He also participated in the visit of a delegation formed by advisers to the minister, a representative of the Norwegian embassy in Brazil and directors of Hydro such as the vice president of the area of Bauxite and Alumina, Johnny Undeli, and the director of Corporate Communication, Inger Sethov .

The visit started at one of the reforestation areas under the responsibility of Mineração Paragominas. The minister saw native species planted in areas already mined, a necessary process to ensure that within a few years a forest similar to the original will exist in the place. Then, the Norwegian group got to know the bauxite mining process, presented by the director of operations, Geraldo Brittes.

More information on environmental care was provided at the Mineração Paragominas nursery, where around 300,000 seedlings are prepared each year.

"We currently produce about 80% of the seedlings used in our reforestation, but we are making adjustments to reach 100%," said environmental analyst Ricardo Caruso.

Social Dialogue

After planting a chestnut tree the group of visitors participated in a meeting with local stakeholders. The Mayor of Paragominas, Adnan Demack, union leaders and representatives of quilombola communities were present.

At the meeting, Vice President Johnny Undeli reinforced the importance of transparency and dialogue for building long and productive relationships. “Your competence and participation strengthens Hydro,” said Johnny.

Mayor Adnan Demacki was pleased to receive the Norwegian Minister of Environment for considering the environmental area to be one of the local priorities of the “green municipality”. “Paragominas today is a reference for the other municipalities in the state due to the results we obtained in reducing deforestation,” said Adnan.

At the meeting, Erik Solheim said that Brazil today occupies a position of great prominence in the international scenario and that Norway is interested in strengthening the relationship in several areas. The minister considered as positive the greater presence of Hydro in Brazil and stated that the company can contribute.

“You can expect some things from Hydro: that the laws, culture and local communities will be respected, in addition to that the company will always seek the best environmental practices and maintain a transparent dialogue with you,” said Solheim.

The minister said he was very satisfied with the environmental care he saw during the visit, especially in relation to reforestation. “Paragominas is an example that it is possible to reconcile development and environmental preservation”, he concluded.