REHABILITATION

Skilled and experienced management teams lead the Company’s rehabilitation programmes with a focus on enhancing the land form after mining to improve stability, draining, soil productivity and other important criteria.

Two techniques, developed by the Company, regularly employed as rehabilitation techniques are block trans-location and co-disposal. Block trans-location assists with the success of revegetation by lifting the original vegetation, roots and soil and relocating it back on the ground to continue growing. This technique is particularly useful with plant species that are difficult to propagate using conventional techniques. Upon completion of mining the trans-location block can then be returned where it originally came from, providing immediate habitat that can be used for native fauna and ensuring the natural environmental balance.

Bemax has developed a range of environmental management plans for the development of the Pooncarie Project, in accordance with the requirements of the development consents and other statutory and contractual obligations. Wherever possible, low impact techniques are used to minimise disturbance to the natural environment.

Bemax’s operations in Wemen Victoria are now undergoing restoration and rehabilitation. The local community interacts with the rehabilitation operation, via an Environmental Review Committee, that meets every six months.

Following are examples of rehabilitation by the Company.

Jangardup

The former Jangardup minesite has been rehabilitated to a mix of farmland and native vegetation. The farmland areas have been developed to provide summer and winter pastures, with shelter belts and lakes positioned in consultation with the landowners. State Forest areas have been rehabilitated to include a range of vegetation types from sandplain heath to jarrah forest.

Two year old rehabilitation area in State forest at Jangardup.


Rehabilitated farmland at Jangardup.

Yarloop

The former minesite at Yarloop has been rehabilitated back to farmland, including shelterbelts and streamlining vegetation along a reinstated creek line. A section of the mine, which was formerly a rubbish tip has had all of the rubbish relocated to a purpose-built containment cell and the whole area rehabilitated to native vegetation to enable it to be added to the Conservation Reserve.

Tree planting in the Yarloop reserve amongst habitat logs.

Sandalwood

Productive pastures on a former minesite at Sandalwood.