Xstrata Copper is continuing its drive to improve regional health, education and community infrastructure to ensure its Las Bambas copper project in Peru is a best practice model of sustainable development. Las Bambas is located within the Cotabambas and Grau provinces, among the poorest provinces in Peru. Communities in the region suffer from poor nutrition, associated health problems and high illiteracy rates. The Xstrata Copper Las Bambas community relations team has been active in the region before exploration began on the project and comprises dedicated professionals including speakers of Quechua, the local indigenous dialect. The team has developed an understanding of the local cultural belief systems, community concerns and expectations.

Extensive consultation through community workshops with NGOs, local mayors, community leaders and schools enabled Xstrata Copper to develop an extensive community plan to identify ways to help local communities to improve their standard of living and achieve long term sustainability as an integral part of the exploration programme. Workshops are regularly undertaken, where the community is invited to represent graphically their present situation and where they would like to be in the future. These exercises have identified issues such as nutrition, health, domestic violence and communication issues. The concerns and issues identified in the community relations plan and the community’s hopes and expectations for the future are integrated into the Social Involvement Programme. This programme includes a series of action plans aimed at improving health, education and infrastructure and to encourage self-sufficiency.

Community Relations Manager Raúl Farfan said one of these action plans focuses on improving irrigation infrastructure, as an identified root cause of malnutrition and poor cattle breeding.

“Historically, the local people have depended on the rainy season for prosperity, and accepted starvation during the dry season,” he said.

“Our community relations team has been working with the local community to implement an irrigation and hydroponics scheme to improve grasslands and to understand management techniques for local pasture better.

“A number of small reservoirs have been constructed to feed a series of sprinklers and these have proved to be 90% more efficient than irrigation channels. We have also helped farmers to improve their understanding of the negative impacts of overgrazing for farming and the local environment and to develop better husbandry techniques, including the introduction of additional grass species to improve pasture.”

Raúl said the future of the project would centre on developing community self-sufficiency.

“The ability to generate more income, improve nutrition levels and improve education levels is integral to achieving sustainability,” he said. “The next step in this project will be to create more local businesses – similar to the trout farm already established and managed by community members, which supplies local markets with fresh fish.”

Xstrata’s community relations team is supporting community efforts to establish an organisational structure that will help distribute these benefits throughout the local community. The team is also carefully monitoring the progress of its Social Involvement Programme.

“Working from a social baseline census carried out in 2004–05 to identify demographics and local perceptions, the team carries out a project analysis every two months to assess progress,” Raul said. “We also study perceptions on whether the projects are adding value to the community and use this as a mechanism to measure effectiveness and identify problems.

“The programme is designed to be fully integrated with our exploration activities and to evolve over time, to ensure maximum community benefits and effectiveness.”