Kwale: Base Titanium, an Australian mining company operating in Kwale, has significantly enhanced its environmental management practices to mitigate the ecological impact of its mining operations and promote biodiversity conservation.
According to Kenya News Agency, the company’s rehabilitation initiatives are centered on reforestation, biodiversity enhancement, and fostering agricultural opportunities for the local communities. These efforts are set to accelerate as Base Titanium prepares to cease mining activities by December 2024, following the depletion of mineral reserves.
Since 2013, Base Titanium has been extracting valuable minerals such as rutile, ilmenite, and zircon, contributing approximately 65 percent to Kenya’s mining industry by mineral output value. The project is recognized as a key component of Kenya’s Vision 2030 national development blueprint. The company’s rehabilitation strategy involves re-grassing and reshaping mined-out areas into dunes to mirror the pre-mining landscape, thereby
ensuring natural drainage patterns are maintained. This is followed by topsoil spreading, manuring, and mulching to prepare the land for vegetation cover.
Simon Wall, Base Titanium’s General Manager for External Affairs, emphasized the importance of land rehabilitation and reclamation as integral components of the mining lifecycle, enabling safe and productive land use post-mining. Wall stated that these restoration efforts aim to return the land to a safe, stable, and sustainable condition. He noted that mine closure planning commenced even before mining operations began, with land rehabilitation occurring in phases alongside active mining.
Wall highlighted that rehabilitating degraded sites and preserving biodiversity are crucial for restoring ecological balance in the long term. He reiterated the company’s commitment to environmental restoration, ensuring mined-out sites support biodiversity and sustainable use for future generations. Wall spoke during a tree-planting event led by the Kenya Navy at the S
outh Dune area of the Kwale mine site, recognizing the Navy as a key environmental partner as the company transitions to post-mining land use.
As part of its environmental stewardship, Base Titanium has successfully rehabilitated over 500 hectares of land in the South and Central Dunes affected by mining. The company maintains an indigenous tree nursery with over 280 plant species critical for reforestation efforts. More than 800 trees from this nursery have been planted in mined-out areas to enhance biodiversity and restore the land to its pre-mining state or better.
Colonel Benson Karuimbo, Commandant of the Mombasa-based Kenya Naval Training College, highlighted the tree-planting exercise as part of the Kenya Navy’s broader campaign in anticipation of its 60th anniversary in December 2024. The initiative falls under the Environmental Soldier Programme by the Kenya Defense Forces, aiming to address climate change collaboratively. Col. Karuimbo emphasized the significance of the national tree-growing progr
am, which seeks to increase Kenya’s tree cover to 30 percent as a livelihood and climate action strategy.