Tata Steel has consciously invested in biodiversity conservation. The company has been actively working with several organisations to enhance its performance in biodiversity conservation and significantly reduce its impact on ecosystem and biodiversity. Being a business leader in steel making, mining, and manufacturing, the company is going beyond the regulatory regimes and setting high standards for itself on the social and environmental matters.[1]
Today, sustainability and particularly creating and maintaining excellence in biodiversity is an essential element of how Tata Steel runs its business. Tata Steel launched its Biodiversity Policy way back in 2016. The policy provides guidelines for including biodiversity in every strategic and operational decision making. The Company is aligning its actions with the National Biodiversity Targets set in 2014 (India level), Aichi Biodiversity Targets set in 2010 (Global level) and Sustainable Development Goals of the UN to integrate biodiversity into its business ecosystem and enable a better tomorrow for future generations.
The journey began with Tata Steel’s engagement with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2013. IUCN conducted a baseline survey of Tata Steel’s locations and gave its recommendations on biodiversity management. This included biodiversity assessments, ground truthing studies, secondary research, including stakeholder interactions and understanding the eco-system services provided by the biodiversity. The risks to biodiversity and eco-system services from the Company’s operations and community behaviour were identified and then used to develop its biodiversity conservation and management plan.
In the interest of conservation, the company has committed to avoid acquisition of properties whose development may result in the loss of critical habitat for species with special conservation status. The aim of Tata Steel’s Biodiversity Policy is ‘No Net Loss of biodiversity’.
Tata Steel has rolled out its Biodiversity Management Plans (BMPs) with IUCN for its mines in Jharkhand and Odisha. The overall focus of the BMP is biodiversity conservation and enhancement in and around the mining sites. BMPs are integrated with the requirements of progressive mine closure plans as well as environment clearance conditions, while including requirements of global standards on biodiversity conservation and mine restoration.
Tata Steel has been pursuing a collaborative approach on biodiversity by engaging the employees and local communities through various awareness programmes and workshops. The Company’s future endeavors will be aimed at enhancing strategic partnerships with organisations and agencies to collaborate on biodiversity conservation projects.
Some of the biodiversity projects of the steel major include the Jubilee Park and Zoological Park in Jamshedpur, J N Tata Park in West Bokaro, Dalma View Point, Jamshedpur, CRM Bara Ponds, Jamshedpur, regenerated forests at Noamundi, niche nesting in various locations , development of Eco-Park at Muck Dump area in Jugsalai (Jamshedpur) among others.