Indigenous groups, land rehabilitation and mine closure: exploring the Australian terrain
Indigenous groups, land rehabilitation and mine closure: exploring the Australian terrain Report
- Author(s): Barnes, R, Holcombe, S, Parmenter, J.
- Published: 2020
- Publisher: Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, The University of Queensland
Abstract: Background: This study addresses two challenging areas at the interface of mining and Indigenous communities in Australia: 1. The persistent lack of direct employment of Indigenous landowners on mines operating on their land 2. Increasing expectations that mining companies engage local communities in closure planning and closure criteria setting as a prerequisite for relinquishment. The approach taken seeks to build on one of the greatest assets Indigenous people possess; their attachment to and knowledge of their land. Through this research, CSRM explores the opportunities for local Indigenous groups to conduct fee-for-service environmental management and rehabilitation work on the mining footprint as a way to increase Indigenous landowner participation to achieve beneficial outcomes for closure. The overarching aim is to understand ways Indigenous groups currently work with Australian mining companies on mine environment management and rehabilitation and identify key themes and questions for further research. The research focuses on the interactions between three main stakeholder groups; mining companies; Indigenous people and their representative agencies; and government. Method A rapid appraisal was undertaken across four sites in regional and remote Australia. These include Northern Star’s Jundee Mine in the Western Australian goldfields, Newmont Tanami Operations in central Australia, Woodcutters base metal mine near Darwin, and Rio Tinto’s Amrun operation south of Weipa in far north Queensland. One site was a closed mine, the others operating. Three are hard rock open-cut and underground mines, the other a surficial bauxite laterite operation that involves sequential mining, back-filling and progressive rehabilitation. Key representatives of the mining company and respective Indigenous groups were interviewed in each case to learn about their experiences and perspectives on Indigenous engagement in the mine’s environmental management and rehabilitation. Objectives The specific research objectives were to:•understand what mine environmental management and rehabilitation activities are currently being undertaken by Indigenous groups in Australia •document views, issues and opportunities around stakeholder groups working collaboratively on mined land rehabilitation and mine closure •understand the role of government in enabling or constraining the involvement of Indigenous groups •generate interest in the topic and build collaborative working relationships and trust with key stakeholder groups Indigenous groups, land rehabilitation and mine closure: exploring the Australian terrain •lay the foundations for the possibility of UQ hosting dialogues and knowledge sharing forums with Indigenous groups and mining companies to scale-up the expertise on innovative mine closure practices. Findings: The study identified innovative and progressive examples of local Indigenous groups working with mining companies on environmental management and rehabilitation projects. The case studies exhibit successful collaborations where Indigenous groups are clearly motivated by opportunities to participate in work meaningful to them as custodians of their land. The value derived from this mode of engagement justifies further investigation into how to consolidate, replicate and scale-up the opportunities.
- Urls: https://www.mineclosure.net/media/resources/348/indigenousrangersfinalfinal.pdf
- Publisher Location: Brisbane