The minimum requirements we consider to ensure a safe and comprehensive closure of operations include:

• Proactive management of risks and impacts, which includes ongoing analysis during each operational stage of our sites and projects, through environmental and social impact assessments, reviewed and updated whenever there is a significant change in the operation and/or regulations related to mine closure processes.
• Transparency and engagement with stakeholders to promote access to information and to incorporate their proposals, opinions, expectations, needs and concerns in the development and updating of our closure plans. The identification and participation of multiple stakeholders includes consideration of gender perspectives and the involvement and understanding of the social, economic and cultural dynamic, including their interaction with the space. In this regard, we involve in our closure processes authorities, communities, unions, suppliers, contractors, employees and their families, and also the particular characteristics of the ecosystems.
• Ongoing improvement, which includes overseeing the progressive closure of our operations by monitoring performance and management indicators, as well as the physical and financial status and information updates in the corresponding knowledge bases.

For the environmental aspect of our closure of operations management, we consider a closure hierarchy as follows:

• Favor restoration of the site to its original conditions, wherever possible.
• Develop alternative uses for the land to produce greater benefits than had been in place prior to the mining operation.
• Reconstruct the site to an acceptable level, according to regulations.

Our Biodiversity Management Protocol stipulates including an Ecological Restoration Program in the closure plan for each site to return the ecosystem to its natural condition, as if there had been no alteration.

The activities that form part of these ecological restoration programs include ecosystem assessments, selection and propagation of appropriate species, soil recovery and monitoring implementation through performance indicators.

Our actions follow the ISO 14001 environmental management systems principles of identification, prevention and mitigation of impacts.

The social aspect of our closure of operations management considers the diversification of resources and capital, promoting regional economic development, strengthening local institutions and community development, as follows:

• Current baseline studies: Maintaining and updating a knowledge base, considering the participative social diagnostics periodically prepared by the Community Development department, applying principles of due diligence to analyze the social context of the operation, the business objectives and the principles of the Community Development Model. We also consider the different perspectives of our employees, unions, communities, local institutions and the expectations of different stakeholders.
• Stakeholder relations and engagement: The participative social diagnostics help us to understand the perspectives of our communities, considering the related risks, and also the needs and concerns of our stakeholders. These analyses include dialogues with community representatives to ensure their voice is heard in the preparation of the social management plans of each operational site.
• Capacity development and upskilling plans: We build collaboration networks with different public and social sector institutions and organizations considering the needs at each site, to join efforts for the development and implementation of training programs (both educational and technical) for the benefit of the communities. For more information, see our Forjando Futuro program.
• Economic diversification plans: Specifically, we identify areas of opportunity for economic diversification, both in terms of certification of technical skills for the different sectors in the community and to offer opportunities for local suppliers to join our value chain. For more information, see our Provee program.