There are many reasons why mining operators should have a robust biodiversity strategy, but for brevity, I have outlined three key ones here:
- Environment is, and will remain, front of mind
Across sectors, a dedication to achieve positive outcomes for the environment is becoming a crucial corporate imperative. Globally, biodiversity is in dire straits and continues to decline. Now that we have UN-set targets in the shape of the Sustainable Development Goals, we are finally seeing broader recognition of the need to achieve a positive return on societal and environmental investment, to reverse damaging trends and to improve our global ecological situation.
Maintaining biodiversity is at the absolute core of sustainable land use, and mines need a very careful balance in terms of the relationship they have with the natural order of the land around them. One of the mantras we have embedded within mining companies to inform their decision making is that healthy ecosystems, healthy landscapes and a healthy environment are fundamental to the sustainability of operations. This is true now and will remain true throughout the lifespan of current and future mines. - Fresh eyes and expert advice can help
When we partner with a company on a project, one of our main roles is to bring a different perspective and a new set of eyes. We have a team of experts including environmental and social scientists, foresters, geographers and more, who have everything we need to understand the biodiversity context of a site. We have experience from geographies all over the globe and have worked across sectors and corporate relationships to interpret and recognise biodiversity risk. The mining industry has its own set of mandates, which we understand through a long history of working on projects from the deserts of Namibia and Mongolia to the deep Amazonas.
One of our fundamental ground rules when partnering with a company is to have transparency and trust – a partnership cannot survive without that. We bring an experienced voice to the table, but also equity. For us, there can only be one standard, and that’s the best. To ensure that the habitats and biodiversity surrounding mines are managed sustainably with no net loss, companies need to look at potential impacts across the wider landscape in which they operate. Our role is to help ensure that companies go beyond basic compliance so that they are managing their operations in a truly sustainable way. - To achieve the biodiversity grail of net positive impact
To be truly eco-conscious, companies should aim to achieve net positive impact (NPI) on biodiversity. This requires that a project’s negative impacts on biodiversity are outweighed by the biodiversity gains achieved through conservation and well-designed social management projects in the same region. From FFI’s perspective, this means protecting unique habitats, maintaining ecological function and landscape character, and guarding against loss of endangered species. This should always be the main goal of companies working in sensitive landscapes, and to achieve it mining companies need to know what the potential impacts of their project could be. For example, one might assume that a mining company’s only environmental impact is making a hole in the ground; however, ecosystems operate and function beyond just this. Think of river systems providing water for multiple users through a mined landscape. Those users are dependent on that water, just as the mine needs operational water, and damaging the access to and quality of that water will likely affect both biodiversity and human use beyond the operational boundaries of a mine.
To achieve NPI, companies need to subscribe to and implement the mitigation hierarchy, which is the systematic and timely application of actions to avoid, minimise, reduce and offset their impacts on society and the environment. This minimises any potential residual impact of a mine in the landscape. It also helps to identify integrated solutions to managing social and environmental aspects that in turn gives companies the social licence to operate and ensures legal compliance.
FFI uses an integrated approach that takes all aspects of an ecosystem into consideration. For example, the direct impacts of mining on biodiversity can be exacerbated by a unmanaged influx of labour, which in turn can drive illegal poaching and unsustainable harvesting of wood for fuel and timber. Some of our work focuses on reducing poaching threats through sustainable alternative protein and livelihood opportunities and on reducing deforestation by, for example, supplying alternatives to meet energy requirements. Other work includes helping to build local capacity to clean up rivers that are contaminated and removing encroaching alien vegetation.
One of the most impressive aspects of Anglo American’s Sustainability Strategy is the clear goal to hit net positive impact by 2030 across all sites, which we think is admirably ambitious and extremely achievable.
Mining companies need to understand the full influence that they have on a landscape, and we are here to help those committed to positive change. Many companies claim they are taking a lead in sustainability, but only those taking a bold step towards understanding biodiversity and ecosystems are really able to do so. I have been impressed with the leading position that Anglo American is taking with its biodiversity work and new Sustainability Strategy, and look forward to the next, exciting phase of our relationship.
