As 22 May marks the International Day for Biological Diversity, we have decided to present Polyus’ ongoing biodiversity projects.
The regions of the Company’s operations, Siberia and the Far East of Russia, are famous for their unmatched natural landscapes and unique flora and fauna. Our goal is to conserve them for future generations by minimizing negative environmental impacts.
Polyus monitors biodiversity in areas neighboring its operating assets in order to assess its impact on ecosystems. In 2022, a biomass of indicative plant types was collected at the Kuranakh ore field, while hydrobiological monitoring of macrozoobenthos in the Intrigan and Omchak rivers was carried out at Natalka.
Some of the implemented initiatives are not in close proximity to Polyus’ assets. In Irkutsk Region, a project to preserve wild ungulates is being run as part of the Company’s cooperation with the Vitim Nature Reserve. In Magadan Region, Polyus built autonomous data transmission stations on Talan Island to monitor horned puffins and other rare seabirds. In the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the Company is helping to preserve the population of Asian spruce grouse. In addition, in 2023, a project was launched together with the Krasnoyarsk Stolby National Park to conserve and study lynxes, a vulnerable species in the Krasnoyarsk Territory whose population is declining.
Reducing the impact on ecosystems is one of the key goals of the sustainable development strategy. It is based on international documents, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 15, Life on Land, proposes active steps for conserving biodiversity.