Involving the Public - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 150

and pilot projects to participation in public forums and the formulation of policies and
plans, to publicizing research results and case studies on the poor. Thus NGOs play roles
from advocates for the poor to implementers of programmes; from agitators and critics
to partners and advisors; from sponsors of pilot projects to mediators;

●

Development and operation of infrastructure - community-based organizations and
cooperatives can acquire, subdivide and develop land, construct housing, provide infra-
structure, and operate and maintain infrastructure such as wells or public toilets and solid
waste collection services. They can also develop building material supply centres and other
community-based economic enterprises, although in many cases, they will need technical
assistance or advice from the private sector, governmental agencies or higher-level NGOs;

●

Supporting innovation, demonstration and pilot projects - NGOs have the advantage of
selecting particular places for innovative projects and specifying in advance the length of
time which they will be supporting the project - overcoming some of the shortcomings
that governments face in this respect. NGOs can also be pilots for larger government
projects by virtue of their ability to act more quickly than the government bureaucracy;

●

Research, monitoring and evaluation - innovative activities need to be carefully docu-
mented and shared - effective participatory monitoring permits sharing of results with
the people themselves as well as with project staff.

Be Aware

Nevertheless, the inclusion of NGOs as ancillaries to the mining itself is not without risk,
as greater familiarity with the project may lead to more nuanced opposition. If compa-
nies make concessions, NGOs may come back for more. Through opposition, an NGO
may derive power that is inconsistent with its knowledge or constituency. The notion that
'power corrupts' can apply to NGOs as well as other groups ( Case 3.6 ).
It is imperative, therefore, that those responsible for planning the response to the environ-
mental and social impacts of a project need to consider the full potential of the NGO sector,
both in what it can contribute, and the degree to which it can be a source of frustration, delay
and added costs. The experience of other major projects will provide invaluable guidelines
for maximizing the utility and minimizing the pain of NGOs in the arena of mining and the
environment.

The inclusion of NGOs as
ancillaries to the mining itself
is not without risk, as greater
familiarity with the project
may lead to more nuanced
opposition.

CASE 3.6
Manila warns it will arrest Canadian anti-mining activists.

Thu, May 05 2005. Back off or you'll be arrested. This
is the warning issued by the Philippines Environment
Secretary Michael Defensor to Canadian anti-mining activists
who are helping some members of an ancient tribe save
their ancestral land. 'They have no right to meddle in the
affairs of the country. They should respect the policies of
the Philippines, especially the economic policy to do min-
ing,' Defensor said after a recent meeting with

pro-mining tribal elders from Mindanao who claimed that
they were being used by foreign groups. Defensor noted
that international non-government organizations were
becoming invasive in their efforts to rally support against
mining activities not only in the Philippines but worldwide.
'I don't mind that they have an advocacy, but for them
to agitate, fi nance people [to go against mining], that's a
different thing'