Doğu Biga is committed to ensuring that its operations maintain the highest standards of corporate social responsibility and transparency. The Company designs every project and operation to be safe to local communities, with a strong commitment to health, safety and the environment.
In 2013, a national environmental impact assessment for the Kirazlı Gold Mine Project as part of the Turkish Permitting process (“the Turkish EIA”) was undertaken and the EIA was approved by the Ministry of Environmental and Urban Planning.
It was approved following an extensive review process by the government of Turkey based on factors such as: human health, environmental pollution, agricultural lands, husbandry, vegetation, social life, fire, explosion, general security, occupational safety, its distance to residential areas and its impacts on preservation of nature.
The Company also engaged a third party to complete an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), enabling the Project to be conducted according to international performance requirements, such as the Specific Objectives of the Equator Principle regarding stakeholder engagement.
Stakeholder Engagement
A comprehensive stakeholder engagement process has been implemented since 2010, starting with a focus on directly and indirectly affected villages, national and regional governmental agencies, and NGOs, academia, business and scientific stakeholders.
Doğu Biga has a consultation strategy, under the Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC), which is a unique initiative in the region. The Committee included eight village leaders along with representatives from Doğu Biga. The Committee met regularly from 2015 through to 2021. The main aim of SAC can be defined as “Raise stakeholder awareness and increase public understanding of the project, and actively engage them in the decision-making process in order to build a trustful relationship with the communities.”
Read more here: https://www.internethaber.com/canakkalede-8-muhtardan-madene-destek-aciklamasi-2170048h.htm
Biodiversity
In 2017, the Company received the Forestry Permit for the development of its Kirazli Gold Mine Project from Turkey’s Forestry General Directorate. As a matter of compliance to obtain this permit, the Company submitted its our Biodiversity Management Plan and successfully met all requirements.
The Republic of Turkey has comprehensive laws and regulations in place for mining rehabilitation work. On January 5, 2017, the Company received the Forestry Permit for the development of its Kirazli gold project from Turkey’s Forestry General Directorate, and as a matter of compliance to obtain this permit, the Company submitted its our Biodiversity Management Plan and successfully met all requirements. Renewal for mining concessions are pending, and the current status of the permit is it can be re-established following a routine application.
Doğu Biga has been engaged in biodiversity management planning for a nearly a decade. Over the first four-year phase of its plan, the Company collected basic data collection of the natural flora and fauna species in the region. Based on this data, employees collected and stored seeds of endemic plants from natural flora species in a protection gene bank in Ankara, and kept bulbous endemic plants under protection in alternative habitats.
Operational Commitment
Doğu Biga considers the natural environment where it conducts activities with the highest regard, and is committed to providing education and transparency when questions and concerns are raised by community members. By arranging meetings and community education campaigns in the region, the Company has worked continuously to provide correct information and to address any concerns raised.
In keeping with international standards and best practices, Doğu Biga developed and had approved a design framework for the mine and operational plans with respect to the use of cyanide as the primary reagent in the project’s processing stage. Due diligence and responsible management of cyanide is built into the design during the processing stage, with the highest standards of safety possible applied. The management of cyanide during processing would be supervised by relevant government authorities following the principle of zero discharge.
In addition, Doğu Biga has engaged with members of the community to establish an Environmental Monitoring Committee. This is an important component to community engagement and strengthening knowledge and understanding of the project and the mine’s closure plans.
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Doğu Biga Mining: With the project in Kirazlı, the vegetable soil will be stripped from 222 hectares of land and stored.
Sözcü newspaper writer Çiğdem Toker stated that, regarding the project of Doğu Biga Mining in Kirazlı, “Vegetable soil will be stripped and stored from 222 hectares of land”
In the Toker article, I included a reader’s letter about Ahmet Şentürk, General Manager of Doğu Biga Company, saying ‘That field will be better than before’ (February 15, 2021). How many years is the re-paving and covering of the top soil stripped in Kirazlı, the closing of the huge mine pit to be opened, the complete elimination of the poison in the cyanide pools to be abandoned, the cleaning of millions of cubic meters of stone pile impregnated with cyanide, the regaining of the naturalness of the underground waters, the rehabilitation of the ecosystem destroyed by fauna and flora. “My reader was also curious about the budget to be allocated for the rehabilitation of the destruction that will occur.” used the expression.
We have a very high sensitivity to Kaz Mountains.
AK Party Spokesperson Çelik made statements regarding the allegations about Kaz Mountains. Steel, “Kaz Mountains with regard to environmental issues or in any part of Turkey have a very high accuracy,” he said.
News Link; https://www.yenisafak.com/gundem/kaz-daglari-konusunda-cok-yuksek-hassasiyete-sahibiz-3501266
