Development
of Rehabilitation Completion Criteria for Native Ecosystem Establishment
on Coal Mines in the Hunter Valley
Development
of Rehabilitation Completion Criteria for Native Ecosystem Establishment
on Coal Mines in the Bowen Basin
Indicators
of Ecosystem Rehabilitation Success (Stage 2)
Indicators
of Ecosystem Rehabilitation Success (Stage 1)
Dormancy
Mechanisms of Australian Native Plant Species
Effect
of Longwall Mine Subsidence on Plant Production on Cropping and Grazing
Land
Spinifex
Re-establishment
Native
Understorey Species Regeneration at NSW Coal Mines
Revegetation
in the Wet-Dry Tropics of Northern Australia
The
Minerals Industry and Biodiversity
Development
of Rehabilitation Completion Criteria for Native Ecosystem Establishment
on Coal Mines in the Hunter Valley
Background
|
Most mining
companies have rehabilitation monitoring programs and general
final land use objectives. However, in almost all cases, these
have not been integrated into either a clear set of completion
criteria, or a process for developing such criteria.
This project
addressed issues related to the development of completion
criteria for coal mines located in the Hunter Valley of New South
Wales.
|
Objective |
- Develop an
agreed workable process for addressing relevant matters relating
to mine closure and associated completion criteria for the industry,
DMR, DIPNR and other stakeholders.
|
Outcomes |
- The deliverables
are a practical set of guidelines that mines can use in designing
monitoring programs and in the selection of rehabilitation completion
criteria, analogue sites, and key performance indicators. They
should be designed to enable companies to meet government regulatory
authorities expectations for mine closure and lease relinquishment.
- The project
will be of significant benefit to Hunter Valley coal mining companies
by reducing the uncertainty relating to completion criteria for
native ecosystem establishment.
|
Methodology |
- The project
involved reviewing the current approach and findings of industry
leaders, government regulators and research organisations.
- Site visits
to a wide range of Hunter Valley Coal Mines took place, and
two representative mines were studied in detail.
|
Project
Team |
Work was
conducted by consultant Dr Owen Nichols, with other consultants
providing expert input where required.
|
Project
Duration |
12 months
(March 2004 - April 2005)
|
Project
Sponsors |
- Australian
Coal Association Research Program (ACARP)
- Xstrata
Coal
- Rio Tinto
Coal Australia
|
Project
Summary |
Final Report
available from ACARP at:http://www.acarp.com.au/
|
More
Information |
info@acmer.uq.edu.au
|
Innovative
Techniques for Promoting Fauna Return to Rehabilitated Sites Following
Mining
Background
|
This project
stemmed from a recognition that, whilst many companies are attempting
to establish native ecosystems following mining, little is documented
regarding the best ways to promote fauna recolonisation.
|
Objective |
- To review
innovative techniques that companies around Australia are using
to promote the return of fauna to native ecosystems established
following mining.
|
Outcomes |
- The findings
were synthesized into practical recommendations that can be incorporated
into rehabilitation operations and management plans to increase
the rate at which faunal communities become re-established, and
rare or uncommon species recolonise. It is also proposed that
a booklet, similar to the Department of Environment and Heritage
Best Practice Series, is produced.
|
Methodology |
Information
was obtained through review of literature review and company reports,
and direct contact with companies.
|
Project
Team |
The project
team was lead by Dr Owen Nichols, and the work was carried out
at Curtin University by Dr Karl Brennan, supervised by Prof Jonathon
Majer.
|
Project
Duration |
10
months from January 2004 |
Project
Sponsors |
- Alcoa World
Alumina Australia
- MERIWA
- Rio Tinto
Limited
- WMC Resources
Ltd
- Worsley Alumina
Pty Ltd
|
Project
Summary |
Final
Report
|
More
Information |
info@acmer.uq.edu.au |
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Bioavailability
and Tolerance to Heavy Metals of Selected Native and Exotic Plant Species
Background
|
Heavy metals
and their significance in the environment have been an important
issue in the mining industry over many years. Mining operations
have managed water and effluent to meet strict discharge and receiving
water quality criteria applied to the release of heavy metals
by various environmental authorities. The discharge criteria have
usually been determined according to the bioavailability of the
metal and tolerance of the receiving environment.
|
Objectives |
- Assess the
potential for overestimation of measured soluble concentrations
of heavy metals in mine waste drainage using the standard US EPA
methods (Phase 1);
- Develop a
test which accurately assesses the bioavailability of heavy metals
to plants (Phase 1);
- Assess the
relative tolerance of major groups of native plant species (and
selected exotic species) to heavy metals (Phase 2); and
- Determine
the physiological mechanisms of resistance to heavy metals that
exist within native plant species (and selected exotic species)
(Phase 2).
|
Outcomes |
- A critical
review of the tests used for assessing bioavailability of heavy
metals in mine wastes;
- Assessment
of potential over estimation of heavy metal concentration in aqueous
extracts of mine wastes from sponsoring companies;
- Identification
or development of a test capable of assessing the hazard posed
by selected heavy metals in mine wastes; and
- Assessment
of the bioavailability of heavy metals in test materials supplied
by the sponsoring companies.
|
Methodology |
- In Phase
1, aqueous samples of mine wastes from sponsors' sites have been
assessed to determine if the metal analyses change with filter
pore size smaller than the US EPA standard of 0.45µm.
- A range of
metal extractants has been used on the solid mine wastes and spiked
wastes, and the extracted levels correlated with plant growth
in both short-term and long-term growth trials.
|
Project
Team |
Phase 1 of
the project was directed by Assoc Prof Neal Menzies, The University
of Queensland.
|
Project
Duration |
March,
1999 to June, 2004 |
Project
Sponsors |
- Australian
Research Council
- BHP Billiton
Limited
- McArthur
River Mining Pty Ltd
- Mt Isa Mines
Limited
- Placer Dome
Asia Pacific Limited
- Rio Tinto
Limited
- WMC Resources
Ltd
|
Project
Summary |
Executive
Summary
|
More
Information |
info@acmer.uq.edu.au |
[top]
Development
of Rehabilitation Completion Criteria for Native Ecosystem Establishment
on Coal Mines in the Bowen Basin
Background
|
Most mining
companies have rehabilitation monitoring programs and general
final land use objectives. However, in almost all cases, these
have not been integrated into either a clear set of completion
criteria, or a process for developing such criteria.
This project
addressed issues related to the development of completion criteria
for coal mines located in Queensland's Bowen Basin.
|
Objective |
- Develop an
agreed workable process for addressing relevant matters relating
to mine closure and associated completion criteria for the industry,
EPA and other stakeholders.
|
Outcomes |
- The deliverables
are a practical set of guidelines that mines can use in designing
monitoring programs and in rehabilitation completion criteria
analogue sites, and key performance indicators. They should be
designed to enable companies to meet EPA expectations for obtaining
an Environmental Approval, and subsequently fulfilling these requirements.
- The project
will be of significant benefit to Bowen Basin coal mining companies
by reducing the uncertainty relating to completion criteria for
native ecosystem establishment. It should also prove useful to
operators in other coal mining areas such as the Hunter Valley,
and a similar project tailored to the needs of that region, is
currently in progress.
|
Methodology |
- The project
involved reviewing the current approach and findings of industry
leaders, government regulators and research organisations.
- Site visits
to a wide range of Bowen Basin Coal Mines took place, and two
representative mines were studied in detail.
|
Project
Team |
Work was conducted
by consultant Dr Owen Nichols, with the Centre for Mined Land
Rehabilitation, University of Queensland conducting a literature
review, and other consultants providing expert input where required.
|
Project
Duration |
12 months
(March 2003 - April 2004)
|
Project
Sponsors |
- Australian
Coal Association Research Program (ACARP)
- Anglo Coal
Australia Pty Ltd - Callide Mine
- Xstrata
Coal - Newlands Mine
- Wesfarmers
Ltd - Curragh Mine
|
Project
Summary |
Final Report
available from ACARP (Project C12045)
at: http://www.acarp.com.au/
|
More
Information |
info@acmer.uq.edu.au
|
[top]
Indicators
of Ecosystem Rehabilitation Success (Stage 2)
Background
|
Stage 1 of
this project involved assessment of the feasibility of using Ecosystem
Function Analysis (EFA) as a cost-effective indicator to assess
how well ecosystems reconstructed on mined land were functioning.
This stage, which involved five mine types across a wide climatic
range (13 sites), demonstrated proof of concept in that indicators
were able to represent the development of ecosystem processes
for successful, and for less successful, rehabilitation.
The 13 sponsors
of the Stage 1 project identified the need for a Stage 2 project
which verified selected ecosystem rehabilitation indicators in
different biomes using conventional scientific methods and measurements
to ensure acceptance by industry, government and community of
the approach.
|
Objectives |
- Scientifically
verify the EFA indicators in representative sites using conventional
field and laboratory measurements of landscape integrity, nutrient
cycling, soil stability and soil infiltration in order to validate,
refine or refute the use of rapid field-based EFA techniques as
reliable indicators of ecosystem rehabilitation success;
- Further
develop the Vegetation Dynamics (VD) and Habitat Complexity (HC)
modules to create comprehensive indices of plant and fauna attributes
that are considered vital to the recruitment, maintenance and
persistence of biota in rehabilitated landscapes;
- Develop
and apply a new module, called Regional Significance (RS), that
uses digital data sets to stratify the regional environment so
that analogue sites can be explicitly selected and rehabilitation
goals can be set within a regional ecosystem context; and
- Communicate
the EFA techniques and the results of the Stage 2 study to mine-site
rehabilitators, regulators and community groups through the use
of demonstration workshops and an interactive EFA manual on CD-ROM
for the mining industry.
|
Outcomes |
- Scientific
verification of EFA indicators for a wide range of mine types
and climatic zones;
- Further development
of the links between vegetation indices and the EFA framework;
- Agreement
amongst industry, government and community groups on techniques
for assessment of ecosystem reconstruction; and
- Tools to
assist mine sites in cost-effective monitoring of rehabilitation
approaches.
|
Methodology |
Sites
were sampled for conventional soil and plant analyses and assessed
by the EFA approach involving landscape integrity, soil surface
condition (soil stability index, soil infiltration index and nutrient
cycling index), revegetation dynamics and habitat complexity. Correlations
between conventional measures and EFA indicators were then calculated
for each site and over all sites. Field work has been completed, results analysed, and reports are
currently being written. |
Project
Team |
The research
team consisted of David Tongway (CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems)
(Project Leader), Dr David Mulligan (University of Queensland)
and Assoc Prof David Jasper (University of Western Australia).
The project
also benefited from the input of Assoc Prof Joan Osborne (Curtin
University of Technology) who was the leader of a MERIWA-funded
study on indicators of success for mines in the Western Australian
goldfields. Dr Graham Taylor (CSIRO) assisted with the coordination
of the project.
|
Project
Sponsors |
- AngloGold
Australia Limited
- BHP Billiton
Limited
- Iluka Resources
Limited
- MIM Holdings
Ltd
- Nabalco
Pty Limited
- Newcrest
Mining Limited
- Newmont
Australia Limited
- Office of
the Supervising Scientist (Environment Australia)
- Primary
Industries and Resource South Australia
- Rio Tinto
Limited
- Sons of
Gwalia Limited
- WMC Resources
Ltd
- WA Department
of Mineral and Petroleum Resources
|
Project
Duration |
February,
2001 to April, 2003 |
Project
Summary |
Click
here to view a copy of the Final Report
|
More
Information |
info@acmer.uq.edu.au
|
[top]
Indicators
of Ecosystem Rehabilitation Success (Stage 1)
An 18-month Stage 1 study, conducted by the CSIRO Division of Wildlife
and Ecology (Mr A Kearns, Dr J Ludwig and Mr D Tongway), was completed
in 1997 with the objectives of -
- ascertaining the
current status of usage of ecosystem rehabilitation success criteria
by preparing a comprehensive review of the indicators of success currently
used in Australia and overseas;
- identifying, through
consultation between industry, government and research personnel, those
indicators of ecosystem success which can be used to guide companies
in achieving rehabilitation goals;
- determining the
current availability of data on success criteria for mines in all States;
and
- identifying representative
mine sites covering a range of mining types and climatic and geomorphological
conditions, which can be used by the industry as demonstration sites.
The project was sponsored
by 12 companies and Environment Australia.
Project Sponsors:
Alcoa of Australia
Ltd, BHP Minerals, Carpentaria Gold Pty Ltd, Consolidated Rutile Limited,
Normandy Mining Limited, Nabalco Pty Ltd, North Limited, Office of the
Supervising Scientist, RGC Limited, Rio Tinto Limited, Robe River Mining
Co Pty Ltd, Shell Coal Pty Ltd, WMC Resources Ltd, Westralian Sands.
Dormancy
Mechanisms of Australian Native Plant Species
This project was developed by the Centre following its workshop on Native
Seed Biology for Revegetation in October 1996. The 3-year project, which
involved Dr Kingsley Dixon, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, and Assoc Prof
Steve Adkins, School of Land and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland,
had as its objectives:
- the development
of an understanding of the physiological basis to the seed dormancy
mechanisms of selected native plant species;
- development of
an effective way of removing dormancy in the laboratory and in the field
in seed collections and in topsoil; and
- establishment of
practical, cost-effective protocols to allow mines to maximise germination
of native plant species on rehabilitated sites.
Project Sponsors:
Anglogold Australia
Limited, Alcoa of Australia Limited, Argyle Diamond Mines Pty Ltd, BHP
Billiton, Iluka Resources Limited, Supervising Scientist Group (Environment
Australia).
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Effect
of Longwall Mine Subsidence on Plant Production on Cropping and Grazing
Land
Underground coal mining using the longwall method is an expanding technology
in Queensland and New South Wales. The mines in these States underlie
both arable and grazing land. At present there is no definitive information
to estimate the impact of mine subsidence on the agricultural productivity
under Australian agricultural systems.
A measure of the yield
impact of subsidence will give some indication of the agricultural changes
(in terms of output and management) that may be evident after mining and
a subsidence event. These changes may be used to determine the possible
"betterment" of the agricultural land or the compensation levels
that may be appropriate.
A two and a half year
project to assess the impact of subsidence on the productivity of agricultural
land commenced in 1999 and completed February, 2003 with support from
ACARP, BHP Coal Pty Ltd and Pacific Coal Pty Limited.
The project is was
undertaken by the School of Land and Food Sciences and the Centre for
Mined Land Rehabilitation, The University of Queensland with Mr Philip
Matthew as the Project Leader.
Project Sponsors:
ACARP, BHP Billiton
Limited, Pacific Coal Pty Limited, ACMER Coal Rehabilitation Fund.
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Spinifex
Re-establishment
Spinifex communities cover almost 25% of the land surface of Australia,
and many mining companies experience difficulty in re-establishing the
plant after mining. A 3-year project, completed in 1998, investigated
the limitations to establishment of the species and developed procedures
to enable its successful re-establishment on mined land. The project,
which was sponsored by 6 companies, was led by Associate Professor John
Fox, Director of the Mulga Research Centre, Curtin University of Technology,
and Associate Professor Steve Adkins, School of Land and Food, The University
of Queensland. The emphasis of the Curtin University component was on
the ecological field aspects of spinifex establishment, whereas the University
of Queensland component focused on seed dormancy, germination and quality
of spinifex seed.
Project Sponsors:
Acacia Resources Limited,
Arimco Mining Pty Limited, Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, Mt Isa Mines Limited,
Placer Pacific Limited and Robe River Iron Associates.
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Native
Understorey Species Regeneration at NSW Coal Mines
This 3-year project, which was initiated by the Centre with funding from
ACARP, had the objectives of investigating seed germination and viability
of a range of understorey plant species native to coal mining areas in
New South Wales and of developing methods of establishing these species
on post-mined land.
The project was supervised
by Dr David Mulligan and Dr Sean Bellairs of the Centre for Mined Land
Rehabilitation at the University of Queensland. Sponsors for the project
included the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP), the
New South Wales Minerals Council, and 8 companies.
A second phase of
the project is currently being undertaken by the University of Queensland.
Project Sponsors:
ACARP, New South Wales
Coal Association, Coal and Allied Operations Pty Ltd, Coaltex Pty Ltd,
Exxon Coal and Minerals, Kembla Coal and Coke Pty Ltd, Oceanic Coal Pty
Ltd and Peabody Resources Pty Ltd.
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Revegetation
in the Wet-Dry Tropics of Northern Australia
This
review was carried out by the Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation (CMLR)
at the University of Queensland under commission from the Australian Centre
for Mining Environmental Research (ACMER) and formed part of a contract
between ACMER and the Office of the Supervising Scientist (Environment
Australia) to develop and implement programs in technology transfer and
strategic research addressing environmental issues facing the mining sector.
The review, completed in 1999, provides a summation of the issues and
information relating to revegetation in the wet-dry tropics, drawing on
discussions with rehabilitation practitioners, regulators and researchers,
visits to mine sites throughout the region and a review of both the published
literature and unpublished company, consultants and government reports.
The report from this
project entitled "Revegetation of Mined Land in Wet-Dry Tropics of
Northern Australia: A Review" (Corbett 1999) is available from Environment
Australia.
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The
Minerals Industry and Biodiversity
This project was conducted by ACMER as part of the Australian region Mining,
Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) Project. This MMSD global
project is part of the Global Mining Initiative with the Australian region
activities coordinated by AMEEF.
The objectives of
the biodiversity project were -
- to report on the
impact of mining and minerals processing on biodiversity;
- to review the scope
and effectiveness of impact management strategies; and
- identify the potential
for proactive minerals industry practices to protect and enhance biodiversity.
The project was undertaken
by a team consisting of personnel from ANSTO, CSIRO, Curtin University
of Technology and consultants.
The report on this
project entitled "Managing the Impacts of the Australian Minerals
Industry on Biodiversity" is available on the
ACMER website.
Project Sponsor:
Global MMSD Project
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