Rio Tinto?s KEM will continue environmental rehabilitation until 2009

PT Kelian Equatorial Mining (KEM), an East Kalimantan gold mining unit of Anglo-Australian mining will continue environmental rehabilitation programmes until 2009 following mine closure which is scheduled for 2004, according to the company?s senior official.

?Contract of Work has encompassed approximately 18000 hectares of rainforest. During operations KEM has disturbed 1200 hectares and has actively protected and rehabilitated the remainder which was disturbed by logging, prior to the mining operations,? said Charlie Lenegan, President Director PT KEM in a statement Monday.

All disturbed areas will be rehabilitated except for pit and dams that will become lakes.

?Due to the fact that it is technically impossible to rehabilitate the 146-ha pit with trees, an agreement was made with the Department of Forestry, prior to the commencement of mining, to rehabilitate equivalent areas of forest in other deforested sites,? said Lenegan.

Progressive rehabilitation using native species commenced in 1992 and has now achieved over 800 hectares. The remainder of the areas will be completed as final landforms become available during the decommissioning phase of closure. ?This will continue until 2009,? he said.

Since 1996, KEM has campaigned for the CoW area to be converted into a Protected Forest at closure and this has now been agreed through the Mine Closure Steering Committee. ?The application for this Protected Forest is currently being processed by the West Kutai Government with technical assistance from KEM which has included comprehensive biodiversity studies,? said Lenegan.

Through the governance of KEM, a large stand of primary forest has been protected and researched during the past 10 years in spite of severe fires and aggressive logging practices in nearby areas. Furthermore, legal and financial arrangements are being put in place through the Mine Closure Steering Committee to protect this forest in perpetuity. This protection will enable future generations to continue to benefit from the forest which is suitable for water shed protection, education, research or ecotourism.

?Consequently, if managed appropriately, significant permanent benefits can be achieved by the existence of mines in protected areas,? said Charlie Lenegan. (alex)