• AFRICAN BUZZ
NEW APPOINTMENT AT BME
BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT INTEGRAL PART OF VEDANTA OPERATIONS
Indian-based Vedanta Zinc International ( VZI ) was recently awarded a certificate of mine closure for its Lisheen Mine , in Ireland . The closure planning and implementation at Lisheen may be considered to be best practice for the industry and it is anticipated that Lisheen will be seen as an example of how to successfully operate and close a mine .
Apart from the Lisheen Mine , VZI also operates Black Mountain Mining ( BMM ) and the Gamsberg open pit operation in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa , where the same quality of preservation , conservation and ultimately rehabilitation have been taken into consideration .
Biodiversity management has been made integral in all our projects across all three stages – the design phase , the operational phase , and the post-closure phase . Over 80,000 plants and 360,000 seeds have been collected and moved to the specialised facilities of the Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden . The objective is that , once mining has ended and the area ’ s surface is restored , it can be replanted with the endemic species that were removed from the site , saved , and protected .
BME
Ralf Hennecke , BME Manging Director SADC
Ralf Hennecke has been appointed JSE-listed Omnia Group company BME ’ s Managing Director for SADC .
A mining engineer with years of production experience in the mines of South Africa ’ s erstwhile mining houses Rand Mines and JCI , Hennecke joined the Omnia Group in 1995 with a key technical role in explosives and has been a member of BME ’ s Executive Committee since 2001 . He earned a Master of Business Administration ( MBA ) degree in 2005 .
Hennecke held the role of General Manager : Customer Commercial and Marketing between 2015 and 2019 , when he took on the position of General Manager : Marketing and Technology . He leads a range of functions within BME , including Global Blasting Science , Global Underground Business , Global Product Management , and Global Marketing and Branding .
He also heads up the company ’ s activities in Global Software Development and Technology , and Global AXXIS Electronic Development and Marketing . Ralf plays a role in Global Corporate Development and Strategy as well as Commercial Delegation of Authority and is a director of several BME ’ s African business entities .
4 • African Mining • November 2021
A critical feature of Gamsberg ’ s development is its approach to biodiversity . The Project is being developed in the ecologically sensitive Succulent Karoo Biome , a designated biodiversity ‘ hotspot ’ and one of just 35 ‘ biodiversity hotspots ’ in the world . This has required extensive engagement with key stakeholders – government , NGOs , and landowners – which has resulted in a unique biodiversity offset agreement .
The project team is working in close partnership with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ), the world ' s oldest and largest environmental organisation and in compliance with the Vedanta Sustainable Development Framework to ensure effective implementation of the agreement .
VZI has adopted a Biodiversity Policy and Management Standard that is in line with international standards and the guidelines of the International Finance Corporation ( IFC ). This is an integral part of their commitment to sustainable development .
Protecting and nurturing the environment is built into our business strategy and philosophy at Vedanta . Our products and processes have sustainability at their core , across all our operations .
A critical feature of Gamsberg ’ s development is its approach to biodiversity .
www . africanmining . co . za