FILE PHOTO - Kamloops' Teck Highland Valley Copper has donated $575,000 to Thompson Rivers University to support research on ecosystem reclamation.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Teck Highland Valley Copper
January 25, 2024 - 10:39 AM
Kamloops' Teck Highland Valley Copper has donated $575,000 to Thompson Rivers University to support research on ecosystem reclamation.
The mining company has donated $575,000 to support industry-leading research on ecosystem reclamation heady by Lauchlan Fraser at TRU.
“Today’s announcement marks another step forward in TRU’s commitment to pressing environmental research,” Shannon Wagner with TRU said in the release. “Thank you to Teck Highland Valley Copper for being a valued collaborator and committing to scholarly work on industry practices.”
Fraser is an Industrial Research Chair for the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada as well as an expert in grassland and wetland ecology. His research focuses on understanding the ecosystems of the Province's Interior so they can be quickly restored after natural environmental disturbances and resource extraction.
Restoring ecosystems after environmental disturbances and resource extraction requires government, scholars, industry and Indigenous groups to collaborate together. Fraser and the team of researchers at TRU's Centre for Ecosystem Reclamation are leaders in restoration management informing industry strategies for planning, implementing and managing ecosystem reclamation projects.
“This investment allows TRU to be at the forefront in the development of tools to help solve environmental disturbances — solutions that are more pressing than ever in the face of climate change,” Fraser said in the release. “A new sense of urgency is pushing us into new areas of research to increase the speed with which we can restore disturbed landscapes.”
Post-graduate researchers Ghassen Chaieb and Jay Singh are working alongside Fraser on restoration projects at Teck Highland Valley Copper. Chaieb studies how to accelerate and enhance restoration projects through the use of different soil amendments while Singh just completed a historical study of the development of soil microbial communities on reclaimed mine sites at Highland Valley Copper.
“Our support also aligns with our commitment to contribute to halting and reversing the global challenge of nature loss while responsibly producing the critical minerals essential for a low-carbon future,” Matt Parrilla, general manager, Teck Highland Valley Copper Operations, said in the release.
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