Mining giant Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC) teams up with the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in designing the company’s ‘Mine Rehabilitation Legacy’, a rehabilitation program to improve the restoration and protection of mined-out areas through the use of the latest technology.
‘Mine Rehabilitation Legacy’, with the theme ‘Towards the Development of Nickel Asia’s Environmental Legacy for the Future’, is a week-long indoor training for NAC’s Mine Restoration Practitioners and will be directed by scientists and experts from the UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources, according tonews reports.
“There are a lot of things we have been doing in the mines and we are improving further to show the communities how all of us at NAC are responsible miners,” said Rogel C. Cabauatan, NAC’s AVP for Community Relations and Environment.
“The training was geared towards the crafting of NAC’s ‘legacy’ on the future of its mine rehabilitation programs,” he added.
The training will consist of learning new high-tech and non-traditional techniques and actual field work at the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve under experts from the Tropical Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability (TREES) and will be facilitated by UPLB’s Dr. Enrique Tolentino.
“We were introduced to a highly-innovative technology and non-traditional approaches, we were even guided on budgeting, on dealing with social environment, identification of new species, review of national policies on mine restoration, and so much more,” Cabauatan said.
Moreover, NAC participants, who will come from the company’s various mine subsidiaries, are expected to ‘re-learn’ traditional approaches, along with new ones, in solving environmental issues. These were made to “renew their commitment to the communities and were encouraged to be more actively engaged with their various stakeholders.”
NAC foresters are also introduced to administrative tasks like budgeting, community education and management, and dealing with social the environment.
Empirical studies such as identification of new species, land use strategies, agroforestry, and reviewing of national policies on mine restoration are also prioritized.
Nickel Asia Corp. is the country’s largest producer of lateritic nickel ore established in 1977. Considered one of the largest nickel producers in the world, NAC is the umbrella company of seven mining companies including Rio Tuba Mining Corporation, Taganito Mining Corporation, Cagdianao Mining Corporation, and Hinatuan Mining Corporation.
