Nigel Fisher is speaking at the Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Conference. For more information about this event, please visit http://www.minerehabilitation.com.au , call +61 2 9229 1000 or email enquire@iqpc.com.au

2. Regulatory. The government acts as both benefactor and regulator of mining. This is an inherent conflict of interest, where for instance, mining consent can be granted in areas that are environmentally deleterious, but are allowed for the collection of revenue. “Shifting goalposts” whereby consent conditions, in response to public attitudes, scientific knowledge and government policy may change over the lead up to, and during the lifetime of the mine itself. This may also lead to different rehabilitation requirements for different mines within a mining precinct, leading to inconsistent rehabilitation across a region with consequent poor public perceptions of the efforts of the industry as a whole.

3. Attitudes to rehabilitation. While this is not applicable to the sector as whole, there is still a perception in some quarters that rehabilitation is a cost to be reduced, rather than a desired outcome or moral imperative of the mining process. Attitudes of “doing what we can get away with” rather than abiding by the spirit or even, in extreme examples, adhering to consent conditions can still be found within the industry. This would appear to require a combination of solutions that range from further education regarding the benefits of successful rehabilitation to better enforcement of compliance. Rapid turnover of environmental staff results in a lack of knowledge of local conditions and issues. High turnover and inadequate detailed scientific knowledge produces inefficient use of limited funds, with duplication of efforts and inadequate scrutiny of consultancy reports and recommendations. Mine site rehabilitation is itself a fulltime job, but environmental staff must be “jack of all trades” with regards to legislative, administrative and environmental issues (which is not just rehabilitation). Environmental officers are often graduates, without mentoring, equipped with generalist degrees/qualifications that requires a steep on the job, learning curve working in an industry where production is paramount, for obvious reasons. Mining IQ<br />How do we measure the sustainability of a mine’s environment during operations? What do you think are the best tools and strategies here?<br />Nigel Fisher<br />Sustainability will be dependent upon attainment of adequate vertical structure, and this structure should extend from the canopy to the soil micro-ecology. This will provide niches for pollinators and dispersal agents, as well all organisms involved in nutrient cycling, including symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi and saprophytic bacteria and fungi. The key to attaining this vertical structure is biodiversity. The more species that can be incorporated into a rehabilitation project, the greater the biodiversity and the greater the niches. <br />Sustainable rehabilitation is dependent on successful completion of all stages of the vegetation life cycles. Monitoring for evidence of reproductive structures, viable seed set and then establishment and growth of juveniles, followed for several generations can be considered evidence of sustainability for vegetation. Identifying the obstacles or bottlenecks to each key process can then be done through monitoring and appropriate remedial action undertaken. Once sustainability has been achieved, no further remediation will be necessary. <br />Nigel Fisher is speaking at the Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Queensland, to be held on the 28 - 30 June, 2011, Holiday Inn, Brisbane. For more information about this event, please visit www.minerehabilitation.com.au, email enquire@iqpc.com.au or call 02 9229 1000. <br />This event sits under the IQPC’s Mining IQ portfolio. Mining IQ is a global portal for mining professionals, with regularly updated content featuring key speakers, industry experts, case studies, Q&A and interviews. Visit www.MiningIQ.com for more information. You can also follow Mining IQ on Twitter through www.tiwtter.com/MiningIQ <br />