Biodiversity

Biodiversity values assessment

We developed the Group wide biodiversity values assessment protocol in 2007 to assess the biodiversity values of Rio Tinto's land holdings and surrounding areas to help prioritise action. Operations are ranked as having either "very high", "high", "moderate" or "low" biodiversity values.

Forty one operations (of 97 assessed) were associated with either very high (24) or high (17) biodiversity values on the basis of:

• land in proximity to biodiversity rich habitats;
• species of conservation significance;
• additional site specific context; and
• the external conservation context.

The assessment is independent of any management interventions and, as such, a high biodiversity value ranking is not a commentary on the management of biodiversity at an operation. Grouping operations on this basis into very high, high, moderate and low biodiversity values enables resources and action planning to be channelled directly to the highest priority operations in the first instance. The biodiversity values of regional exploration groups and projects in closure, post closure and at early stages of development have not been assessed This contributes to our overall goal of NPI.

Land in proximity to biodiversity rich habitats

In order for operations to manage biodiversity risks and opportunities in an appropriate manner, they must have an understanding of the location and potential to impact upon Biodiversity Rich Habitats (BRH), including protected areas and sensitive habitats.

This means the operation can ensure impacts are managed, which is often a regulatory requirement. The presence of a BRH can also provide the opportunity for an operation to contribute resources and potentially ensure the conservation of species and ecosystems within a larger regional context.

An example is Palabora, which liaises with the Kruger National Park and other private reserves regarding the management of wildlife which roam freely between the national park, the operation and private reserves.

In 2010, 78 (of 97) operations indicated that they owned, leased or managed land within 10km of a BRH. Of these, 19 operations have special conditions or regulatory permissions imposed in relation to the management of this land.

Approximately 40 per cent of our operational land holding is within 10km of a BRH. Weipa, Pilbara Iron Pastoral and Resource Development contributed 81 per cent of the land holding within 10km of a BRH.

The list of BRH included in our assessment was based on those included in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), plus additional ones recommended by biodiversity specialists. We acknowledge that the effect of distance on the risk to impact biodiversity will vary from operation to operation, based on the nature of the impacts, the sensitivity of the BRH and the nature of the intervening land areas.  However, based on advice from conservation experts, 10km was selected as a "threshold" to apply for a Group wide analysis.

Species of conservation significance

To identify plant and animal species of conservation significance, we use a system that reviews how irreplaceable (endemic) and threatened species are at the global or national level. There were 794 species of conservation significance reported to have potential habitats or lifecycle dependency on areas within our land holdings. Of these, 81 per cent have been recorded to be present on the land holdings of Rio Tinto's operations. The remaining 19 per cent are predicted to be present based on the existing habitat types and results from other regional assessments.

Recorded species of conservation significance with habitats or lifecycle dependency on areas within the land holding ^{(a), (b)}