We know that oil sands mining disturbs the land - but not forever. Good land management practices are key to Suncor's overall vision of responsible development. Our goal is to do this work better and faster.

Reclaiming the land to support vegetation and wildlife

• Wherever lands are disturbed by development, Suncor pursues progressive reclamation efforts, including reclaiming tailings ponds.
• To date, Suncor has reclaimed more than 1,000 hectares of land. We begin the reclamation process as soon as operations are completed.
• Our first tailings pond is being transformed into solid ground that can support vegetation and wildlife. In 2010, Suncor expects to become the first oil sands company to have a tailings pond with a trafficable surface that has progressive reclamation underway.
• After investing millions of dollars in research, we pioneered the use of consolidated tailings (CT) technology in the mid-1990s. The CT process accelerates the release of water from tailings ponds. The released water is then recycled through Suncor's operation, reducing the amount of river water required.
• We are also conducting large-scale tests of new technologies to further accelerate reclamation efforts. These include a dry tailings technology that could reduce the amount of water captured in tailings through the extraction process.

Reducing our footprint

• Suncor is investing significantly in in situ operations, which use only about 15 percent of the land normally disturbed by oil sands mining and do not produce tailings.
• Suncor uses specialized equipment to build low-impact seismic lines.

Working with others to reduce or mitigate our impact

• We work closely with neighbouring companies to reduce the cumulative effects of development and to promote best practices and scientific research. For example, Suncor and Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (Canfor) are working together to integrate planning and operations in a 650,000 hectare area near Grande Prairie, Alberta.
• Suncor supports a number of research and conservation efforts by regional and non-profit multi-stakeholder groups. A few of these include the Alberta Conservation Association, Ducks Unlimited, RiverWatch Science and the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program.