Land

We understand the current and potential uses of the land we manage, its ecological and social values and community expectations regarding its development.

We manage 35,000 square kilometres of land. Less than five per cent of this area was disturbed for mining purposes in 2006, and by the end of the year more than a quarter of the disturbed land had been rehabilitated.

How we approach land stewardship

In exploration and gaining access to land, we are always sensitive in our approach and careful to respect local biodiversity. We also  consider the views of those with an interest in the area as well as the wider environmental and social impacts.  

In addition, we have a performance standard for land stewardship that requires all businesses to have a plan for current and potential future land uses.

We are a member of a number of international and national policy development forums on land matters. And we are also playing a significant role in bilateral initiatives with organisations such as the World Conservation Union.

As a member of the International Council on Mining and Metals, we help to develop industry policies and practices on protected areas and long term access to land.  We are also working on the Ecosystems Services Review of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Further, we are working on another project hosted by UNESCO on landscape planning. This is a difficult debate about taking a regional view, rather than just a local one within a project area. The aims include identifying best practice in the assessment of land use options and how decisions about access are made.