We work in some of the world’s most remote and beautiful areas. We are inspired by the natural world, and as a result we have been working to conserve land around our operations for decades.
Across South Africa and Botswana, our dedicated onsite ecology team manage more than 200,000 acres for conservation purposes. This amounts to more than double the total land that we use for mining. We’ve seen these areas – many of which were over-farmed and in a poor condition when we took on their stewardship – rewild and transform into flourishing ecosystems over the last half century.
Working to create safe homes for some of the world’s most important animals
Thanks to the dedicated conservation efforts of our teams, these areas have become safe havens for some of the continent’s most iconic flora and fauna, such as the baobab tree and the Big Five: lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo. It’s not just high-profile animals that find a home though: for example, there are more butterfly species in just one of our reserves than the whole of the UK. They also play an essential role in wider conservation efforts, even helping to rewild and repopulate other areas across the region. Their value goes beyond conservation to the priceless services that these healthy ecosystems provide such as clean air, carbon sinks, climate resilience - buffering against climatic events like heatwaves and drought- as well as links to cultural heritage, livelihoods creation, education.
In the last 20 years, our reserves have hosted over 100 innovative research programmes, school trips and ecotourism activities to support economic development. We have also undertaken ground-breaking conservation initiatives including Moving Giants, one of the furthest elephant translocations ever attempted.
Our conservation efforts aim to ensure that nature’s treasures are protected for future generations, long after our last diamond is recovered.
Helping to ensure nature reserves are permanently protected
In 2023, we pledged to donate one of our nature reserves to South African National Parks (SANParks), for the enduring shared benefit of South African citizens. The 86,000-acre reserve on South Africa’s west coast has been managed in partnership with SANParks since 2008, as an extension to the Namaqua National Park. The donation means this important area will continue to benefit from permanent protected status as an official asset of the state-owned South African National Park network.
Namaqua National Park is located within the semi-desert Succulent Karoo biome, which is recognised as the world’s only arid biodiversity hotspot, with plant diversity and endemic species levels rivalling rainforests. Nearly one in three floral species in the biome is unique to the region and it boasts the world’s richest variety of succulent flora as well as many species of reptiles and invertebrates. With its irresistible combination of rugged wilderness and colourful wildflower springtime bursts, the park is well visited by both national and international tourists.
The donation is a significant milestone in seeking to create a lasting positive impact on nature that also contributes to the future prosperity of the countries where we operate.