Who we are

Biodiversity

We recognise the importance of conserving and responsibly managing biological diversity, both as an issue for business and for society.

Rio Tinto is committed to a net positive impact on biodiversity, and is introducing the strategy at its managed operations around the world. This means making sure our actions have an overall positive effect on biodiversity and that they outweigh the impacts associated with mining and processing.

We work in regions that are recognised and valued locally and globally for their biodiversity. While high profile sites in countries such as Madagascar, Brazil or Guinea attract a great deal of our attention we recognise that biodiversity values are important at any site. And their significance is expected to grow, as human and natural pressures modify habitats and raise extinction rates.

Biodiversity also relates to communities, especially as many may depend on these natural resources for cultural and subsistence requirements. Our biodiversity strategy therefore provides a framework for managing the interests and concerns of a wide and diverse range of groups, among them traditional land owners, local communities, NGOs, regulators and the scientific community. This is essential for achieving our twin goals of net positive impact on biodiversity and sustainable communities. We continued to work on biodiversity related projects with partner organisations including BirdLife International; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Conservation International; Fauna & Flora International and the Earthwatch Institute.

In 2007, we conducted a baseline assessment of the biodiversity values at each Rio Tinto site. This information will be used to prioritise our biodiversity activities and management over the next four years.