The main social concerns related to this project include:

• Displacement
• Resettlement
• Conflict
• Threats to culture
• Increased insecurity
• Political instability
• Inability to defend themselves
• Increased poverty
• And more
  

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More detailed explanation:

Western Madagascar is very sparsely populated, with a density of 0 to 4 people per km2. The commune of Ankisatra, the location of the Tsimiroro field, has a population of less than 3,000. While the low population means less people are at risk of displacement because of the tar sands projects, it also means that the few people who do live in the area have less ability to defend themselves against that potential displacement. Further risk multipliers include the high levels of poverty in Madagascar (the World Food Programme claims 60% of the country is ‘extremely poor'), and the low levels of education.

In addition, the political situation in Madagascar is unstable. The current government is considered illegitimate by the United States and the European Union, and is suspended from the African Union, having come to power via a military coup d'etat in March 2009. Talks to form an inclusive transitional government fell apart in December 2009, and it is unclear whether any environmental and social issues relating to the tar sands development will be dealt with in a transparent manner.

The Production Sharing Contract (PSC) signed for both projects by Madagascar Oil with the government of Madagascar is perhaps even more heavily biased in favour of the oil companies than the similarly exploitative Kashagan oil field PSC in Kazakhstan.

90% of the recovered oil is considered Cost Oil (that is, it goes to the oil companies to cover the costs of their investment), with the remaining 10% of oil produced divided 90/10 between the company and the government for the first ten years of the contract, 80/20 for the following ten, 70/30 for the next decade, and 60/40 for the remaining life of the field, meaning that after thirty years of commercial exploitation the government of Madagascar will receive only 4% of the oil. Madagascar Oil’s view that the contracts “were negotiated at a very favourable time and contain attractive terms and conditions” is something of an understatement. Full Friends of Earth Report here.

For more information please read the Friends of the Earth Europe report.

There are also many environmental concerns. Such as:

• Habitat destruction
• Threatening of species
• Environmental destruction
• Biodiversity loss
• Climate change
• And more

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More detailed explanation:

On the western edge of the Tsimiroro field is the 1,520km2 Tsingy de Bemeraha nature reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1990. The area was awarded UNESCO status because of its limestone karst landscapes, undisturbed forests, mangrove swamps and rare animal species (it is the only place in the world where the armoured leaf chameleon can be found). Around half of the reserve is designated as a "strict" or "integral" reserve, meaning no development or tourism is allowed. Despite this, UNEP claims that "there is no management plan or zoning [...] boundaries are not marked [...] [n]o effort is made to patrol the Reserve or prevent legal infractions".

East of Bemolanga lies the smaller reserve of Ambohijanahary. There is little public information about this area, and what little there is highlights that its only real protection is its inaccessibility. Madagascar is a highly biodiverse country, with up to two-thirds of its species being endemic to the country.

For more information please read the Friends of the Earth Europe report.