Side Event

Public policy encouraging effective quarry rehabilitation: promoting adoption of good practices for quarry rehabilitation and biodiversity management

Organizer
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) - Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)

Date and Time
19 October 2012 13:15 - 14:45

Meeting
Eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 11)

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)’s Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) is joining hand with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), to present how well-managed quarry (mine) activities could bring value to the environment and community at large. Particularly on how public policies can encourage more structured biodiversity management planning of the business sector. Extracting limestone, the raw material required to produce cement, can have significant local impacts on surrounding environment. Effective management and well-planned rehabilitation strategies help to restore these quarries and even create value to society. To promote an overall consistent approach, it is of vital importance to have a public policy environment which encourages operators to engage in proactive quarry rehabilitation within and beyond the legal framework. In recognizing their responsibility for effective quarry rehabilitation, CSI members are sharing their practical experience and expertise in its Guidelines on Quarry Rehabilitation. The document sets out a clear set of recommendations on how to develop, implement, manage and measure effective quarry rehabilitation. It also features 30 operational case studies, covering a wide range of quarry types and local habitats around the world. Meanwhile, it is also important for policy makers to understand what constitute quality biodiversity management and how rehabilitation activities can delivers significant environmental and social benefits. Taking the opportunity of CoP11 to CBD, the CSI presents an information paper to elaborate how business can work in hand with partners like the IUCN, in delivering the maximum value out of these efforts. Collaboration with stakeholder plays an important role as catalyst in accelerating the pace and the cement industry is engaging partners in conservation sector actively, to inform stakeholders about rehabilitation and biodiversity developments. Moving ahead, we have to scale up these voluntary good practices to contribute to the development of public policies. The CSI will produce a guidance document on biodiversity management plans and its members are currently testing screening tools to identify high biodiversity value areas, where implementation of management plans will be prioritized. Business today understands well the general need to contribute in helping society to manage wider issues. A favourable public policy environment would create additional incentives for proactive actions. Sharing of good practices will help the sector and stakeholders to identify pragmatic and practical solutions in tackling the challenges faced.