EMBRACING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
The Greater Whitsunday region is embracing a sustainable future through the Decarbonisation Accelerated Project, jointly funded by the Local Buying Foundation (LBF) and BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA).
This initiative, a partnership between Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) and the Resources Centre of Excellence (RCOE), is fostering a regional economic transformation by encouraging businesses and industries to embark on their decarbonisation journeys.
Fourteen partners have been engaged, securing new investments to support decarbonisation and diversification initiatives.
The region’s first ever Decarbonisation Summit, to help local businesses understand their role in carbon reduction, was held in May this year.
The Summit was a pivotal event for this project, driving local action with global impact, bringing together thought leaders, such as international trend specialist Michael McQueen and sustainable development expert Cle-Anne Gabriel, who provided strategies for businesses to begin their net zero journeys.
HOOKED ON FISHING
Cameby Downs signed on as a gold sponsor of the ‘Hooked on Miles Fishing Classic’, which always offers a great day of fishing as well as the opportunity for the Miles District Fishing and Recreation Club to raise much needed funds for their rehabilitation and habitat protection environmental projects.
In addition, the mine donated funds to enable the purchase of a new 8×5 tandem fully enclosed trailer to store and carry equipment to events in the local area.
The fishing classic is held annually at Karingal Reserve, with competitors fishing throughout the Western Downs Region. Many keen fishing enthusiasts attend and take part, enjoying a day of competitive fishing and entertainment for the kids.
Peter Delaforce, President of Miles District Fishing and Recreation Club, was thrilled with the funding support.
“The Hooked on Miles Fishing Classic is a unique family event involving camping, fishing, lucky entry prizes, information sessions and nighttime BBQ dinners.
“We are so pleased to have Cameby Downs onboard as a sponsor, ensuring we can run the event.
“The fishing classic is a great day but more importantly, it helps us generate funds to make our environmental projects happen like creating healthy fish habitats as well as the ongoing development plans for Karingal Reserve.
“We are thankful to Cameby Downs mine for their generous donation,” said Peter.
Robert Craike, Operations Manager for Cameby Downs Coal Mine said they were thrilled to help fund improvements at the club and support events that bring people together.
“It is also great to see the focus by the club on enhancing the habitat for native fish and improving the health of our waterways,” he said.
COMMITTED TO CONSERVATION
Queensland researchers have mapped the habitat and movements of the Black-throated Finch in a never-before-seen level of detail, as part of Bravus Mining and Resources commitment to managing the environment.
The findings are the latest from a five-year joint research program between Bravus and researchers from ecology consultancy E2M and have been published in the peer reviewed and highly respected international scientific journal PLOS One.
Bravus’ Chief Operating Officer Mick Crowe said the research was building a profile of the Black-throated Finch to guide best practice conservation techniques.
“Our research has been running since 2020 as part of our targeted Management Plan for the Black-throated Finch.
“Researchers now know more about the finch than ever before and their work has helped us prioritise habitat conservation activities.”
Researchers used tiny radio transmitters, weighing just 0.32 grams each, to track the movements of 142 Black-throated Finches.
The research combined a network of 27 transmission towers covering about 2,700 hectares of Black-throated Finch habitat with manual tracking and AI technologies to log eating, drinking, preening and nesting behaviours. It also tracked the home ranges, movement patterns and habitat characteristics of the finch.
E2M Principal Ecologist John van Osta said the findings have provided researchers with new insights into the movements of the Black-throated Finch and how they use the local environment.
“This research has revealed much more about the Black-throated Finch population near Carmichael,” John said.
“It has a large home range of an average of 320 hectares and travels up to four kilometres from water. Both characteristics differ from the finch population near Townsville, which is the only other area where radio tracking has been used for the species.
“The research has also confirmed details about the preferred vegetation of the finch and provided new insights into its movements at various times of the day.”
The findings will help guide conservation activities for other finch populations and the methods can also be applied to track the behaviour and movements of other rare birds.
ROOTED IN HISTORY
A 120-year-old bottle tree found new roots at the entrance of New Acland Mine earlier this year.
Likely planted before Australia officially became a nation, the bottle tree was moved from the old Acland Silverleigh Road piggery site.
The delicate project spanned two days and included a specialist arborist who oversaw the relocation of the 25-foot-tall bottle tree.
New Acland Coal (NAC) General Manager, Dave O’Dwyer said the project ensured the preservation of an important part of Darling Downs’ history.
“Estimates suggest the bottle tree dates back to the late 1800s, early 1900s.
“NAC’s Operations and Environment teams oversaw the project, partnering with local contractors Ace of Spades Tree Relocators and Loughlin Crane Hire.
“Their collective efforts mean the bottle tree will be able to thrive for generations to come.”
The re-homing of the 120-year-old bottle tree reinforces New Hope Group’s commitment to environmental sustainability and rehabilitation.
ROLLESTON’S RIPPER REHABILIATION
Glencore’s Rolleston Open Cut operation in Central Queensland now has government sign-off on 828 hectares of rehabilitation, equivalent to 53 per cent of the site’s total rehabilitation work.
The operation received its latest government sign-off on almost 248 hectares in early 2024, representing the fourth successful application from the site, having achieved sign-off on 194 hectares in 2022, 166 in 2019 and around 220 hectares in 2018.
GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH
Bravus Mining and Resources was a finalist in the Excellence in Environmental Management and Sustainability category at the 2024 Australian Mining Prospect Awards for its high-tech approach to groundwater research by applying military-grade drone technology to discover and protect previously unknown groundwater springs.
Bravus partnered with Eco Logical Australia to add multispectral and thermal imaging to its comprehensive scientific programs that help to safeguard the health of the Great Artesian Basin-fed Doongmabulla springs.
“Carmichael has some of the strictest environmental conditions of any resources project in Australia’s history,” said Bravus’ COO Mick Crowe.
“That means we also have some of the best environmental monitoring and scientific research programs in the world, especially in the areas of groundwater, species, and biodiversity management.
“We have scientists on the ground every two months to observe and record water levels and water quality at more than 135 sites around our Carmichael mine, and we have scientists who routinely map the extent of vegetation at key groundwater springs.
“What we have done with Eco Logical Australia is take that expert on-the-ground science into the air as well with new multispectral and thermal imaging drone technology.
“This has allowed us to map the large and remote study areas faster and in greater detail than ever before, and that has produced some outstanding environmental outcomes, including finding previously unmapped spring vents that are as small as 10 centimetres in diameter and sit within hectares and hectares of bush.
“The award nomination was deserved recognition of the team’s expertise and efforts to drive new approaches to monitoring complex ecosystems and we’re enormously proud that what they’ve done at Carmichael can now be applied to best-practice environmental management across the world.”
STEERING TOWARDS SUSTAINABILY
The BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) and the Fitzroy Basin Association have steered a transformative initiative in environmental stewardship through the implementation of the Fitzroy regional environmental monitoring program pilot.
The innovative program was established to address significant gaps and overlaps in environmental monitoring data across various catchments, ensuring a more efficient, cost-effective and safe approach to monitoring the Fitzroy River catchment.
It has achieved outstanding results by ensuring consistent, comprehensive data collection across the entire Fitzroy catchment. It has also eliminated significant safety risks, protecting BMA teams and contractors by reducing the need for hazardous fieldwork around waterways.
The program has provided high-quality, peer-reviewed data on ecosystem health, made available through the annual Fitzroy Partnership for River Health (FPRH) report card.
This initiative reinforces BMA’s commitment to long-term sustainability and responsible resource management, supporting our goals for environmental stewardship and climate resilience.
Through strong collaboration and the collective expertise of BHP partners, the monitoring program provides enduring benefits to the environment and the broader community.
BRIDGING THE GAP
There is increasing pressure on coal mining companies to adopt sustainable mining practices that minimise environmental harm, invest in habitat restoration, and create effective wildlife protection measures. At Pembroke Resources (Pembroke) Olive Downs Complex they are embracing this challenge and going above and beyond with measures to mitigate the effects of their operations on local wildlife.
Pembroke has implemented on and off-site measures to protect, conserve and research wildlife during the construction and mining phases. These measures directly affect two of Australia’s wildlife icons – the koala and greater glider.
During the construction phase of the new complex Pembroke created conservation areas onsite where koalas and greater gliders are known to live ensuring that mining does not occur in critical habitat.
The addition of artificial tree hollows to replace lost nesting sites for greater gliders and the installation of fauna furniture and rope bridges across roads and gaps in vegetation corridors help greater gliders or other arboreal animals to move safely between trees without having to cross hazardous areas. These on-the-ground actions help to reduce direct harm to wildlife, even if habitat loss is unavoidable due to mining activities.
The greater glider (Petauroides Volans) is a unique marsupial found in eastern Australia and known for their impressive gliding ability. Using their patagium (skin membrane) they are capable of gliding distances of up to 100 metres in a single glide and rely heavily on old Eucalypt woodlands for both shelter and food source.
In 2022, the species was listed as endangered under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation act.
Through a collaborative effort from multiple parties during the month of September this year, the construction of two rope bridges was completed. These rope bridges consist of 15-metre-tall power poles connected with a series of 10 and 12 meter box rope sections that allow arboreal animals to transverse the gap in vegetation from the safety of either inside or on top of the rope structure. These bridges are then connected back to surrounding food source trees for the greater glider.
Within only a month of construction, through the use of remote download cameras, Pembroke was able to capture the first use of one of the rope bridges by a resident greater glider, confirming the importance of these new installations.
The collection of data connected to this project and other programs that Pembroke are currently undertaking will help to understand this species and help add to the lack of available research with respects to the species’ movement patterns and the effectiveness of such conservation initiatives.
CONSERVATION ZONE A HOME FOR WILDLIFE
This year, work commenced at New Acland Mine’s 13.5-kilometre Lagoon Creek Conservation Zone, which will see more than 3,000 trees planted over the next decade.
The project will complement rehabilitation outcomes from previously mined areas and strengthens New Hope Group’s outstanding commitment to environmental sustainability and progressive rehabilitation practices.
Stretching through the mining operation, the Lagoon Creek Conservation Zone will see the vegetation corridor along Lagoon Creek widened to more than 100 metres.
New Acland Mine General Manager, Dave O’Dwyer said Lagoon Creek will enhance animal and plant biodiversity.
“The project will stretch from Peachey Maclagan Road to south of the Manning Vale West Pit and will take more than a decade to complete.
“In total, more than 135 hectares of land alongside Lagoon Creek will be prioritised and planted with native vegetation, including eucalyptus, paper bark and other refuge trees, designed to significantly boost the local koala population.
“New Acland Mine is home to one of Australia’s most ambitious and practical land management programs.
“Established more than 17 years ago, the progressive rehabilitation program returns mined land to agricultural and conservation uses while contributing to the region’s agribusiness industry.
“To date, more than 740 hectares of land has been rehabilitated. Of this, 349 hectares has been formally ratified as progressively rehabilitated mined land by the Queensland Government.”
