Our environmental policies reflect three areas of focus: minimizing our impact, reducing our consumption of non-renewable energy and making all of our operations more energy efficient. Our approach informs all aspects of the mining process, from the exploration stage to decommissioning, and we continually monitor our performance across all of our operations.
Our site HSEC teams include environmental professionals who ensure compliance with local environmental regulations, best practice management of risks and opportunities in collaboration with other departments, and monitor and report on key environmental indicators on a wide range of environmental matters, including biodiversity, climate change, and water quantity and quality.
Site environmental professionals are supported by corporate and regional HSEC directors to help provide guidance, strategy and oversight to the environment and broader HSEC teams. Directors also receive regular updates on key performance indicators, risks and action plans from site personnel. Regular reporting on environmental risk and performance indicators is provided to the Senior Executive Group, CEO and Board of Directors.
For more information on how we ensure accountability on environment across all levels of the organization, see our HSEC Governance page.
For information on how we link environment to compensation, please see Our Approach page.
Yamana’s environmental strategy is driven, first and foremost, by managing impacts and risks on the ground and to minimizing our footprint wherever possible. Our operations ensure compliance with all applicable legal requirements, certification against ISO 14001 and incorporation of evolving international best practice into operational practices through the application of Yamana’s Integrated HSEC Framework, and more recently through industry best practice in the World Gold Council’s Responsible Gold Mining Principles (RGMPs) and the Mining Association of Canada’s Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Protocols. The main thrust of our strategy in the coming years will be to incorporate the evolving international best practices of TSM and the RGMPs, while identifying where we can take a leadership position on important issues such as water and climate change.
The environmental KPIs aim to measure and improve operational performance, improve internal communication of key environmental aspects and set internal targets to maintain environmental compliance. The KPIs address noise, dust, water quality and availability, tailings management and reclamation activities. These indicators are re-evaluated annually to ensure that they remain relevant and that internal targets are reflective of data gathered and progress made in the previous year.
Indicators vary on a site-by-site basis, and manage legal, regulatory, community and operational risks. Performance on these indicators are communicated to site and senior management, the Board of Directors, and corporate and regional HSEC teams. This process allows additional visibility and tracking on the indicators to ensure accountability for site and executive management and that they are being properly planned for. Additionally, these risks help to inform HSEC Improvement Plans and ensure environmental management is properly budgeted.
Water is a shared resource and we are committed to responsibly managing this critical community resource. Changes in the availability of, or access to, reliable water sources is a key risk for Yamana and the industry in general, as it is a critical component of the mining process. Water risks are managed on a site-by-site basis, with strong corporate oversight and a continued focus on reusing and recycling water and preventing process water discharges to the environment.
The goal of our water strategy is to ensure operational water management efficiency, which means minimizing impacts on local water resources, both in terms of quantity and quality. Each of our sites has a unique water context, with unique water risks and challenges that require unique water management strategies.
All mine sites seek to minimize their freshwater use through reducing total consumption and maximizing the use of recycled water, to minimizing the impact on the local water table. In addition, we prevent the discharge of process water to the natural environment. Overall, our water management strategy comprises four key components: efficiency, quality, climate adaptation and preparedness, and stakeholder engagement.
Maximize efficiency and reduce raw water consumption.
Minimize effects on human and aquatic health.
Identify and understand our vulnerabilities.
Communicate with host communities and stakeholders about key issues at every stage of our operations.
Our Jacobina mine withdraws its water from an engineered freshwater reservoir along the Cuia River and is a zero-discharge site that recycles water after processing. The community of Jacobina is located downstream, where it is the only other user of water. The region is not considered to be particularly water-stressed. Jacobina’s site water balance is used to continually improve water performance, including significant reduction of overall freshwater consumption.
The mine experiences a wet season from November to April and a dry season from May to October. Existing diversion channels, storm water management infrastructure (ditches and ponds) and the tailings area all have sufficient capacity to manage extreme rainfall events. No flooding of site infrastructure or uncontrolled discharges have occurred during storm events. Rainwater is captured and stored in storm water management ponds or in the tailings storage facility and infrastructure.
Short-term water scarcity during the dry season or drought conditions.
Long-term site water quality has the potential to affect downstream groundwater and surface water quality if not adequately managed.
Changes in downstream water availability as a result of mining activities if not adequately managed.
Infiltration of groundwater into the underground mining operations.
On-site water accumulation (e.g., in storage ponds or the tailings storage facility) during normal to wet climate conditions.
Community concerns about potential effects on water quality or water availability.
Water is supplied to our El Peñón site via an underground saline water aquifer that is used exclusively by Yamana’s operations and not linked to any other aquifers in the region. Water is recycled from tailings for processing and the site does not discharge water. The surrounding region is not considered water-stressed due to low water use, and the groundwater aquifer is replenished at a rate sufficient to support current operations.
El Peñón is located in the Atacama Desert, which is considered the driest desert in the world, and it is not uncommon for regions of the Atacama Desert to go multiple years without a rainfall event. Extreme rain events rarely occur, and surface water runoff has not historically affected our operation.
Long-term sustainability of the water supply system due to low recharge rates of the groundwater aquifer levels.
Minera Florida withdraws surface water north of the surrounding Cantillana Hills and is currently a zero-discharge site. Although the broader region is considered water-stressed regarding water availability, water supply is not considered a risk due to low mine water use rates. The surrounding communities use groundwater wells as a source of drinking water, while surface water is used locally for agriculture.
The mine experiences a dry summer but significant rainfall events during the winter. During these extreme rainfall events there is no flooding of the process plant infrastructure. Diversion channels, storm water management infrastructure (ditches and ponds) and the tailings area at the site all have sufficient capacity to manage extreme rainfall events.
Short-term water scarcity during the dry season or during drought conditions.
Cerro Moro is located approximately 30 km west of the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Groundwater is extracted and treated before being used in the processing plant and is subsequently recycled, with zero discharge. The site maintains a detailed water balance that considers all aspects of the mine and precipitation volumes and is the responsibility of a dedicated on-site team.
The mine area is within a region generally considered semi-arid, but not particularly water-stressed, that receives significant rainfall events during the winter months. Diversion channels and storm water management infrastructure (ditches and ponds) are used to manage rainfall, and tailings infrastructure is designed with sufficient capacity to manage extreme rainfall events.
Long-term sustainability of the water supply system due to low recharge rates of the groundwater aquifer.
A core component of our environmental management program consists of reducing and managing risks through waste segregation at source facilities and a focus on reducing, reusing and recycling wastes. Where waste could not be recycled or reused, waste transport and disposal are undertaken by licensed contractors and in accordance with local legislation and applicable permits.
Our mineral waste management approach focuses on ensuring slope stability of waste rock facilities and confirming that groundwater and surface water quality from our facilities will not affect downstream users, with a particular focus on monitoring and mitigating sulfate concentrations and metal leaching/acid rock drainage.
Understanding the importance and complexity of tailings management, Yamana pays particular attention to this subject through a separate management system, which is described in detail in the Tailings Management section.
Climate change is one of the critical issues of our time and we recognize that business has a crucial role to play in addressing this challenge. In 2020, we began a process to renew our Climate Change Strategy, with a specific focus on emissions reduction and setting science-based targets to help us accomplish this. While climate change is a global issue, it is also a very tangible risk to our operations and our host communities; as such, significant effort has gone into assessing and monitoring these risks to reduce the likelihood of impacts on both communities and our business.
Our strategy has two main pillars; the first is around energy and emissions management, and the second focuses on mitigation, adaption and preparedness. The latter half of this strategy has been in place for years and is informed by our Climate Change, Water and Biodiversity Risk Assessment process, which is discussed in more detail below. The energy and emissions component of our Climate Change Strategy was approved in early 2021; our 2021 work will create a strong foundation to facilitate establishing operational emissions reduction pathways and short-, medium- and longer-term quantitative targets in 2022, working towards an overall net-zero carbon objective by 2050. While our operations regularly have annual energy goals in place for some time, we recognized the importance of corporate-level commitments and strong, science-based targets.
Our strategy includes the following elements:
Manage energy efficiency and emissions reduction.
Identify and understand our vulnerabilities to prevent impacts on our operations.
Develop emergency preparedness and response plans for potential impacts on our operations.
Climate change risk assessments were completed at each of our operations to:
The following risks and opportunities were identified to be most material to Yamana during comprehensive climate change risk assessments:
Action plans for this indicator are high level.
Regional and local forest fires that disrupt site access or result in operational interruptions.
Regulatory changes that impact operating costs.
Managing water at our sites during extreme weather conditions (storm events with high precipitation and dry seasons or droughts) to mitigate flooding and damage to infrastructure and transport routes, as well as prevent impacts to host communities.
Changes in the cost of power due to carbon pricing, increased regulations around energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, or requirements for renewable power generation.
Dust generated from sites, especially from tailings facilities, during dry seasons and during drought conditions.
As water management is one of our more material and complex climate change risks, a separate water risk assessment was also conducted. The results of this risk assessment are further explored in the Water section of our Environment page.
Prioritizing biodiversity means that we constantly aim to minimize impacts on the local environment within and surrounding our sites, while positively contributing to long-term ecological health.
Conserving and managing biodiversity is a priority for Yamana, which starts with ensuring accurate information gathering on the ecological baseline, on our impacts and using the mitigation hierarchy to properly mitigate and manage those impacts.
Based on ongoing data collection and findings from biodiversity assessments, each site develops and maintains its own Biodiversity Management Plan that abides by both local legislation and Yamana’s overall approach to biodiversity conservation management. These strategies include, but are not limited to, progressive reclamation, protection and restoration of endemic plant species, conservation of sensitive areas, and biodiversity offsets.
Our operating mines are not located in any of the following internationally recognized protected areas: World Conservation Union (IUCN) Protected Area Categories I-IV, UNESCO Natural World Heritage Sites, UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserves, and wetlands designated under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar Convention).
Biodiversity risk assessments at each of our operations review how, where and when we collect biodiversity data to ensure management effectiveness. A high-level summary of the key findings follows:
Mine closure is an inevitable step in the life cycle of our operations. At Yamana, we believe it is our duty to responsibly close, monitor and manage our closed sites. We also prioritize maintaining a strong relationship with host communities and stakeholders of each site throughout, during and after the closure process.
Yamana’s approach to closure focuses on proactive planning, fulfilling our closure commitments and ensuring, at minimum, sites are returned to a condition that is acceptable to both government and local stakeholders. We approach closure through a variety of mechanisms, a key component of which includes closure plans for all operating sites.
All active sites, independent of where they are in their mine life, maintain up-to-date closure and reclamation plans, as well as allocate funds for cost of closure long before the closure of the mine. Closure plans are reviewed and updated regularly to ensure they properly reflect the changing mine footprint as well as regulatory and economic landscapes of their jurisdictions.
In addition to maintaining closure plans, our sites participate in progressive reclamation activities whenever possible. This ultimately leads to less impact on the surrounding environment and a quicker return of the natural ecosystem once the mine is no longer in operation.
Finally, we strive to ensure proper social closure with host communities surrounding our sites. Ultimately, the strategy is to invest in local communities throughout the life of the mine in a way that promotes economic, social and cultural resilience and sustainability. This ensures that our host communities are not only equipped to handle the transition of a mine closure, but can also thrive in a post-mine environment.
As we reach the end of life of a mine, we place an increased effort on active engagement and transparent communication to prepare community members for the final stages in the mine life cycle.
The most significant risks associated with closed sites typically relate to mine waste management, water management, social challenges and changing permit requirements, the latter of which we mitigate through a variety of processes, including regular monitoring of local and discharged water quality. Monitoring assists in developing management strategies for any determinable risks. Examples of our proactive risk management approach are the use of engineered covers for sulfide waste rock and spent heap leach ore at our Beartrack site. This source control strategy passively minimizes water quality impacts over the long term, thereby minimizing long-term, sometimes complicated, water treatment requirements.
At operating sites, closure risk is managed by regularly reviewing and updating our closure plans while also concurrently restoring disturbed areas when practical. These strategies allow us to dynamically approach closure requirements and ensure that long-term strategies are up to date for the current conditions at an operation.