The company’s previous commitment has been no “net loss” of biodiversity and no major environmental disturbance events,but BHP chief legal,governance and external affairs officer Caroline Cox told investors on Tuesday night it would now enshrine a new goal to create “nature-positive” outcomes.
Cox said the goal would apply to 30 per cent of the land under its stewardship – equivalent to roughly half the size of Switzerland – by the end of the decade and would include partnerships with communities and traditional owners for conservation,land-management and restoration.
“Scientists tell us that to halt and reverse species loss and protect vital ecosystems that are the foundation of our economic security,we need to put nature on the road to recovery in the coming decade,” she said.
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“This includes to protect at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030,and almost 100 countries around the world have already committed to this 30 by 30 challenge.”
In 2015,BHP’s Samarco joint venture was responsible for one of Brazil’s worst environmental disasters,when the collapse of a tailings dam killed 19 people and poured millions of tonnes of mine waste into the local river system. BHP is continuing to invest in compensation and remediation works.
The company’s new “nature positive” push comes as global miners – whose emissions-intensive operations are big contributors to climate change and leave scars on natural landscapes – face intensifying pressure from their shareholders and wider society to do more to mitigate their heavy impact.