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The agreement between the University of Oslo and the three Brazilian research institutions Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA) and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (MPEG) was signed last Friday in Belém, Brazil. < / p>

The collaboration provides for research on a wide range of topics.

The research institutes were together with representatives from Hydro in the bauxite mining area in Paragominas to identify the most important problems. The bauxite mining takes place in the open pit. The vegetation and layers of earth above the bauxite are removed and the layers of bauxite, which are up to two meters thick, are removed before the earth masses are replenished and the area is replanted, the vegetation should largely correspond to the original. The goal is that this should be done as quickly and as well as possible so that the natural flora and fauna can develop and develop again.

Clear objectives

“Mining in Paragominas takes place in areas where large parts of the rainforest had been removed decades ago or were affected by forest and agriculture. Our goal is to reforest the area so that it is as similar as possible to the original rainforest. If we do, mining in the area will also have a positive climate impact, "said Johnny Undeli, head of the Bauxite & amp; Alumina business.

“Hydro wants to be knowledgeable and transparent about the biodiversity efforts in Paragominas. In addition, the expectations of our owners, our employees and the environment are high. This collaboration will help, among other things, to increase awareness and knowledge in our own organization, "says Hydro's environmental manager, Bernt Malme.

Great potential

In the early stages, the projects are coordinated by Research Director Fridtjof Mehlum from the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo. He sees this cooperation as a great opportunity, at the same time it is a contribution to the internationalization of research at the University of Oslo.

“The research facilities in Pará have expertise that complements ours and that of Hydro. We have already come a long way in identifying projects that can contribute to the fastest possible recultivation after bauxite mining. Projects that deal with biodiversity in general are much more complex and therefore require more mapping, "he says.

“The researchers see room for improvement with regard to new plantings. Attempts to shape the site, which should ensure a natural and better water supply, have brought interesting results. This method is somewhat more cumbersome than the traditional one, but the chances of the vegetation developing as desired are greater. In this way, it also contributes to lower costs. "

The current projects include mapping the flora and fauna and have a term of up to ten years.

This text is machine translated. To view the original German text, click on DE on the top right of this window

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