Preparations began in March 2001 to undertake a forestation project in the middle of a coastal desert, as a means to dissipate water from the concentrate pipeline. To this end, the land was conditioned, irrigation systems and wind screens were installed, and planting was completed between June and September 2001. 188,870 trees were planted as part of this effort.
The water dissipation or water reutilization project currently covers 170 hectares of healthy native and exotic species like Cesalpinaceae , Tropiduridae, “ Palo Verde”, Acacia saligna, Eucalyptus, Casuarinaceae and Tamarix, among others. Four years after the establishment of this forest plantation, some trees are already 4 to 5 meters high. As time goes by, life is generated and the ecosystem seeks a new equilibrium. The plantation has attracted animals and insects that had no shelter or used to live in neighboring areas but had no shelter or sustenance. We now see how food chains find their links and the life cycle inexorably follows its course.
Some native species were selected because indiscriminate logging was threatening them with extinction in other areas. The plantation now provides shelter for wildlife, including birds, reptiles and mammals typical of coastal deserts. Eventual plagues are controlled through biological control measures, trying to establish equilibrium between plagues and natural predators.
Irrigation water comes from the mineral concentrate slurry pumped from the mine at a 40%- 60% water/ore ratio. Once the concentrate slurry arrives in our port facilities, it is dewatered at the filter plant. The concentrate is stored for its subsequent sale, while water undergoes treatment to recover suspended and dissolved metals, adjust pH levels (with sulfuric acid) as the separation of metals makes pH more alkaline, and remove cyanide (with hydrogen peroxide), as cyanide is used depending on the flotation or separation process required by the mineral. Once water complies with the standards and rules established by the company and the State, it is stored in a large reservoir to be used for irrigation.
Water is conveyed by gravity to the plantation and distributed through a micro-spray system that applies water uniformly according to water needs by surface unit and species. The quality of irrigation water is permanently monitored in internal and external laboratories certified by the State. The quality and level of ground water and soil humidity are also controlled to guarantee optimum water absorption by plants. Plants are fumigated and fertilized as required.
