Rehabilitation

Coal & Allied conducts progressive rehabilitation of areas that have been mined, wherever possible, to reduce our impact on the environment and minimise the residual impact of our operations. 

Rehabilitation involves the reshaping and revegetation of land that has been mined with a selection of plant species that create habitats which improve biodiversity and restore the value of the land for use by future generations. Rehabilitation also reduces erosion by limiting the areas of a mine exposed to wind and water.

Results

In 2008, Coal & Allied sites rehabilitated 179 hectares of land, which was 19 hectares more than the target of 160 hectares.  The result was due to all sites meeting or exceeding their individual site rehabilitation targets for 2008.

Coal & Allied sites exceeded the disturbance target in 2008, disturbing 270 hectares of land, 112 hectares more than the target of 158 hecatres.  These targets are internally set and while efforts are made to comply to the target, changes to the mine plans can result in variations in the amount of land disturbed.

At Hunter Valley Operations, changes to mine planning and an accelerated pit redesign increased the amount of planned disturbance. Disturbance at Mount Thorley Warkworth was also significantly above target due to pit redesign at the site.

Biodiversity Action Plans

During 2008, a Biodiversity Action Plan was developed for the Coal & Allied operations located in the Hunter Valley.

Adopting a regional approach to managing biodiversity risks and opportunities enables Coal & Allied to manage site-specific issues and implement programmes that could deliver conservation outcomes across the Hunter Valley.

In developing the Biodiversity Action Plan, Coal & Allied focused on better understanding threatened and endangered ecological flora and fauna communities and species known (or suspected) to be present on and adjacent to its four sites.

Read more about our approach to biodiversity management.