Cultural heritage is considered a unique and non-renewable resource that possesses cultural, scientific, spiritual, traditional or religious value, and is frequently legally protected. More specifically, cultural heritage includes¹ :

• Tangible heritage, both movable and immovable objects (e.g. properties, graves, sites, structures, or groups of structures) that have archaeological, paleontological, historical, cultural, artistic or religious value
• Natural features or objects that embody cultural values, such as sacred rocks, caves, streams or waterfalls
• Intangible forms of culture, that embody cultural values or are part of a living cultural tradition such as local knowledge, innovations or community practices (also known as living heritage).

Cultural heritage management is essential to good community relations. It shows respect for culture and traditions. If neglected or ignored, it can become a source of conflict and trigger opposition to a site. Beyond legal obligations, Anglo American is committed to following international standards of good practice, including where certain forms of tangible or intangible cultural heritage may not be specifically covered by host-country legislation.

Cultural heritage is not relevant in every context. Where the screening and/or other assessments (e.g. ESIA) have determined there are no impacts on cultural heritage, the site should obtain a letter from the appropriate national and local authorities (e.g. the Ministry of Culture, Heritage, Environment or Archaeology) confirming this. Note that cultural heritage may still become an issue; for example, as a result of an expansion of the site, through ongoing stakeholder engagement or through chance finds.

Impacts on cultural heritage can be direct (physical disturbance or damage to a resource that alters, positively or negatively, the resource’s scientific or cultural value) or indirect (changes to a resource’s physical environment or “setting” that alter its cultural value, or activities that restrict or limit stakeholder access to a resource). Impacts commonly result from:

• site preparation – ground-disturbing activities (i.e. vegetation clearance, grading/levelling, and excavation) can result in damage to or complete removal/destruction of cultural- heritage resources.
• land acquisition – cultural heritage located on or related to the land to be acquired/used is inevitably affected.
• infrastructure – construction of roads may restrict access for users of cultural heritage or facilitate access for those outside the community (tourists, migrants, artisanal miners)
• environmental impacts – a site’s environmental impacts may damage or undermine the cultural value of a resource, most obviously when a sacred object or place is itself a natural feature (e.g. river, forest)
• resettlement ‒ beyond the impacts brought on by the physical access of land, relocating households can severely disrupt social customs and traditions (se Section 4F)
• site-induced migration (SIM) (see Section 4G) – migrants attracted by the perceived economic opportunities offered by a site can have a profound effect on social customs and traditions of existing communities, whether through exploitation of natural resources, encroachment on land or undermining cultures, religious practices, languages and traditional institutions. Indigenous Peoples (see Section 4I) can be particularly vulnerable to the cultural heritage impacts of SIM
• socio-economic development (SED) (see Section 4A) – development programmes that aim to commercialise tangible or intangible cultural heritage (e.g. increased tourism, marketing of traditional clothing, etc.) can provide valuable income but may also undermine traditions and customs.

Lifecycle planning

Impacts should be identified as early as possible in the lifecycle to minimise disruption and to allow sufficient time for adequate management measures to be developed. However, cultural heritage issues may surface at any stage. Some impacts may only become apparent during construction once land is disturbed (e.g. previously unidentified graves or archaeological resources may be discovered during site clearance). Likewise, impacts may only emerge during operations (e.g. cracking of a church or place of worship owing to blasting).