South Africa’s diamond mines are leaving a positive legacy of preserved land that conservationists are enhancing through research. Last week, the outcomes of that research were made public at the seventh Oppenheimer De Beers Group Research Conference. Photographed at the De Beers corporate headquarters during a break in proceedings is De Beers Consolidated Mines CEO Phillip Barton, who told Creamer Media’s Mining Weekly that for every hectare touched by mining, five to six hectares are conserved. Over the years, much land was acquired around diamond-mining operations, which are now enjoyed by many rare species of game.