June 20, 2024 - Freeport-McMoRan’s work to protect biodiversity and wildlife habitats was recognized recently with multiple awards – including the prestigious Employee Engagement Award – from the Wildlife Habitat Council.

In addition to the companywide recognition, Freeport’s Cerro Verde operation in Peru and PT Freeport Indonesia each received two awards for their work to study and protect key species and to conserve or reclaim native wildlife habitat.

The Employee Engagement Award recognizes a company’s involvement in conservation through the “sheer force of its employee teams who participate in its habitat and conservation education activities,” according to the organization’s description. The five Freeport programs reviewed in judging the award were at Cerro Verde, Climax (Colorado), United Verde (Arizona), PT Freeport Indonesia and Chino (New Mexico), all of which were up for WHC recertification in 2023. They reported a total of 180,000 employee hours dedicated to planning and implementing five certified conservation programs at the sites.

“Our approach to nature conservation and responsible management of wildlife and their habitats are becoming a larger part of how we demonstrate responsible production to our stakeholders,” said Bill Cobb, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer. “I’m very pleased that the WHC, with these prestigious awards, has recognized Freeport’s significant accomplishments in the areas of environmental stewardship, species conservation and recovery, all coupled together with our incredible community engagement and involvement in these efforts.

“The hard work and dedication of the employees at our numerous certified sites demonstrates our corporate commitment to being world-class stewards of the environment.”

Individual awards presented to Freeport sites are:

• Cerro Verde received the Species of Concern Project Award for its work to conserve the habitat of guanacos, a critically endangered llama-like species in Peru. Employees provide guanacos with water from drinkers in locations away from active operations and propagate native plant species, which are important to their diets. Cerro Verde employees also take specific hazing and deterrent measures to keep guanacos off roads to avoid collisions with motor vehicles. Cerro Verde staff shared information about the guanacos with local authorities and relevant scientific organizations, and implemented a conservation education program across Arequipa to increase public awareness and mitigate threats to the species.
• Cerro Verde also received the Bats Project Award for measures to protect the threatened bat species Platalina genovensium. Those include installing bat gates at known roosts with signage to prevent access and providing public education. Staff also have rescued and relocated native cacti species that are a critical food supply to the bats and built a greenhouse to propagate the native plants.
• PTFI received the Mammals Project Award for its work to determine whether the New Guinea Singing Dog, observed in the mountainous region around Papua, is a distinct species from the Highland Wild Dog. The Highland Wild Dog is one of the rarest and most ancient canids and was once thought to be extinct in the wild. It was unclear whether the New Guinea Singing Dogs found near the PTFI site were a separate species. Research supported by PTFI, which included DNA analysis and wildlife tracking, produced enough data to conclude they are unique species. Several peer-reviewed journal articles have been published as part of the research.
• PTFI also received the Marine Intertidal Project Award for its revegetation and restoration projects of islands in the Akjwa Estuary as part of the mine’s revegetation plan. The work includes planting a variety of wetland species and monitoring them to help ensure seedling survival. PTFI employees also do long-term monitoring of the ecosystems on the islands.

In addition to the formal awards, Freeport also won the Spirit Award, an informal recognition of the company showing the most enthusiasm during the awards dinner.

Photos (clockwise): Research done at PTFI on the New Guinea Singing Dog, observed in the mountainous region around Papua, has established it is a distinct species. The work was recognized with the Mammals Project Award from the Wildlife Habitat Council; The enthusiasm displayed by Michael Steward, Manager, Remediation Projects, helped Freeport-McMoRan win the Spirit Award at the recent Wildlife Habitat Council dinner; Cerro Verde received the Bats Project Award for its work to protect the threatened bat species Platalina genovensium; Efforts to protect the guanaco earned Cerro Verde the Species of Concern Project Award from the Wildlife Habitat Council.