The association says the update reflects the progress made by the mineral products industry since then, and reflects changes in national policy especially the focus on nature recovery and the forthcoming requirement for development to deliver at least a 10% net gain in biodiversity.
The updated strategy (Building on our Legacy – Realising our Potential) commits the MPA and its members to continuing to take a positive approach to nature conservation and recovery, leaving behind more and better quality habitats than before mineral extraction, a net gain in biodiversity wherever possible, through site selection, management, restoration and aftercare.
The association says that its members have already created over 8,000 hectares of UK priority habitats such as meadows, heathland, broadleaved woodland, and wetlands including lakes, ponds and reedbeds. At least a further 11,000 hectares is in the pipeline in approved restoration schemes, but not yet realised.
It adds that active and restored quarries host a diverse range of common and protected species, and the MPA’s National Nature Park includes over 80 restored sites where there is public access to enjoy wildlife.
The strategy sets out eight actions that the MPA and its members will take to protect and enhance biodiversity, which together with land management include monitoring to identify what works best and inform future work, sharing and celebrating good practice and successes throughout the industry, influencing policy, and using our assets to engage and educate. The MPA says that the industry already has close working relationships with many wildlife conservation organisations, and the strategy commits to continuing to nurture these and develop new ones particularly where we can help threatened species.
MPA chief executive Nigel Jackson commented: "The minerals industry is uniquely placed to contribute to conservation and enhancement of biodiversity and has an unrivalled legacy compared to other industrial sectors."
He added: "It is high time that our significant contributions are properly recognised by policy and decision makers, to help provide our members with the support to continue doing what they do best. I believe we may be the only business sector that has been actively contributing to nature recovery at scale for so long that our strategy is unique. I will not rest until government, particularly Defra, acknowledges that environmental expertise and action is not the sole preserve of NGOs and activists."
