Foundation support is represents overall commitment to environmental stewardship
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (ot.mn) – Oyu Tolgoi has focused greatly on being an environmentally responsible company and has expressed strong support of the environmental efforts of the Zorig Foundation.
Among the many initiatives managed by the Foundation is the Environmental Fellowship Program (EFP). EFP is a five-month programme for young professionals interested in increasing their awareness and understanding of conservation and security issues withen the Mongolian ecosystem. It is hoped that the 18 participants selected will play a leadership role in the future, helping to sustain and improve Mongolia’s ecological heritage.
In addition, the programme is intended to create a heightened sense of civic responsibility with regard to environmental issues. Oyu Tolgoi has maintained the same focus throughout the various components of its constuction phase.
Oyu Tolgoi has been concerned with the environment and the impact of our activities since the inception of the project,” noted David Paterson, Oyu Tolgoi VP for Communications. “We are happy to support the efforts of the Zorig Foundation in this area because we are working towards the same goals.”
In addition to its support for the foundation, Oyu Tolgoi has worked to be an active enviromental steward trough a number of specific environmental initiatives:
- A Participatory Environmental Monitoring Programme in cooperation with the local soum government, the Mongolian Society for Range Management, local herders, and the pasture user NGO, Altan Nutag
- Joint efforts with biodiversity experts from The Nature Conservancy, Flora and Fauna International and the Wildlife Conservation Society on mitigation and protection strategies
- Extensive efforts to plant trees and protect plant life for future restoration
- Burying pipelines and completing surface restoration to mitigate impacts on pasture lands
About Oyu Tolgoi (www.ot.mn)
Oyu Tolgoi LLC is Mongolia’s largest copper and gold mining company and is a strategic partnership between the Government of Mongolia, Ivanhoe Mines and Rio Tinto. Rio Tinto is the major shareholder in Ivanhoe Mines and the manager of Oyu Tolgoi. In addition to dividends from its stake in Oyu Tolgoi, the Government of Mongolia will receive taxes and royalties.
Oyu Tolgoi, located in the Gobi desert in southern Mongolia, will be one of the largest and highest-grade copper and gold mines in the world. It is the largest project ever developed in Mongolia, requiring a capital investment for Phase one of more than US$6 billion.
Oyu Tolgoi is committed to contributing to a sustainable future for Mongolia. At least 9 out of 10 employees will be Mongolian once the mine is in production and Oyu Tolgoi is investing US$85 million dollars (110 billion MNT) in training.
Oyu Tolgoi’s key priorities are the health and safety of employees, best-practice environmental management, contributing to sustainable communities and always doing business with integrity, for the benefit of all the project’s shareholders and the people of Mongolia.
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