haven’t identified and
mitigated/managed social
impacts.
Social impacts are impacts
on people.

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Social impacts are impacts on people……
 Their way of life
 how they live, work, play and interact with one another
on a day-to-day basis;
 their culture
 shared beliefs, customs, values and language or
dialect;
 their community
 its cohesion, stability, character, services and facilities;
 their environment
 the quality of the air and water people use;
 the availability and quality of the food they eat;
 the level of hazard or risk, dust and noise they are
exposed to;
 the adequacy of sanitation,
 their physical safety,
 their access to and control over resources;
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 their health and wellbeing
 health is a state of complete physical, mental, social and
spiritual wellbeing and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity;
 their personal and property rights
 particularly whether people are economically affected, or
experience personal disadvantage which may include a
violation of their civil liberties;
 their political systems
 the extent to which people are able to participate in
decisions that affect their lives,
 the level of democratisation that is taking place, and the
resources provided for this purpose;
 their fears and aspirations
 their perceptions about their safety,
 their fears about the future of their community,
 their aspirations for their future and the future of their
children.
Impacts on humans and the ways in which people and communities interact with their socio-cultural, economic and biophysical
surroundings.
Which of these is
NOT relevant to
mining?
An A to Z of social impacts……
 Aesthetic impacts (landscape analysis)
 Archaeological and cultural heritage impacts
(both tangible and non-tangible)
 impacts on Children
 Community impacts
 Cultural impacts
 Demographic impacts
 Development impacts
 Economic and Fiscal impacts
 Gender impacts
 Health and mental health impacts
 impacts on Indigenous rights;
 Infrastructural impacts
 Institutional impacts
 Leisure and tourism impacts
 Political impacts (human rights, governance,
democratisation etc)
 Poverty
 Psychological impacts
 Resource issues (access and ownership of resources)
 impacts on social and human capital
 other impacts on societies.
InternationalAssociation for Impact Assessment: http://www.iaia.org/wiki-details.php?ID=23

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It’s all connected…..
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Impacts Gender Health Cultural
Environ
ment
Human
Rights
Social
Impact
Assessment
• A single Impact Assessment, conducted by a team of relevant experts, makes sense
• Not separate Cultural Impact Assessment, Health Impact Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessment,
Social Impact Assessment etc etc
Example: A mine attracts inward migrants from a different area/ethnicity/religion who:
• harass local women (social, gender, human rights, culture)
• pollute streams with the waste from their temporary huts (health, social, environmental, economic)
• hunt for ‘bushmeat’ (environmental/biodiversity)
• increase malaria prevalence (health, social, economic)
• put pressure on local schools due to increase in children in the area (social, education)
This project will needs mitigation measures which will reduce/reverse
inward migration and manage its impacts – Ideas?
Myanmar requires a single assessment (EIA) of all
impacts, including social
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Myanmar Environmental Impact Assessment Procedure (2015)
Article 2 (h) Environmental Impact means the probable effects or
consequence on the natural and built environment, and people and
communities of a proposed Project or businesses or activities or undertaking.
Impacts can be direct or indirect, cumulative, and positive or adverse or both.
For purposes of this Procedure, Environmental Impacts include
occupational, social, cultural, socio-economical, public and community
health, and safety issues. Moreover, social impacts include Involuntary
Resettlement and relating to Indigenous People.

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Mining Cycle and Social Impacts
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Prospecting
Exploration
Pre-feasibility
Feasibility
Construction
Operation
Closure
Rehabilitation
All stages of the mining cycle
have different types and levels
of impacts
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Plans needed
for a mine at
different
stages of the
mining cycle
Source: Coffey
Environmental
Management Plan for
Hpakan Jade, 2017

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Example of Impacts at Prospecting/Exploration
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 South Africa – company
prospecting for platinum deposit in
area with existing mines
 Proposed prospecting area
contains a number of small- to
medium-sized farming operations
that supply a significant
percentage of Gauteng’s fruit and
vegetables.
 A number of plant nurseries and
tourist attractions are also located
close to the tailings storage facility.
 Prime concern of the Zandfontein
community is the quantity and
quality of underground and surface
water supplies.
 Some local residents did not
welcome the prospect of a new
mine in the area
Samanchor Chrome, Environmental Management Plan for prospecting
for platinum, Zandfontein, South Africa
http://www.golder.com/bw/modules.php?name=Documents&op=vie
wlive&sp_id=2884
Impacts - Zandfontein Example
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Impact Mitigation
Noise caused by drilling rigs, generators,
vehicles, voices of the drilling crew
Operate only during daytime
Instructions to Crew
Visibility of the drilling rig Appropriate location of rig in consultation with landowner,
screening with vegetation or shade cloth barrier
Dust generated by the drilling operation and
vehicles travelling over unpaved areas
Low vehicle speeds; watering of roads
Removal of, or damage to, cultural heritage
objects and sites
Crew awareness of sites e.g. graveyard
Code of conduct
Potential contamination of soil, surface
water, groundwater with oil, diesel etc
Proper vehicle maintenance; Careful refueling; spill kit on site;
immediate clean up of spillages
Friction between local residents and
landowners, and prospecting personnel
All operations will be carried out under the guidance of a
strong, experienced manager with proven skills in public
consultation and conflict resolution. All prospecting personnel
will be made aware of the local conditions and sensitivities in
the prospecting area. There will be a strict requirement to treat
local residents with respect and courtesy at all times.
Social or
environmental
impacts?

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Construction and Operation Phase
 Loss of land and livelihoods
 effect on family incomes
 children’s school attendance
 psychological trauma
 community disruption from relocation
 Pollution of water, farmland
 loss of livelihoods, impact on health
 Noise, light disturbance, blasting, dust
 Road safety due to vehicles
 impacts on children
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 Arrival of construction workers
 impact on local community e.g.
prostitution, HIV/AIDS, malaria,
insecurity
 Arrival of scavengers (e.g. Hpakan)
 Drugs, crime, looting
 Behaviour of security guards
 Etc etc
Impacts can be more severe unless they are managed…..
In conclusion…..
 Social impacts are impacts on people
 To determine social impacts, the company/consultant needs to talk to people
 Social impacts, environmental impacts, health impacts etc usually cannot be separated: a single impact
assessment is required
 Mining has significant social impacts
 These impacts will change throughout the mining cycle
 prospecting, exploration, feasibility/construction, operation, closure, rehabilitation)
 This means that requirements for impact assessments and management plans need to be:
 Tailored to the stage of the cycle
 Revised throughout the life of the project
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Impacts Gender Health Cultural
Environ
ment
Human
Rights
Social
Impact
Assessment