Our Code of Sustainable Conduct describes how we will integrate biodiversity conservation considerations through all stages of business and production activities. It also outlines our commitment to continually improve our environmental practices and ensure they are fully integrated into each of our activities. 

We work with various local, national and international organizations and programs to support biodiversity:

• International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM): A global industry association that represents leading international mining and metals companies who are required to implement the ICMM 10 Principles, including Principle 7 on conservation of biodiversity and land use planning
   
• Mining Association of Canada (MAC): Promotes the development of Canada’s mining and mineral processing industry. Through MAC, we are required to implement the Towards Sustainable Mining program, which aids in improving industry performance. 
   
• fRI Research: Teck has been a long-time and continuous partner with fRI Research, a non-profit organization focused on sustainable land and resource management, including their Grizzly Bear Program
   
• Vancouver Aquarium: Our partnership with the Vancouver Aquarium includes a $12.5 million investment to support expansion of their facility and their research, conservation and education programs related to water and aquatic life
   
• Nature Conservancy of Canada: Our partnership with this leading national land conservation organization includes collaboration on conservation projects along with financial support from time to time
   
• The Nature Trust of British Columbia: Through collaboration, Teck supports the organization’s goal of conserving B.C.’s biological diversity

Protected areas include those protected by national or regional law or designated by international organizations, including United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage sites and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) category Ia, Ib, II, III or IV protected areas. High biodiversity value areas have features that provide essential ecosystems relied on by humans and animals, and they have an abundance of rare, vulnerable or endemic species and/or large areas of relatively intact natural habitat.

As a member of the ICMM, we are committed to not explore or develop in UNESCO World Heritage sites. Currently, none of our operations or projects are located within areas protected by UNESCO or recognized by IUCN. The road between Red Dog Operations and the port facility, which is owned by the state-owned Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, passes through the Cape Krusenstern National Monument, an IUCN category III protected area. 

We have identified protected areas, areas of high biodiversity value, and species at risk that occur within 25 kilometres of our operations and major development projects. We have used this information as an input during the development of biodiversity management plans for each operation. A summary of the results of the proximity analysis, including those prioritized by international conservation initiatives such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas, and the World Wildlife Fund’s Global 200 priority ecoregions are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Teck’s Proximity to Global Conservation Priority Species

Our vision for biodiversity management is to achieve a net positive impact (NPI) on biodiversity in areas affected by our activities. This means that ecosystems and biodiversity are better off at the end of mining, prior to the start of mining activities.

Mitigation Hierarchy

The mitigation hierarchy is a key framework we use to achieve our vision of NPI on biodiversity. To track and demonstrate our net positive impacts, we develop a “ledger” to account for negative and positive impacts on biodiversity. The following principles guide our approach:

• Avoid: Whenever possible, we avoid biodiversity impacts. In some cases, this may require significant changes in our plans in order to protect critical areas.
• Minimize: At all times, we minimize impacts that are unavoidable, adopting best practices in mine operations
• Reclaim: On a progressive basis, we rehabilitate areas in order to re-create biodiversity values. Reclamation practices can replace much or most of the diversity of the natural habitats that existed prior to mining.
• Offset: For areas where it may not be possible to replace all of the important biodiversity features that our mines impact, we design and implement biodiversity offsets to move towards a net positive impact on biodiversity
   

See this case study for additional details on how we measure our NPI.

In addition to this framework, we consider the cumulative effects to ecosystems caused by the past, present and reasonably foreseeable future activities of other parties. We then plan and implement protective or restorative actions based on our potential contributions to current conditions, and adjust our actions based on ongoing monitoring and research.

We currently have biodiversity management plans at each of our operations that set out how NPI can be achieved. Biodiversity management plans include: 

• A list of ecosystems and biodiversity elements at the site
• A summary of the risks and impacts that the site and its activities pose to these elements
• A plan, developed using the biodiversity mitigation hierarchy, that demonstrates how the site will manage its impacts and mitigate risks to achieve a net positive impact for each element
• A list of activities and resources required to implement the plan
   

To create the biodiversity management plans, operations and advanced projects collect biodiversity information, conduct a preliminary identification of risks and existing mitigation actions, conduct gap analyses and create workplans. We identify risks, such as the viability of subsistence activities, using a register that scores risks based on biodiversity, social/community, regulatory compliance and reputational factors. These plans are reviewed internally and updated as needed annually.

Figure 1: Teck’s Approach to Developing Biodiversity Management Plans​

Social Environmental and Regulatory Approvals (SERA)

Typical environmental assessments for new mines or mine extensions are similar to our biodiversity management plans, in which the ecosystems and biodiversity elements relevant to a project or operation are identified, the risks and impacts on these elements are assessed, and a mitigation plan is developed that will reduce the project’s net impacts to a targeted level.

Despite the similarities, we continue to implement our biodiversity management plans, as they are typically more expansive than the scope of an environmental assessment for the same site. Additionally, the goal of most environmental assessments is to minimize the residual impacts on biodiversity to an acceptable level; however, Teck’s goal across all sites is to achieve NPI, as described above.

Responsibly closing our sites and managing our legacy properties plays an important role in protecting biodiversity on the lands where mining once took place. While we are still operating at a site, we progressively reclaim portions of the mine site that are no longer required for current or possible future mining purposes. We apply the principle of “equivalent land capability” to reclaim land to the equivalent capability that will support species that live in the area, according to reclamation and land use objectives. 

Our reclamation activities focused on conserving biodiversity include aerial seeding in mined-out pits and the development of diverse wildlife habitats. This is supported by monitoring, such as annual wildlife surveys, documentation of wildlife using trail cameras, and the development of tracking databases to record rare and unusual wildlife sightings. 

We implement leading reclamation practices through ongoing research and maintain an internal community of practice to share this knowledge across our operations. For more information about reclamation, see the Responsible Mine Closure and Reclamation page on our website. 

Reclamation Security

Many jurisdictions require mining companies to post financial security for all or part of the remaining costs associated with the mine reclamation and environmental protection. This is a precautionary measure to ensure that governments will not have to unreasonably contribute to the costs of reclamation and environmental protection of a mine site if a company is unable to meet its obligation to fully close and reclaim the site.

At Teck, we take this responsibility very seriously, and we meet all government requirements for security. We are committed to ensuring that this financial security never needs to be accessed, as we responsibly close and reclaim our mine sites, and meet all of our environmental obligations, at no cost to government or taxpayers. 

Our sustainability strategy outlines our goals in relation to biodiversity and reclamation at our operations.

By 2020, we will:

• Implement biodiversity management plans for each of our operations

• Integrate the consideration of biodiversity into the exploration, construction and closure stages of the mining life cycle 

• Enhance our contributions to biodiversity conservation knowledge through collaboration in research, education and conservation

By 2030, we will:

• Achieve a net positive impact on biodiversity in regions where we operate through environmental management, reclamation and conservation

Table 2: Biodiversity and Reclamation Internal and External Audits

Following each of these audits, applicable management teams use the results to inform future actions and Teck’s five-year planning process.