Responsible rehabilitation: Closure of Cobre Las Cruces

Taking care of our environment once mining operations cease is of paramount importance to First Quantum. This applies to Cobre Las Cruces as it does to all of our operations, especially given their proximity to populated areas just 20 km northwest of Seville.

Progressive rehabilitation

Since the beginning of our operations, we have implemented a progressive rehabilitation plan. This is an environmental restoration practice that seeks to minimize the impact of mining activities by continuously restoring affected areas throughout the life cycle of the operation. This practice has two main benefits:

1. Faster ecosystem recovery
   Enables faster and more effective ecosystem recovery by allowing affected areas to begin to regenerate while other areas continue to be worked on.
2. Improved relations with local communities
   By demonstrating a commitment to the environment and early rehabilitation, we improve our relations with the communities in which we operate.

This sustainable approach balances mining activity with environmental and community protection, improving the social and ecological viability of the sector.

Our ongoing environmental restoration program consisted of planting for erosion protection, revegetation and infrastructure removal at project closure. Temporary planting for erosion protection prevents stockpiled materials from eroding before we can remove them, while restoration is applied to surfaces in landfills, mine waste dumps or areas that were used for temporary stockpiles.

Our key objectives

All of our actions are aimed at achieving four closure objectives for our specific area of operation:

1. The diversification of final land uses in restored areas allows the development of activities that can generate goods and services in the short, medium and long term, as well as identifying possible productive uses in these areas.
2. Local economic development after the cessation of mining activity.
3. Landscape integration of the restored areas seeks to diversify habitats to increase the ecological value and biodiversity of the area.
4. The creation of end uses of the land for educational and recreational purposes.

During closure, the long-term safety and stability of the remaining structures will be ensured, ensuring that there is no danger to the local community or the environment. Specifically, we will ensure that the tailings storage facility is completed with a landfill for inert waste materials and that the water supply pond is restored and remains as a wasteland. The supply pond has already become a lake ecosystem that supports a variety of waterfowl species and other wildlife, such as otters.

Foundation with lasting impact

Thanks to our commitment and responsible management during our presence in the area, we have maintained a strong relationship with the four local municipalities. In 2010, we created a foundation that fosters, promotes and develops environmental and sustainable initiatives, helping us to meet our corporate social responsibility objectives. Since its creation, the foundation has become one of the most active entities of its kind in Andalusia, with more than 500 activities and projects carried out to date.

One of the Foundation’s main lines of action in recent years has been the promotion and organization of training programs aimed at fostering the entrepreneurial development of the local social fabric, generating employment independent of mining activity and ensuring that the impact of the cessation of mining activities is lessened.