Sustainable Development > Environmental Programs > Biodiversity Biodiversity |
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Wherever we operate, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold is committed to understanding, protecting and contributing to the knowledge of biodiversity. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold is a member of the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), a nonprofit coalition, created in 1988, dedicated to protecting and enhancing wildlife habitat by helping large landowners manage their unused lands in an ecologically sensitive manner. WHC projects are cooperative efforts between management, employees, community members, local conservation groups and government agencies. FCX currently has three WHC certified programs. The El Abra facility in Northern Chile is part of an effort to sustain biodiversity in an area near the property. Chile’s National Forest Corporation (CONAF) is the driving force behind the Action Plan for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Andean Bogs. El Abra has agreed to monitor and help protect three species of flamingos that nest in salt bogs near the mine. Our Grasberg operations in the Indonesian Province of Papua is near the Lorentz National Park, a 2.5 million hectare area which was named a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1999. The entire region of southern Papua exhibits a high level of endemism and one of the highest levels of biodiversity in Southeast Asia. Similar to the PT Freeport Indonesia project area, the park encompasses a continuous, intact transect from high mountains to tropical marine environment, including extensive wetlands near and along the coast. PT Freeport Indonesia has no operations in Lorentz National Park nor do its operations impact the park. We have conducted numerous ecological and biodiversity studies within our project area to facilitate effective biodiversity management. These biodiversity studies, done in conjunction with Indonesian and international experts, included surveys of: vegetation (from the Lowland, Montane, Subalpine, Alpine and Nival Zones), ethno-botany, medicinal plants, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, soil fauna, and both aquatic and terrestrial insects. The large majority of this work is directly applicable and available to researchers charged with developing management plans for the Lorentz National Park. Extensive botanical and taxonomy surveys within the PT Freeport Indonesia project area (from the Coastal to Nival Zones) were also carried out over a six-year period by staff from the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, England, in conjunction with assistance from Indonesian institutions. More than 5,000 flowering and fruiting plant species were identified and prepared for herbariums. Posters of the vegetation zones and taxonomy of the plants were produced and numerous scientific publications in peer review journals have resulted from these studies. In 2006, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew published a book documenting these surveys, A Guide to the Alpine and Subalpine Flora of Mount Jaya. From the scientific point of view, PT Freeport Indonesia’s biodiversity programs have significantly contributed to the knowledge of natural science in Papua through the discovery of new species, reference collections, and the publication of papers, books and posters. PT Freeport Indonesia has published books in its biodiversity series including: The Freshwater Fish of the Timika Region, New Guinea, The Birds of Mimika, The Butterflies of Mimika, and Subalpine and Alpine Fauna of Mimika, Papua Indonesia. Additionally, we have supported numerous scientific biodiversity studies in coordination with international non-governmental organizations and the Indonesian government throughout the province of Papua. In Indonesia, PTFI has conducted comprehensive scientific reclamation studies and programs for many years in both the highlands and the lowlands areas to provide sound data on the options for land reclamation. For more information on our Indonesia biodiversity program: |
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