Story | 27 សីហា, 2012

Progressing towards a Net Positive Impact on biodiversity.

A new report by IUCN and Rio Tinto provides the first detailed site based assessment regarding Rio Tinto’s progress towards achieving its Net positive impact (NPI) commitment on biodiversity – that is ensuring that biodiversity ultimately benefits as a result of a company’s activities in a region.

Photo: The Dancing Star Foundation

Forecasting the path towards a Net Positive Impact on biodiversity for Rio Tinto QMM focuses on the Rio Tinto ilmenite mine in Madagascar, run by QIT Madagascar Minerals (Rio Tinto QMM), this site was chosen as a pilot site to test the tools designed to achieved and quantify NPI on biodiversity.

In the report, biodiversity losses and gains are measured and forecast for the period 2004-2065 (corresponding respectively to the date of Rio Tinto’s NPI commitment and the anticipated closure date of the mine), in order to determine if current and proposed mitigation activities are sufficient to achieve NPI by mine closure. The overall conclusion of the report is that given the assumptions upon which the analysis is based and the planned activities to mitigate the mine’s impact, Rio Tinto QMM is on track to achieve NPI on biodiversity.

Forecasting the path towards a Net Positive Impact on biodiversity for Rio Tinto QMM is the second publication in a series of publications exploring the concepts, theories and real-world application of NPI processes. The first publication in the series, Exploring ecosystem valuation to move towards Net Positive Impact on biodiversity in the mining sector (Madagascar), was released in late 2011.

Report

Click here for more information on the IUCN Rio Tinto engagement