Biodiversity issues are assessed throughout the lifecycle of CSN assets. Negative impacts resulting from direct interventions on habitats (such as vegetation suppression) are managed through the licensing process, starting with environmental studies, wherein significant negative impacts are addressed according to a hierarchy of mitigation, aiming to first avoid, then minimize, and, when necessary, compensate.

Similarly, aspects related to factors contributing to biodiversity loss (such as noise pollution, air, water, or soil pollution) are adequately controlled through the licensing process (license conditions) and are periodically and properly monitored by the relevant authorities. It is noteworthy that the majority of our operations are ISO 14000 environmental certified.

Recovery (and compensation) areas and preserved areas are subject to fauna, flora, and recovery status monitoring, varying according to the requirements of the environmental licensing authority of each location, reflected in the license conditions of the respective operational units.

Furthermore, as part of the environmental licensing process, the management plan for the Jurema Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN), as well as the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) and the Biodiversity Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (BMEP), were developed. These plans are reviewed by the licensing environmental authority and are essential for monitoring the conservation status of biodiversity.

In order to enhance the effectiveness of our actions and reduce biodiversity loss, the CSN Group engages in a series of partnerships and efforts with governments, regulatory agencies, and local organizations.

Among the efforts and partnerships with governments and regulatory agencies, the following can be highlighted:

In the Steel sector, in 2023, the process of recovering the Relevant Ecological Interest Area (ARIE) Floresta da Cicuta – RJ was initiated, according to the terms of the cooperation agreement established with ICMBio. Environmental education activities, such as training workshops for employees and the community, as well as material donations to the Tinguá Biological Reserve (REBIO), in Rio de Janeiro, are also noteworthy.

In the Logistics sector, a partnership with the Federal University of Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF) was established in 2023. UNIVASF is the custodian of the biological material collected in the suppression fronts inherent to the construction of the TLSA railway. This partnership helps CSN comply with the 2013 Normative Instruction 13, inherent to the licensing process, and contributes to the university’s collection.

In the Cement sector, partnerships with public institutions such as the State Institute of Forestry of Minas Gerais (IEF), the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Company of Minas Gerais (EMATER), the Minas Gerais Power Company (CEMIG), and the municipality, as well as local companies, are highlighted. These partnerships are particularly relevant to the context of the Barroso operational unit.

On the other hand, among the efforts and partnerships with local organizations, CSN Mineração maintains partnerships with museums and universities that work together in the licensing stages involving diagnosis, collection, and species identification.

These partnerships typically involve the receipt of fauna specimens in specific cases where guidance on identification is needed, for example. In return, they contribute to the collections of these institutions.