Skip to content

Teck to conserve at least three hectares of land for every one affected by mining

Teck aims to be nature positive mining company by 2030
29353798_web1_220607-KDB-TeckDonatesLand-LukeCreek_1

In an effort to become a “nature positive company” Teck Resources Limited has announced that it will protect 14,000 hectares of wildlife habitat in Canada and Chile, conserving or rehabilitating at least three hectares of land for every one affected by their mining activities.

“We are committed to working with local partners, communities and Indigenous Peoples to conserve ecologically and culturally significant lands and work towards the goal of becoming a nature positive mining company by 2030,” said Don Lindsay, President and CEO, Teck.

“Nature loss is a serious global challenge that we are all called on to do our part to halt and reverse. Working towards being nature positive in each region we operate builds on Teck’s long-standing commitment to biodiversity and reflects the passion of our employees for caring for the land where they live and work.”

Teck has pledged $12 million to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, $2 million a year for six years, for their Collaborative Conservation Impact fun, which will help the organization to pursue large-scale conservation projects working with governments, Indigenous communities and industry and participants.

The NCC will also get $2 million to purchase and continue management of the Next Creek Watershed, a nearly 8000-hectare parcel of land located in the East Kootenay.

Teck will also donate an additional $600,000 and 162 hectares of land in the Wycliffe Wildlife Corridor near Kimberley, a parcel of land also known as the Luke Creek Conservation Corridor.

This isn’t the first work of this kind that Teck has done in the East Kootenay. In January, 2021, they signed an agreement with the Ktunaxa Nation to manage 7150 hectares of land in the Elk Valley and surrounding area.

In a press release, NCC called this endeavour from Teck a “transformational philanthropic investment,” and that this funding increases the NCC’s ability to say yes to opportunities for conservation and rehabilitation as they arise.

“We applaud Teck for taking real and measurable action to become a nature positive company by the end of the decade,” said Catherine Grenier, President and CEO of NCC.

“Teck’s commitment to and investment in the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s work will help us accelerate the pace and scale of conservation in British Columbia. If we conserve entire natural systems, we help nature to deliver the essential services that support life. That’s why conservation matters. Teck is demonstrating that for-profit and non-profit organizations can come together to tackle the toughest ecological challenges of our time, biodiversity loss and climate change.”

Teck has supported NCC’s work in B.C. since 2003, including helping them protect heritage grasslands in the Rocky Mountain Trench and Nicola Valley, and an important section of inland temperate rainforest near Nelson.

This announcement also sees Teck donating a further $10 million to create an Indigenous Stewardship fund to support Indigenous communities and their partners in the development of Indigenous-focused environmental stewardship initiatives.



paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter