Impact Assessment at the Dugald River Mine
The situation:
MMG operates the Dugald River Mine in central Queensland. The mine currently produces around 170,000 – 180,000 tonnes of zinc each year and is one of the largest in the world.
By the time we heard from MMG they had already started work at the mine site. Their previous consultants had advised them that there were no major environmental issues at the site under Commonwealth law (the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 or EPBC Act). There were some species that were protected under Queensland conservation legislation and the appropriate approval had been organised, which included a monitoring program. The mine site was scheduled for a major round of investment and upgrades to increase its production capability.
However, their monitoring program identified Carpentarian Antechinus (a small carnivorous marsupial) at the site, which was listed as vulnerable under the EPBC Act. This was well outside the known range of the species, which was not considered when MMG chose not to seek EPBC approval for the mine. Realising that this put their operations at risk, MMG’s lawyers recommended they call us.
The solution:
We immediately realised that timing was critical. Uncertainty over the EPBC approval could delay MMG’s planned upgrades to the mine. But as we discussed the situation with MMG, it became clear that operations at the mine were already well advanced, and serious changes would be expensive and disruptive.
We needed a solution that was quick, but didn’t deliver speed at the price of overly restrictive environmental controls.
To resolve this we brought in an expert in the species and immediately opened discussions with the Commonwealth Environment Department.
With expert assistance, we were able to estimate the likelihood of the Carpentarian Antechinus using various parts of the mine site. This allowed us to more precisely estimate the potential loss of habitat at the site. Because we were in regular contact with the regulator, we could:
Make a clear case that the potential habitat loss at the site was limited
Draw on expert advice about the species’ behavior to understand potential indirect impacts
Identifying minor amendments to mine operations (mostly around lighting and the timing of vehicle movements) that would limit those indirect impacts
Set out a species management plan that would secure and enhance habitat for the species at the site
We packaged this work into an EPBC referral and submitted it for MMG.
The outcome:
Our regular contact with the Commonwealth Environment Department meant that we could submit a referral that addressed their key concerns. As a result, the regulator determined that the mine would not lead to significant impacts on the Carpentarian Antechinus and that the project was a non controlled action in a particular manner. For MMG, this provided certainty about the expansion of operations at the site and avoided a costly and time consuming impact assessment process. The scheduled upgrades went ahead as planned.