Maintaining Biodiversity
304-1Despite the fact that Metalloinvest enterprises do not operate in protected areas or areas with a high level of biodiversity, the Company pays considerable attention to monitoring and preserving the biological system in the regions where it operates and provides regular support to organisations involved in preserving and studying typical and unique ecosystems.
In particular, Lebedinsky GOK specialists actively cooperate with the Belogorye Nature Reserve, whose Yamskaya Steppe national park is located near the plant. A number of activities were implemented in 2018 as part of joint activities, in particular:
- the condition of and changes in the ecosystem at the Yamskaya Steppe park of the Belogorye Nature Reserve was monitored in order to obtain information on Lebedinsky GOK’s impact on the reserve’s ecosystems;
- the plant prepared a report on the results of its dust control and flood protection initiatives on the Yamskaya Steppe’s ecosystem.
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The monitoring results show that the Company has no significant direct or indirect impact on the biodiversity of the ecosystem. In particular, the average concentration of pollutants at the border of the sanitary protection zone (including where the Belogorye Nature Reserve is located) within which Lebedinsky GOK operates did not exceed 14.7% of the upper limit of the safe level.
In addition, a scientific study titled Study of the biological diversity (flora and fauna) of the man-made landscapes of Mikhailovsky GOK, which was published at the start of the reporting period, showed that entirely man-made and semi-natural landscapes are suitable for both typical as well as rare species of flora and fauna. The study involved a primary inventory of the flora and fauna within the man-made landscapes at Mikhailovsky GOK, and sites were selected to set up permanent test areas in 2019 to study the condition and abundance of rare plant and animal species within the plant’s impact zone.
Plans for 2019
The Company plans to implement a number of measures in 2019 to monitor biological diversity in the regions where it operates.
- Research into the biological diversity of the man-made landscapes of Mikhailovsky GOK will continue with the involvement of employees from the Professor Alekhin Central Black Earth State Natural Biosphere Reserve. Plans for 2019 include completing an inventory of biological diversity (flora and fauna) within the man-made landscapes as well as creating a database for further long-term monitoring.
- Basic procedures will be developed to comprehensively and continuously monitor the condition of and changes in the Yamskaya Steppe’s ecosystem to obtain up-to-date information about Lebedinsky GOK’s impact on the reserve’s ecosystems and assess the effectiveness of dust control and flood protection measures.
The work will be carried out in two stages:
- during the first stage, information will be collected about the condition of flora and fauna and small mammals, and an analysis will be conducted on the condition of and changes in the quality of surface water;
- during the second stage, an optimal network of stationary observations will be devised for terrestrial ecosystems in the Yamskaya Steppe region, the observation materials will be processed, and the results of the assessment of surface water quality (for eight waterways and water bodies) and atmospheric pollution of ecosystems with heavy metals in the area being studied will be presented.
- The Company plans to monitor the plant cover at the landfill site.
In addition to the monitoring activities, existing environmental policies will be updated in 2019 to include provisions on how to interact with specially protected natural areas.
