How we do it
Sustainable growth and a commitment to the community are fundamental factors that allow a company to be successful and to build a great legacy. That's why we want to be a starting point for development in the Autazes region.
In order to identify the potential impacts of the enterprise, we hired a company with over 50 years of experience and 165 offices around the world to prepare the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). This report calls for over 30 plans and programs aimed at controlling, minimizing or compensating for possible impacts.
Community
We have an ongoing dialogue and are engaged with the community. Since 2013, Brazil Potash has been holding meetings to introduce the project and to strengthen our relationship with local residents. A committee of 16 local representatives was created to facilitate dialogue with community leaders. Every three months the committee holds open meetings with the community and its members are rotated periodically.
Stakeholder mobilization and engagement plan
The goal is to ensure the integrated management of the socio-economic programs through the participation of the interested parties.
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Stakeholder mobilization and engagement plan
Actions
- Create and constantly update a matrix of the enterprise's stakeholders;
- Construct and ensure a permanent participatory process for the parties in an effort to involve and include the communities directly affected, the government, other bodies and/or institutions and associations representing various groups with an interest in the project;
- Undertake mobilization and engagement actions that are dimensioned to the risks and impacts associated with each stage of the enterprise;
- Ensure the inclusion of social perspectives and needs within the scope of the environmental programs;
- Strengthen the enterprise's other environmental programs and social communication initiatives.
Socio-environmental communication and information plan
This plan will keep the public and the communities informed about all the stages of the enterprise.
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Socio-environmental communication and information plan
Actions
- Divulge basic information on the project, its impacts and the control measures during all stages of the enterprise;
- Divulge the results of the socio-economic monitoring processes;
- Publicize information on job creation and the necessary qualifications for filling these positions;
- Establish formal complaint mechanisms for the communities located in the area surrounding the enterprise;
- Divulge information aimed at valuing and sharing the historical and landscape heritage and patrimony in the locations near the enterprise and its importance to the local community;
- Support the other programs.
Strategic support program for urban, institutional and legal upgrades in Autazes
The goal of this program is to encourage actions designed to upgrade housing in the municipality in order to deal with the demand that will result from the increase in population and economic activity.
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Strategic support program for urban, institutional and legal upgrades in Autazes
Actions
- Support the process of upgrading the legal instruments that govern the land use and occupation policy in the municipality;
- Support structural interventions aimed at establishing lots and housing units;
- Assist the municipal government in their institutional contacts with the state and federal governments when requesting the implementation of policies for housing in the municipality, infrastructure, sanitation and transport links in areas of urban expansion;
- Support the municipal government in the training of public agents for the licensing, control and inspection of construction and housing processes;
- Promote, encourage and attract private investment in the urban area of the municipality.
Strategic support program for public service structure upgrades
This program will stimulate and support public initiatives aimed at promoting, optimizing and expanding sanitation, security, healthcare and education services in the municipality of Autazes.
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Strategic support program for public service structure upgrades
Actions
- Support the conduction of studies and projects, as well as the installation of environmentally appropriate sanitation infrastructure;
- Support the acquisition of equipment and facilities to improve policing throughout the municipality of Autazes;
- Support teacher training initiatives, expansion of school facilities, introduction of technical and professionalization courses and qualification and development programs within the educational services offered in the municipalities;
- Support initiatives aimed at the expansion of facilities, purchase of equipment and meeting sector demands that will effectively contribute to improvements in healthcare services.
Support program for the strengthening and diversification of the local economy
This program is aimed at the development of the existing economic activities in the municipality, thus ensuring autonomy in relation to the enterprise and promoting an increase in the competitiveness of the market and the resulting social benefits.
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Support program for the strengthening and diversification of the local economy
Actions
- Identify, inventory and select, with the participation of local society, the economic activities that should be supported and encouraged;
- Study, plan, propose and implement solutions for the various problems involved in these activities in the production, circulation and sale stages;
- Assist with the design of productive local arrangements aimed at the particularities of the natural resources and the cultural and regional traits within the context of the Amazon region.
Supplier development program
The goal of this program is to attract, stimulate and develop local companies, thus providing local and regional suppliers an equal opportunity to meet the demands of the project.
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Supplier development program
Actions
- Register and qualify the local supplier base with the goal of meeting the demands of the project;
- Prioritize the purchase of goods and services in the area of direct influence, thus helping to attract suppliers and favour those already established in the area;
- Undertake actions aimed at promoting the development of the businessmen enrolled in the program;
- Evaluate the results, after the intervention, together with the local suppliers.
Environmental education program
This program is designed to raise awareness among the public of environmental issues, thereby motivating the public to conserve and improve the environment and integrating environmental management into the concept of corporate sustainability.
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Environmental education program
Actions
- Develop educational actions that involve themes such as the sustainable use of natural resources, waste management, the prevention of forest fires, water pollution and other themes that are or could be directly linked to the day-to-day lives of communities, institutions and workers;
- Take advantage of the experiences accumulated by local institutions in the handling of issues related to the themes dealt with through the program;
- Develop a process for adoption of values, formation of concepts and acquisition of competences to motivate behaviour that defends, conserves and improves the environment, with the environmental legislation in force serving as a reference;
- Develop an educational process, in strict harmony with the knowledge, references, practices, challenges and problems experienced by the communities involved during the course of their daily lives.
Labour training program
The objective of this program is to train local labour for possible employment in the project.
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Labour training program
Actions
- Divulge, by means of the Communication Plan, the qualifications, profile and quantity of the labour to be hired in the construction and operation phases of the enterprise;
- Identify and propose solutions and/or partnerships to overcome the obstacles to the development of professionals, such as transport, cost, course availability, etc.;
- Establish partnerships with technical schools and other local and regional institutions to offer professional qualification courses.
Traffic safety and education program for the road linking the plant to the port
The purpose of this program is to ensure safe traffic conditions on the project access roads.
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Traffic safety and education program for the road linking the plant to the port
Actions
- Perform a diagnostic of the current traffic and travel conditions on the project access road;
- Install safety and warning signs based on the results of the diagnostic;
- Hold educational traffic workshops for the surrounding communities;
- Provide road users with information on and warnings about the increase in traffic by heavy vehicles and the safety measures that should be taken to prevent accidents;
- Systematically register accidents caused by the traffic increase.
Socio-economic indicator monitoring program
This program is intended to monitor the socio-economic aspects of the project area in order to understand the alterations and their causes and to incentivize positive factors and/or mitigate negative ones.
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Socio-economic indicator monitoring program
Actions
- Define, based on an evaluation of the impacts presented in the Environmental Impact Report, the indicators to be monitored in the project's direct area of influence;
- Periodically monitor the selected indicators, identifying possible variations associated with the enterprise, using the initial socio-economic diagnostic from the Environmental Impact Report as a reference;
- Define, based on the results of the monitoring, actions and procedures that support the growth of positive factors and the mitigation of negative ones.
Sex education program
The purpose of this program is to educate workers, outsourced labour and the residents of Autazes about safe sex practices.
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Sex education program
Actions
- Raise awareness among the target public of sexually transmitted diseases, including how they are transmitted and the resulting problems and encourage the adoption of preventive practices and behaviour;
- Discuss the issue of pregnancy, especially that of teen and unwanted pregnancies, highlighting the consequent results and methods of contraception;
- Support the public health services with their policy of controlling sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies;
- Provide workers and contracted parties with guidance in relation to the local communities.
Endemic disease prevention program
This program is aimed at monitoring and controlling the spread of endemic diseases in the municipalities in the area directly influenced by the project.
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Endemic disease prevention program
Actions
- Define, based on the results of monitoring, actions and procedures that allow effective control of the mentioned diseases/illnesses.
Land acquisition and family monitoring program
The purpose of this program is to establish transparent and fair land acquisition mechanisms, ensuring that the relocation of families to other locations doesn't harm their ability to earn a living.
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Land acquisition and family monitoring program
Actions
- Prevent and minimize the adverse socio-economic impacts resulting from land acquisition or land use restrictions;
- Ensure that fair and transparent property acquisition mechanisms are in place;
- Monitor and support the residents and workers from properties that are acquired.
Ethno-environmental protection program
The goal of this program is to operate in synergy with public bodies to undertake actions aimed at ensuring indigenous rights in all their various aspects.
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Ethno-environmental protection program
Actions
- Ensure socio-environmental quality through actions undertaken in partnership with the government that promote the protection of Indigenous Lands identified within a radius of 10 km of the project, with special attention being paid to the rural communities of Urucuritiba and Soares;
- Respect the legitimate rights of indigenous populations on lands they have traditionally occupied;
- Improve living conditions of the Mura indigenous people in terms of food security, health, education and productive activities, in accordance with the aspirations and competence limits of this Program;
- Ensure that the benefits resulting from the other environmental programs in this study and the other socio-environmental actions undertaken as a result of this enterprise can be enjoyed by indigenous communities;
- Contribute towards the institutional strengthening of indigenous associations and their members, help to improve the feasibility of alternatives for economic development and ensuring the compatibility of their socio-cultural vocation with the sustainable use of resources;
- Support projects and activities that respect the culture of indigenous peoples, thereby contributing towards an improvement in the sustainability of their populations;
- Support the structuring of FUNAI’s support and monitoring stations to assist indigenous people and protect their territory;
- Finance environmental and anthropological studies that will serve as a basis for ethno-development processes on indigenous lands;
- Seek partnerships aimed at financing the actions of the Ethno-environmental Protection Program.
Archeological registration and rescue program
Through this program the archeological heritage of the project region will be identified and recorded.
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Archeological registration and rescue program
Actions
- Intensive prospecting in the environmental compartments of archeological potential in the areas of direct and indirect influence, including the areas surrounding the probable expansion following the conclusion of the enterprise;
- Register, update and precisely delimit the sites in the area that will be affected;
- Quantify and qualify the archeological sites in a precise panoramic manner, with the goal of implementing an archeological rescue program if necessary and registering these sites in the National Archeological Site Registry (CNSA);
- Identify the existing cultural diversity in the area to be affected in order to establish proper methodologies for dealing with each site, in accordance with its unique characteristics;
- Verify the degree of conservation of the archeological sites with the goal of identifying the cumulative impacts, future impacts and possibilities and strategies for conservation, preservation and/or recognition of their value;
- The Prospecting Program should result in a report that offers elements for the preparation of a possible archeological rescue program, which should be based on scientifically significant criteria when selecting possible threatened sites;
- Establish a Heritage Education Program.
Heritage education program
This program, which consists of educational activities focused on cultural heritage in the area around the enterprise, will help people to recognize, value and preserve this heritage.
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Heritage education program
Actions
- Engage, in activities that communicate to the local population, the results of the archeological and material heritage surveys that have been performed and/or are ongoing, thus making the information produced through the scientific research performed near their residences accessible and available;
- Engage in activities aimed at valuing, revitalizing and preserving the archeological and material heritage, preferentially beginning with the cultural heritage already recognized by these communities;
- Turn the research on cultural heritage into public knowledge through actions undertaken in each of the locations affected.
The Environment
Brazil Potash is committed to working in a sustainable manner, taking steps to ensure its activities have the smallest possible impact on the environment, while minimizing and compensating for any possible consequences of its actions.
Environmental construction plan
The purpose of this plan is to minimize the environmental impacts resulting from the implementation of the project by ensuring the use of proper techniques for the construction of the necessary structures and the creation of environmental control systems.
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Environmental construction plan
Actions
- Propose basic directives for the construction work (construction techniques, environmental control systems and accident prevention);
- Manage the environmental programs and create mechanisms for them to Interact. Evaluate the environmental program indicators by verifying the execution of activities in accordance with the schedule and achievement of goals;
- Ensure the efficient use of electricity, water and inputs during construction, in addition to minimizing the movement of soil and waste generation.
Program to control atmospheric emissions and monitor air quality
Through this program air quality will be monitored in order to control air pollution in Vila de Urucuritiba and the community of Soares.
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Program to control atmospheric emissions and monitor air quality
Actions
- Plan the soil movement and civil construction activities in such a manner that soil is exposed for the shortest time possible;
- Capture the dust generated during the crushing processes and at the ore transfer points during the operational stage of the project;
- Spray water on unpaved roads that are frequently travelled twice a day, or at an appropriate rate depending on the quantity of dust and level of traffic;
- Collect samples from atmospheric emission points;
- Implement a machinery and vehicle maintenance plan.
Noise control and monitoring program
The goal of this program is to ensure that noise levels resulting from project activities cause the minimum disturbance possible to the surrounding areas.
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Noise control and monitoring program
Actions
- Adequately maintain and regulate machinery and equipment;
- Adopt the regular use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect the health of the employees that work near noise sources;
- Monitor the sound pressure levels as a means of measuring the efficiency of the control actions adopted and allowing for correction in the event there are non-conformities.
Erosion prevention, monitoring and control program
This program consists of an erosion prevention system and a monitoring methodology in order to control erosion and stabilize the earth in the project area.
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Erosion prevention, monitoring and control program
Actions
- The erosion prevention, monitoring and control program is based on the “Planning”, “Monitoring”, “Preventive, Control and Rehabilitation Actions with a Focus on Instability” and “Inspection, Evaluation and Conceptualization of Geotechnical Solutions” activities.
- Planning: allow for the perception, evaluation and organization of the other activities in an effort to provide proposals, results and solutions;
- Monitoring: monitor the final disposition of material from land clearance and soil removal, inspect drainage structures and devices (grates, gutters, water ladders, energy dissipators, etc.). Supervise the formation of cut slopes and landfills and the recovery of ground cover implemented through the Degraded Area Recovery Plan;
- Preventive Control and Rehabilitation Actions Focused on Instability: construction and implementation of drainage structures along highways and access roads. Construction and contention of areas susceptible to the appearance of non-consolidated materials. Implementation of drainage systems based on conducting rainwater through channels and interventions and inspections in areas of interference.
Water use management program
This program is aimed at the proper management of water resources, with the goal of controlling and minimizing the potential impacts identified.
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Water use management program
Actions
- Periodically conduct a water balance of the water use at the enterprise, taking into consideration all the operational stages from capture, transport, storage, treatment and distribution through to the use of industrial and potable water;
- Establish procedures to minimize the use of new water and maximize the reuse of industrial water;
- Propose measures to minimize the utilization of water in the production process, at the port and in the offices;
- Properly maintain the water capture, transport, storage and distribution system in order to ensure the expected level of efficiency.
Groundwater level monitoring program
Through this program possible interferences with groundwater levels will be monitored and control or mitigation actions proposed, if necessary.
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Groundwater level monitoring program
Actions
- Monitor fluctuations in the water level in aquifers and bodies of water in the area of direct influence;
- Conduct studies to control the processes related to the development of the project.
Water quality management program
The objective of this program is to monitor the water quality in the lakes, rivers and other water courses near the Autazes Project structures.
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Water quality management program
Actions
- Define and evaluate the water sampling network;
- Adopt a standard procedure for the collection of samples, laboratory analyses and handling of the results;
- Undertake the planned monitoring campaigns;
- Prepare and issue periodical reports on water quality and possible problems.
Solid waste management plan
The goal of this plan is to reduce the amount of waste generated, separate it according to type and destination and attempt to reuse and/or reprocess it and ensure the proper final disposition in order to minimize impacts on the environment and manage the return of certain materials to the underground site.
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Solid waste management plan
Actions
- Develop and implement a management plan based on the applicable legal requirements established at federal, state and municipal levels;
- Make available the indicators that enable monitoring the performance of the proposed actions, including the management of domestic and industrial waste from the enterprise.
Flora rescue and reintroduction program
Through this program some of the plants in the region will be rescued in order to minimize the impact on local vegetation.
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Flora rescue and reintroduction program
Actions
- Collect, prior to land clearance in the Autazes Project area of influence, seeds, saplings, fruit and individual mature plants that are of value to man or to animals;
- Produce saplings for reforestation using the seeds collected;
- Plant saplings and individual adult plants in the reforestation areas.
Forest resource exploitation and land clearance program
This program will establish the proper procedures for land clearance, thus minimizing the impact on flora and fauna.
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Forest resource exploitation and land clearance program
Actions
- Plan and establish the most appropriate methods for land clearance, including the application for the necessary licenses from the environmental authority;
- Ensure the proper isolation, signage and operational measures in the land clearance target areas and surrounding areas;
- Train the teams of workers that will perform the land clearance in the correct work procedures;
- Remove trees that contain commercially valuable wood and separate them properly;
- Collect, if necessary, beehives, bird's nests, orchids and bromelias;
- Clearly mark the land clearance area in order to prevent the cutting of trees that do not need to be cut down;
- Clear the land in a manner that prevents accidents involving the workers;
- Take advantage of parts of the plants, such as branches, leaves, fruit and seeds to recover degraded areas.
Forest fire prevention and combat program
This program is aimed at preventing or controlling forest fires and the resulting impacts on the area around the enterprise.
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Forest fire prevention and combat program
Actions
- Conduct awareness campaigns about forest fire prevention aimed at employees and residents in the areas around the Autazes Project;
- Offer courses to employees on the formation of forest firefighting brigades, the construction and maintenance of firebreaks and the detection of hotspots and the issuance of alert levels;
- Conduct annual educational campaigns, in partnership with the local government and institutions with the goal of defining communication strategies that raise awareness among the population of the environmental and economic harm caused by fires and the importance of preventive action;
- Along with other monitoring actions, utilize weather evaluations along with the analysis of the data generated by weather stations and calculate the degree of risk of forest fires by means of the appropriate techniques;
- Implement a registration and localization system for fires using observation towers or patrols by Forest Firefighting Groups.
Land clearance and fauna handling monitoring program
This program will guide the land clearance activities, reducing the impact on fauna by means of the different actions proposed.
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Land clearance and fauna handling monitoring program
Actions
- Apply for the relevant permits from environmental authorities for rescue of confused or injured animals;
- The employees responsible for the land clearance activities must receive training dealing with issues related to how to the land clearance activities are directed, the importance of monitoring the activities, first aid and how to deal with venomous animals and species that may be found in the area;
- Direct and monitor the land clearance activities, identifying any animals present and inducing them to flee to the surrounding natural forested areas;
- Treat and transport to an appropriate location, animals become confused or are injured during the process.
Roadkill prevention program
Through this program measures will be proposed to prevent animals from being killed along the access roads that will be built for the Autazes Project.
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Roadkill prevention program
Actions
- Monitor the roadways;
- Any roadkill found must be, whenever possible, identified and photographed and the location should be georeferenced;
- Construct a databank containing the information collected and identify possible patterns related to the landscape that may affect the rate of roadkill;
- Adopt specific control measures, such as the installation of traffic signs (educational signs and signs listing regulations);
- Control speeds at the locations with the highest rates of roadkill through the installation of speed limiters and rumble strips;
- Install electronic monitoring devices on vehicles;
- Conduct campaigns aimed at the prevention of roadkill through the Environmental Education Program and together with the company's employees.
Bioindicator monitoring program
Through this program communities of animals present in the Autazes Project area will be monitored in order to assess possible impacts.
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Bioindicator monitoring program
Actions
- Request authorization from the environmental authorities to conduct the monitoring;
- Monitor, by means of sub-programs, the communities of amphibians and reptiles, birds and aquatic life (algae, zooplankton and invertebrates that live at the bottoms of bodies of water).
Insect vector monitoring and control program
The goal of this program is to monitor insect vectors (disease-transmitting mosquitoes) and, if necessary, take action to control their numbers and breeding grounds.
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Insect vector monitoring and control program
Actions
- Request authorization from the environmental authorities to conduct the studies of insects;
- Collect samples in the Autazes Project area and in sampling sites, in habitats that are favourable to occurrence of mosquito populations, prioritizing structures/locations where there are larger concentrations of workers;
- Based on the data collected in the field, the richness and abundance of the taxonomic groups sampled at each sampling site will be calculated. The values obtained will be compared with the records from previous campaigns in order to evaluate the fluctuations in the populations of these species;
- In the event there is a significant increase in the populations of species that are relevant in terms of human health or, if a significant increase in the number of people infected with diseases transmitted by vectors is detected by the Public Health Program, an action plan must be developed and executed to control these species. Such a plan may include the collection of stagnant water, the use of larvicide, the use of insecticide and thermal foggers, among other measures.