Lopez adds biodiversity to mining-audit criteria

by Jonathan L. Mayuga - August 8, 2016

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/2016/08/08/lopez-adds-biodiversity-to-mining-audit-criteria/

TO further tighten the screws on mining, Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez had ordered the conduct of biodiversity assessment in mining-affected areas, which will now form part of the
ongoing mining-audit criteria.

Aside from biodiversity experts, environmental groups would also be invited to join and take part in the mining audit under her watch. This is to ensure that the country’s rich biodiversity would be protected against irresponsible mining, Lopez told the the BusinessMirror on Sunday.

“Biodiversity is our treasure. Businesses benefit from biodiversity,” Lopez said.

Irresponsible mining operation threatens the country’s already vulnerable biodiversity, as they destroy surrounding environment.

“I want to include civil-society organizations and environmental groups, like Conservation International, in the mining audit.  Because biodiversity is our treasure,” she said.

Officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) welcomed the move, saying it wil boost government effort to promote responsible mining in the country.

The current audit criteria includes social and environmental aspects of mining operation, as the DENR chief vowed to stop activities that cause environmental destruction and people in mining-affected communities to suffer. Mining would further undergo stricter regulatory measure with the additional audit criteria.

Lopez earlier told the the BusinessMirror about her plan to integrate biodiversity in all aspect of mining regulation, particularly in the rehabilitation of mined-out areas, to highlight the importance of protecting the country’s rich flora and fauna.

Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim said with the BMB team taking part and biodiversity considerations being part of the audit criteria, along with environmental and social considerations, the on-going mining audit would be more comprehensive.

Lopez issued a special order making the BMB officially part of the audit process, Lim said.

Many highly mineralized areas are within protected areas (PAs), which are considered key biodiversity areas that serve as wildlife sanctuary to threatened species.

As part of its task, the BMB will assess the impact of mining to the local biodiversity-affected areas, Lim said.

“We will try to assess the most likely irreversible damages on biodiversity, which can be attributed to [the] mining operation. It will be a bit challenging because, in most areas, no baseline assessments were conducted prior the mining operation,” Lim said.

“One of our approaches would be to also look at the bio-geographical history of the area and the remaining surrounding, intact patches of vegetation and the fauna assemblages, to paint a picture of what the ecosystems would have been like before the mining operation,” she added.

This is the first time for the BMB to be involved in assessing mining’s impact.

“I’ve been with the DENR for 15 years and this is the only time that an audit of all mining operations are done with the DENR-BMB officially taking part in the audit,” Lim said.

She added the inclusion of biodiversity consideration in the audit criteria will allow the government, through the BMB, to determine and recover some of the important biodiversity areas in the country that can otherwise be utilized for more environment-friendly and sustainable livelihoods.

“It will help boost our efforts to promote biodiversity-friendly business and enterprises that can provide substantial benefits to the communities, in terms of not only tangible, but especially nontangible benefits that will eventually translate into a healthier and more productive population,” she said.

Environment Senior Undersecretary Leo L. Jasareno, who is leading the DENR’s mining audit, told  the BusinessMirror that the BMB would conduct a separate assessment on the effect of mining on biodiversity. “Biodiversity assessment is conducted if the mining project would affect biodiversity, especially if the mining area is near a protected area,” he said.

“In mining, if a project is near a protected area, the BMB conducts biodiversity assessment,” he added.

Biodiversity assessment, he said, would be important, especially if the mining tenement is near a declared PA.