The entire topside of the island of Nauru, in the Central Pacific, has largely been mined out and requires extensive rehabilitation, says Asian Development Bank (ADB) economist Roland Rajah. The tiny island nation, with a population of about 10 700 residents on an area of about 21 km2, has depended heavily on the phosphate mining industry since it started exporting phosphate ore in 1907. However, the impact of strip mining on about 80% of the surface area has been “severe”, according to environmentalists and industry analysts.
