Committed to Our Environment – Biodiversity

We understand our operations are often in areas that are home to unique animals, plants and wildlife. Our mines and plants disturb the land, so it is imperative that we protect this biodiversity. The first mission is to mitigate impacts as we operate, and then we rehabilitate these sites to protect and restore land and local ecosystems, so they can thrive long term.

Because of the nature of our mining, we shift our active mining area frequently, and immediately implement rehabilitation efforts, such as planting native vegetation. This approach enables us to disturb the land for only a short time, and allows animals to move easily throughout the area without having the full habitat impacted. We also put proactive measures in place to protect animal and flora species. For example, at our Cooljarloo Mine in Australia, nesting boxes are designed to shelter the endangered Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, and at Western Australia’s Northern Operations, we implemented plans to eradicate invasive pathogens, including Phytophthora cinnamomi (dieback), to protect indigenous plant species on the site. In addition, we often transplant rare plants from our operations
to rehabilitation areas to support such plants’ continued survival.

We conduct studies as part of our environmental management programs (EMPs) and environmental impact assessments so we can include environmental considerations as we determine which areas we mine and develop, which should be restricted areas, and the mining approach to minimize or avoid environmental impact. Rehabilitation measures are included in the EMPs, Rehabilitation Guidelines and Procedures, as well as integrated into our way of doing business from early in the mine’s life. These measures are monitored and reported on a consistent basis to certify that closure objectives are met. In some cases, Tronox focuses rehabilitation efforts on offset areas in addition to returning the mine footprint to the minimum standard. For example, at the KwaZulu-Natal Sands Fairbreeze Mine in South Africa, an Offsets Advisory Committee consisting of various stakeholders and biodiversity experts determines an offset requirement commensurate to impacted water resources and ecosystems. The Fairbreeze Mine offset obligations are to compensate for affected wetland and biodiversity that could not be mitigated.

To find read more about our commitment to our environment, download our sustainability report.