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Canadian Diamonds |
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| Assessment
| Monitoring
| Wildlife and Water
| Labor
Practices |
Conclusions |
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| Wildlife and
Water Management |
| Perhaps the greatest
environmental concern of the Aboriginal people is the health of the Caribou
population. These majestic animals roam in great herds across more than 350,000
sq km of the Northwest and Nunavut Territories that includes the area
surrounding both the EKATI and the Diavik Canadian diamond mines. The
population of the Bathurst herd of caribou has been decreasing by an average of
5% annually since 1986. This decrease is within the limits of the herd’s
historical variation, but to ensure that the operation of the mines does not
accelerate the decline of this population, operators of both the EKATI and
Diavik Canadian diamond mines participate in monitoring and reporting on the
health of the herd. Caribou always have the right of way on mine property as
well as the temporary ice road that connects the mines to Yellowknife. Current
population studies indicate that the herd prefers to avoid the area of the
mines. The area avoided represents only a small fraction of the herds range,
but this data warrants continued research to determine what factors might be
causing this change in behavior. In addition to Caribou, the mine operators in
conjunction with the environmental advisory organizations monitor the local
populations of wolves, grizzly bears, wolverines, peregrine falcons, and a wide
range of other animals.
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| Another environmental concern is
the water quality of the surrounding lakes. Both the EKATI and Diavik Canadian
diamond mines sit on the shores of the Lac de Gras, a shallow lake that
supports a few species of fish and migratory birds. Large quantities of water
are used in the diamond extraction and sorting process. The Diavik mine
recycles this water, and the EKATI mine uses a system of settling ponds to
reduce the quantity of silt and contaminants released back in to the
surrounding lake. Unlike many other mining operations, diamond mining does not
use any toxic chemicals to leach the valuable minerals from the base rock.
However, small amounts of heavy metals that are found naturally in the base
rock are released during the extraction process. The water quality of the Lac
de Gras and the surrounding lakes is measured several times a year, as is the
health of several “canary” species that live in an around the lake.
Both mines conform to the ISO 14001:2004 standard for environmental management
systems. |
| Due to
historical activities, Aboriginal tribes are also very concerned about what
will happen to the land when the mines reach the end of their yield. A gold
boom in the 1930’s brought much wealth to Yellowknife, but once the gold
ore had been extracted, the mining companies dissolved their local interests,
walked away with most of theprofit, and left the Aboriginal people a legacy of
abandoned gold mines, many heavily contaminated with arsenic. The Canadian
government and the local tribes have taken specific, direct steps to avoid a
similar catastrophe when the diamond boom ends. A CAD $180 million bond ensures
that even if the mine operator goes bankrupt, sufficient funds will be
available to remediate the site. Currently both mines are engaging in the
practice of progressive remediation to return much of the site to a long term,
environmentally sustainable state. On-going studies and discussions with the
local tribes help to ensure that the closure and remediation of the mines will
have as minimal environmental impact as possible. |
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| Assessment
| Monitoring
| Wildlife and Water
| Labor
Practices |
Conclusions |
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| To ensure that the operation
of the EKATI and Diavik mines do not accelerate the decline of the Caribou
population, operators of both mines participate in monitoring and reporting on
the health of the herd. |
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