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15 - Large-scale mine site restoration of Australian eucalypt forests after bauxite mining: soil management and ecosystem development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

By
Mark Tibbett
Edited by
Lesley C. Batty  and
Kevin B. Hallberg
Mark Tibbett
Affiliation:
Centre for Land Rehabilitation, School of Earth and Environment, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
Lesley C. Batty
Affiliation:
University of Birmingham
Kevin B. Hallberg
Affiliation:
University of Wales, Bangor
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Summary

Introduction

Mining is essential to provide the resources for modern industrial societies but can result in a catastrophic destruction of pre-mining ecosystems. In Australia, these are often natural ecosystems, commonly pristine and with significant endemism in the flora and fauna. In all cases, the mining of bauxite ore in Australia occurs in areas covered by eucalypt forests or open woodland. Five major bauxite mines are in operation in Australia and these are (from NE to SW) Weipa (Rio Tinto) where the natural vegetation is an open Eucalyptus tetradonta (Darwin Stringybark) woodland, Gove (Rio Tinto), a mixed E. tetradonta and E. miniata woodland (both adjacent to the Gulf of Carpentaria) and Huntly, Willowdale (Alcoa) and Boddington (Worsley) mining in the unique E. marginata (Jarrah) forest region of Western Australia (Fig. 15.1).

Bauxite mining is an important economic activity for Australia, and it is an industry in which it leads the world. Australia is the world's largest bauxite producer, mining 40% of the world's bauxite ore. Australia's aluminium industry is worth over $7.8 billion (in 2004) in export earnings and employs over 16,000 people directly and many more in associated service industries. Australia has, therefore, made the decision to sacrifice some of its unique forested areas in order to maintain economic prosperity for its people.

In order to minimise the negative effect of bauxite mining, typically a form of strip mining or open cast mining, stringent measures (including financial instruments) have been put in place by the state and federal governments whereby the mining companies are required to restore the natural forest into sustainable ecosystems that reflects the original forest prior to mining as much as possible.

Type
Chapter
Information
Ecology of Industrial Pollution , pp. 309 - 326
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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