Kiyzassky Open-Pit Mine Recognized in the International ‘Ecological Culture: Peace and Harmony’ Competition

The company’s projects in two categories received attention from the judges

Kiyzassky Open-Pit mine received high praise at the international Ecological Culture: Peace and Harmony competition. Two of the company’s projects, entitled ‘Artificial Reproduction of Aquatic Biological Resources Through Their Cultivation and Subsequent Release into the Tom River’ and ‘Native Land’, were noted in the ‘Conservation of Natural Ecosystems and Biodiversity’ and ‘Environmental Education and Enlightenment’ categories, respectively.

Kiyzassky Open-Pit Mine releases juvenile fish in Siberia every year. In 2019-2020, 110,000 fingerlings were released into its rivers and lakes, of which more than 70,000 were whitefish. “We stock local reservoirs on a regular basis. Our company actively replenishes biological resources every summer, and we will continue to release young fish into the rivers and lakes of Kemerovo Region this year,” the company commented.

The second project the experts took note of is related to the preservation of the traditional dwelling places of the Shors, a small indigenous ethnic group that have historically lived in the Myskovsky Urban District. Kiyzassky Open-Pit Mine conducts environmental education programs in this area and provides modern conveniences for public facilities there. For example, at the request of residents, a natural spring was developed in the village of Chuvashka with support from the company. As part of the project, a gazebo and benches were installed, a roofed shelter was built, and the territory was fenced off. In addition, a local craftsman made a mythical character out of wood – the Mistress of Water – and the company helped with its transportation. Now the statue protects the natural spring.

“While the spring in the village of Chuvashka is very popular among the indigenous population, summer residents from Novokuznetsk and other cities in the south of Kuzbass come to get clean water there as well. People should be able to collect spring water in a comfortable environment. And the Shor people traditionally worship four elements, one of which is water. Therefore, receiving assistance to improve the spring was especially important for Shor residents,” said Roman Ulagashev, the head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Kemerovo Region.

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The international ‘Ecological Culture: Peace and Harmony’ project was established in 2012 by the non-governmental V. I. Vernadsky Ecological Foundation and Greenlife, an interregional public environmental organization. The aim of the project is to encourage the development of ideas that have practical application in forming and promoting ecological culture. The projects were evaluated by professional experts on a ten-point scale. In 2020, more than 500 projects from 78 Russian regions were submitted to the competition. The V. I. V. Foundation’s General Director, Olga Plyamina, noted that Kemerovo Region was the most active in terms of the number of applications submitted.