Displaying items by tag: biodiversity
Al Jouf Cement signs ecology agreement
31 December 2021Saudi Arabia: Al Jouf Cement has signed a cooperation agreement with the National Center for the Development of Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification to rehabilitate vegetation cover. The arrangement is intended to reduce desertification and restore biodiversity in natural environments in line with the country’s 2030 vision. Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Sultan, Governor of the Northern Borders Region A attended the signing ceremony.
Mannok launches Natural Assets Action Plan
29 September 2021UK/Ireland: Mannok has launched a comprehensive biodiversity report, the Natural Assets Action Plan, in partnership with the conservationist group Ulster Wildlife. The report examines the entirety of the company’s landholdings, which span 800ha on both sides of the EU/UK border. Habitats include grasslands, wetlands, woodlands, ponds and quarries. The report will provide a roadmap for the conservation, restoration and enhancement of each area of land to help Mannok to meet its sustainability targets. Key aims include increasing biodiversity awareness among Mannok staff, customers and local communities, improving biodiversity monitoring, maximising carbon absorption in soil and vegetation, rewilding the natural landscape and ensuring resilience to predicted climate change effects.
Chief executive officer Liam McCaffrey said “This report informs our understanding of the value of natural assets to the business and wider community and will help guide our long-term planning and strategic investment decisions in a way which aims to maintain and enhance those assets. Already it has started to change our perspectives of what was previously considered wasteland. Now, we can see opportunities for careful and considered restoration into valuable natural assets for the future. Additionally, the work involved in creating the plan has allowed us to focus on the whole area of carbon mitigation in ways which we would not have considered before. The way in which we are looking at carbon reduction through careful management of our land is a relatively novel concept in industry, but we now recognise it as a critical tool in the fight against climate change.”
He added “The report is full of very valuable recommendations on what we can practically do over the next three - five years and beyond to continue enhancing and restoring our land assets, and we are very much committed to delivering on this. We will commit resources, time, people and finances to develop the recommendations.”
Holcim sets 2030 biodiversity and water targets
03 September 2021Switzerland: Holcim has announced a strategy to become ‘nature-positive’ by restoring and preserving biodiversity and water. It will also undertake measures to bring more nature into cities. The strategy is based on transformative rehabilitation plans and measured by a science-based methodology developed in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Holcim aims to replenish freshwater in water-risk areas while lowering water intensity across all its product lines. It will also accelerate the deployment of solutions such as Hydromedia and green roof systems for more liveable urban environments. The group says that its nature-positive strategy places it among the top 1% of the 500 largest global companies with science-driven biodiversity targets.
Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer Magali Anderson said, “With nature at the heart of everything we do, I am pleased that we are taking significant steps to improve our biodiversity and water stewardship in a measurable and science-driven way. Building on our Net Zero commitment, our nature-based solutions play a vital role in reducing the impact of climate change and increasing our business resilience. Becoming nature-positive plays a critical role in our vision to build progress for people and the planet.”
US: The state Land Use Commission of Hawaii has approved Hawaiian Cement’s licence application for expanded operations at Pohokea quarry in Wiakapu until 2035. The Maui News newspaper has reported that the commission has ordered the producer to hold consultations with the US Department of Land and Natural Resources with regards to the management of possible impacts on yellow-faced bees. The insects were declared an endangered species in 2016. The bees’ welfare formed the basis of a challenge by the conservationist Sierra Club Maui against the licence extension.
Germany: HeidelbergCement has launched the Quarry Life Award, a competition for proposed biodiversity-supporting quarry restoration projects. The company says that it is looking for projects which consider quarries’ impacts throughout their entire lifecycle. It is offering a Euro30,000 prize for the winning proposal.
Chief executive officer Dominik von Achten said, “The time for action is now - The World Economic Forum 2021 Global Risk Report has put biodiversity loss among the five most concerning global risks, both in terms of likelihood and impact. With the competition, HeidelbergCement wants to contribute to the global restoration agenda and work towards a net positive in biodiversity. Our sites can provide valuable habitats for a variety of animal and plant species during and after extraction.”
Spain: Cementos Cosmos and the Cooperativa Apícola del Bierzo have installed 25 bee hives at the Corullón quarry, which supports the integrated Toral de los Vados plant in Leon. The collaboration agreement aims to promote the production of honey, propolis and pollen. The hives will be cared for by the Bierzo Beekeeping Cooperative and the adaptation and maintenance of the land where they will be located will be carried out by Cementos Cosmos. The cement company will also become the preferred customer for the production of the beehives located in the quarry. Following the signing of the agreement plant director Jaime Santoalla said, "we are convinced of the coexistence and synergies between our industry and other sectors of Bierzo, such as the agricultural-food sector.”
Azerbaijan: Holcim Azerbaijan, part of Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim, has launched its participation in the Azerbaijan Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources’ National Green Marathon with the planting of 1000 trees at its Garadagh cement plant. Turan Information Agency News has reported that the initiative aims to plant 1 million trees nationally in 2021.
Technical director Ali Huseynov said, "We have a common goal and value - sustainable development. We should apply principles of sustainability in each work and in every step. We are ready to demonstrate our best practices in environmental protection.” He added, “Our work is not over. We should also care for these trees and install an irrigation system. For this purpose, the work necessary for treatment and use of the wastewater in the irrigation system has started, and with this we can save clean water, contributing to the environmental protection."
UK: Tarmac, part of Ireland-based CRH, has relocated reptiles to purpose-built bespoke habitats at its Bellhouse, Essex, quarry. The reptiles lived in an area of planned quarry expansion. Work began in 2016 on the new habitat for grass snakes, common lizards and slow worms, consisting of acid grassland, tussocks and ponds. The company plans to expand the reserve under its site restoration process. It says that this will enable reptile populations to grow.
Restoration manager Enrique Moran Montero said, “The restoration phase of a quarry provides so many opportunities to promote local fauna and flora, and we pride ourselves in making the most of this land. From nature reserves to parks and wildlife learning zones for schools to use, we always strive to provide benefits for local wildlife as well as the communities we work in.”
Cemex reintroduces bighorn sheep in Northwest Mexico
05 March 2021Mexico: Cemex has partnered with reintroduction specialist Ovis to release bighorn sheep at a site in Sierra El Viejo, Sonora state. The UMA El Plomito ranch supplied nine sheep. Four more sheep were born in the open pre-release pen which the sheep currently inhabit. The partners will support the animals with supplementary food and water while they adapt to their new environment.
Head of sustainability Vicente Saiso said, "The reintroduction of the bighorn sheep in Sonora represents one more example of our commitment to the conservation of biodiversity. It is a successful example of joint work between companies and conservation organisations to create a better future for our planet."
MPA updates biodiversity strategy
02 December 2020UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has launched an updated version of its biodiversity strategy, first published in 2013. The new strategy “commits the MPA and its members to continuing to take a positive approach to nature conservation and recovery, leaving behind more and better quality habitats than before mineral extraction and a net gain in biodiversity wherever possible, through site selection, management, restoration and aftercare,” according to the association. It sets out the commitment under eight actions, which include “monitoring to identify what works best and inform future work, sharing and celebrating good practice and successes throughout the industry, influencing policy and using our assets to engage and educate.”
Chief executive officer (CEO) Nigel Jackson said, “The minerals industry is uniquely placed to contribute to conservation and enhancement of biodiversity and has an unrivalled legacy compared to other industrial sectors. I am immensely proud of what our members have achieved and excited about what they can and will do in the future. It is high time that our significant contributions are properly recognised by policy and decision makers, to help provide our members with the support to continue doing what they do best. I believe we may be the only business sector that has been actively contributing to nature recovery at scale for so long that our strategy is unique. I will not rest until government, particularly the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), acknowledges that environmental expertise and action is not the sole preserve of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and activists. Our members have built a significant legacy and have vast practical experience of working in and with the environment to enhance and protect nature. We don’t just talk a good game, we deliver it on the ground.”