Earlier this year, small footprints in the sand marked a meaningful encounter between children and newly hatched sea turtles - a moment that symbolised a connection with nature and the future. Around 45 people, including colleagues from our Brazilian operations, contractors, and their families, witnessed one of the most iconic events in marine life: the hatchling sea turtles' first journey towards the ocean.
The special experience is made possible by the Caruara Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN) located in São João da Barra (RJ) in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro State. The reserve, a conservation unit created in 2012, is dedicated to the protection of sandbank ecosystems in Brazil and the preservation of the abundance of flora and fauna that exists in this biologically diverse area.
In 2025, Anglo American entered into a partnership with the reserve, as an investment designed to strengthen efforts in biodiversity conservation and environmental education in the region near the Port of Açu, which forms part of our Minas-Rio premium iron ore operation. The Caruara Reserve, managed voluntarily by the Port of Açu, spans 40 km² – an area equivalent to five thousand football fields – and is recognised as the largest sustainable tourism hub in northern Rio de Janeiro state.
The Turtle Walk to the Sea is part of the wider Sea Turtle Monitoring Program (PMTM) that seeks to integrate the Port of Açu’s development with the protection of sea turtles through environmental education, community engagement, monitoring and production of scientific knowledge. The unique experience allows visitors to witness the hatchlings of the sea turtles make their first journey towards the sea, under carefully controlled conditions.
