Rehabilitation and biodiversity

We are in full compliance with all applicable regulations and adhere to industry-leading environmental management standards. Our Tarkwa and Damang mines are certified to the ISO 14001 environmental management standard and the International Cyanide Management Code. Environmental stewardship is integrated into all aspects of our operations, including water management, supply chain and community relations. We have stepped up our environmental management practices to minimise the impacts of mining on the environment and to protect biodiversity.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is integrated into our mine planning process, with progressive rehabilitation plans in place to ensure continuous land reclamation throughout the life of mine. Our Tarkwa and Damang mines continue to practice concurrent rehabilitation of areas that have been mined, restoring them to lush vegetation and productive farmlands as required, for use by our stakeholder communities.

Our rehabilitation projects focus on reforestation, increasing biodiversity and developing agricultural opportunities for our host communities.

Biodiversity

We have enhanced biodiversity at our mines through the implementation of effective biodiversity management plans, such as wildlife protection programmes, a ban on fishing and open burning on-site, top-soil stockpiling and care, controlled vegetation removal/disturbances and water discharges, as well as upgrades of wetlands.

As part of our Environmental Impact Assessment programmes for projects, we conduct biodiversity impact reviews to ensure no net loss of biodiversity.

A pangolin sighted at the Tarkwa mine

Key highlights

• No level 3 or above (significant environmental) incident was recorded in 2019
• Over 100 hectares of the decommissioned East Tailings Storage Facility at our Damang mine were rehabilitated in 2019. The site now boasts maturing oil palm, coconut, mango and cashew trees
• At the Tarkwa mine, inactive waste rock dumps have been rehabilitated with nitrogen-fixing trees, indigenous plants and economic trees such as rubber, teak and oil palm
• Tarkwa’s heap leach pad and related facilities are being rinsed and rehabilitated as part of our ecosystem restoration project
• The mines’ large properties of virgin and rehabilitated areas offer an attractive habitat for animals, with recent sightings of dwarf crocodiles, pangolins, and other mammals

Reducing the impact of mining on host communities

We invest resources to reduce the environmental and health impact of mining activities on communities surrounding our operations. We have adopted improved blast practices, which include electronic blasting, to ensure that each blast event conforms to regulatory standards. We manage dust at our tailings storage and crushing facilities using sprinklers. These practices are constantly monitored, reviewed and improved to achieve best results.

Our commitment to sustaining the environment has ensured the continuous protection of land, wildlife, water bodies and the general operating environment.