Biodiversity conservation has been a cornerstone of our sustainable development strategy. A large number of biodiversity initiatives are undertaken across the Group, many of them in partnership with conservation bodies.

Biodiversity in Bushmanland’s Succulent Karoo, in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, will be protected under a Memorandum of Understanding between Anglo Base Metals and the Botanical Society of South Africa.

Since 2004, the focus has been on developing biodiversity action plans for significant sites and ensuring that these meet pre-defined international good practice. During 2006, 13 sites in Australia, the UK and South Africa underwent peer review, building on the work initiated in 2005 when 14 sites were reviewed.

The process enables the sharing of knowledge across the Group and ensures that biodiversity management is properly incorporated into ISO 14001 systems and into the Group’s Integrated Risk Management system. All the operations reviewed in 2006 demonstrated understanding of the impact on biodiversity and had included this into risk management, policy documents and management tools. Tarmac’s Northumberland region was considered to be meeting its commitment of a net positive contribution to biodiversity.

Further improvement is needed in terms of governance structures for biodiversity management, improved monitoring against pre-defined indicators and greater leadership in tracking emerging biodiversity risks and opportunities.

Restoration at Rietfontein

Remediation by Scaw Metals at the Rietfontein landfill site is showing excellent progress with even the giant bullfrogs, classified as a near-threatened species in South Africa, showing their approval in two rare sightings.

Following a pilot study, the site was fully planted in 2006 with trees and plants specially selected for their tolerance of adverse conditions and their ability to contain or neutralise pollutants.

An aerial survey and monitoring work by researchers from the Witwatersrand and Tel Aviv universities have found no mineral contamination of the planted areas around the site.

Working to protect endangered species

Anglo Platinum is working with bird-watchers to protect the yellow-throated sandgrouse – an endangered bird species found in the Northam area of the Limpopo province in South Africa.

Research began in July 2006 to assess changes in the population of sandgrouse, compared with a 1992 study, and to investigate the impact of any significant changes in habitat, farming practices or water supply. The Witwatersrand Bird Club will also establish whether the birds are breeding successfully.

Biodiversity protection in Bushmanland

Bushmanland is one of the nine priority areas of the Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Programme (SKEP) where, to date, an astonishing 854 plant species have been found in this desert landscape. Of these, 41 species are endemic. It is the only priority area in the internationally renowned Succulent Karoo biodiversity hotspot to have no land under formal conservation protection.

As the legal regime for declaring protected areas is still under development in this region, Anglo Base Metals and the Botanical Society of South Africa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work in partnership to secure and protect this area’s biodiversity. The MOU assigns roles and responsibilities and details commitments and expectations of the parties.

Reversing erosion in Australia

Anglo Coal is working in partnership with the New South Wales State government to restore natural habitats in the Hunter Valley area which had been eroded after decades of poor agricultural practice.

Communities had expressed concern that erosion of Saltwater creek, a tributary of the Hunter river, might affect local wildlife and water supplies. The erosion was being accelerated by high rainfall events. Water supplies were reduced as natural ponds were destroyed and vegetation around water courses was degraded, further extending the erosion.

Over time, this caused a decline in food, water and shelter for local wildlife and biodiversity was decreasing.

The project will build up the banks of the creek to prevent further erosion. Once completed, indigenous trees and shrubs will be grown on the earth banks to provide natural habitat for wildlife.

Rehabilitation work is being undertaken to repair the severely eroded Australian Hunter Valley.

Endangered Chilean trees propagated

The 8,000 hectare El Soldado mine property is located in the Cordillera El Melón mountain range, which Chilean environmental authorities classify as a priority area for the conservation of terrestrial ecosystems. Anglo American Chile is working to improve the scientific knowledge and build community awareness of the natural heritage of this ecosystem, which is characterised by diverse Mediterranean forests with endemic fauna and flora.

Since 2002, the company has worked with the Christa Mock agricultural high school from Nogales to research the propagation methods for native forest species that are threatened or vulnerable.

More than 20,000 native plants such as the Belloto del Norte (Beilschmiedia miersii), Guayacán (Porlieria chilensis), Naranjillo (Citronella mucronata), Temu (Blepharocalyx cruckshanksii) and Lingue (Persea lingue) have been propagated to date, with a further 60,000 plants destined for use in or around Anglo American Chile’s properties in the region in the next three years.

Small landowners in the communities close to El Soldado have also signed agreements to grow an additional 20,000 plants for use by the company in afforestation projects.

Biodiversity conservation plan at Copebrás

Copebrás is in Cubatão, an industrial centre in the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest region, one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. The Atlantic rain forest is also home to 70% of Brazil’s population and human impact has been significant, with less than 7% of the original ecosystem remaining.

The company has, therefore, chosen to focus its social responsibility activities on contributing to the understanding and conservation of the country’s unique natural heritage.

Brazil has the world’s largest floral diversity, the largest number of mammals, amphibians and freshwater fish and ranks third for birds and fifth for reptiles. Many of the species are, however, not properly recorded. Brazilian authorities estimate that only 10% or 200,000 species are fully described.

Copebrás is subsidising research and conservation projects through small private companies, research institutions and NGOs. It has funded a major inventory and monitoring programme in an area connected to the Serro do Mar mountain range which is now among the last 7% of the Atlantic rain forest biome.

A study, conducted monthly over two years, found:

• 341 species of plants,21 classified as threatened with extinction
• 27 mammal species, including 12 threatened species such as ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), oncillas (Leopardus tigrinus) and agoutis (Dasyprocta sp)
• 163 species of birds, of which three are near extinction on a world level
• 24 amphibian species and several endemic species of reptile, and
• 2 species of amphibians and invertebrates considered new to science.

A control area with a similar environment, but without such significant human impact, will now be identified. There is also a proposal to develop a rehabilitation area for illegally- captured animals and a nursery to generate seeds and saplings for use in rehabilitation work.

The president of SOS Mata Atlantica Foundation, Dr Roberto Klabin, right, received the 2006 Copebrás Environmental Award, from Dr Cristiano Melcher, centre. Pictured here with San Martin, Copebrás environmental consultant. The company presents the annual award – a model of the Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) bird – to organisations and personalities who work to protect the environment. Klabin took the opportunity to launch a preservation programme for the Brazilian coast and marine zone at the event. This is a pioneering campaign to preserve and restore the Brazilian coastline, which Klabin said was one of the most degraded regions of the world.

Protecting the Brazilian cerrado

Catalão, Barro Alto and Níquelândia are located in the Brazilian cerrado in the state of Goiás. The cerrado biome includes fields, savannas and forests, and is considered one of the 25 most threatened biodiversity hotspots with several species threatened with extinction. Recent estimates show that 50% of the native vegetation has been destroyed and less than 5% of the total area enjoys conservation status. Human occupation has modified the natural environment and caused an accelerated biodiversity loss. Exploration in this mineral-rich part of the world has brought economic gain but serious problems of erosion, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss.

Anglo American companies are contributing to the preservation of the fauna and flora in the area. Níquelândia is one of 22 areas chosen by the Environmental Agency in 2005 as of interest for cerrado biodiversity conservation as it is a corridor to the Paranã valley and Chapada dos Veadeiros national park and is critical to biodiversity and ecological processes.

Scholarships for graduate and postgraduate students have been awarded and 16 academics and students are studying three areas inside the Anglo American properties. The area has laterite and saprolite nickel deposits, with high concentrations of nickel, magnesium and iron and low concentrations of important nutrients for the flora, such as calcium and potassium. There are a number of endemic species with a notable ability to selectively accumulate the nickel.

The areas managed by Codemin are diversified and well preserved and initial work consisted of identifying and monitoring amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

At Barro Alto, after an environmental impact assessment in 2000 and ahead of the viability stages of the new project, four campaigns were run to monitor the fauna. The campaigns will continue with the provision of transport, community education programmes, initiatives to stop hunting and exclude dogs from the conservation areas, and the ongoing collection of poisonous snakes to prevent safety problems. A study of the flora will also be carried out.