PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Resource extraction has been identified as one of the key pressures behind the decline in Australia’s environment, according to the latest State of the Environment report.

The report pointed out that over the past five years, investment in mineral exploration doubled from A$344.7-million in June 2016 to A$878.3-million in June 2021, and that beyond the direct footprint of mines, impacts of mineral extraction included waste discharge and pollution, chemical emissions and acids, sediment transport, and rehabilitation. Mining impacts on air quality vary considerably, depending on the operations.

“Mining affects biodiversity and natural heritage at scales ranging from the area of mineral extraction to processes operating at landscape to regional scales and beyond. Habitat loss and degradation are the most immediate and direct impacts, with flow-on impacts that change species distributions and ecosystem condition. Mining activities, such as mineral exploration, resource excavation, and groundwater drawdown and reinjection, can threaten the viability of certain species, such as subterranean fauna,” the report stated.

The State of Environment report found that land-based mining was among the major Australian heavy industries with the largest levels of emissions, including carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), coarse particulate matter (PM10) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

In addition, some mining uses nonregulated diesel engines (NRDE).

Although NRDE make up only around 3% of on-road vehicle numbers, their much bigger sizes mean that they usually emit much more CO, nitrogen oxides (NOx), PM and VOCs than other road vehicles.

“Impacts on air quality from mining can last for centuries because some human-made emissions do not break down easily. Mercury used in gold mining during the mid- to late 1800s is still being cycled through the atmosphere via soil and vegetation processes,” the report stated.

“Australia continues to bear the legacy of tens of thousands of orphaned or abandoned mines that pose an ongoing risk to the environment, public health and safety. The cumulative impact of past practices, as well as present activities, is substantial and not well understood, with significant legacy issues remaining unaddressed,” the report found.

Additionally, it also pointed out that much of Australia’s mining occurs on land that is subject to land rights and native title, with more than 80% of the mineral value extracted in the Northern Territory coming from Indigenous-owned land.

Nationally, more than 60% of operating mines are located near Indigenous communities.

“Mining impacts Indigenous caring for Country and can damage Indigenous heritage as revealed by the 2020 destruction of Juukan Gorge. Mining activities also impact historic heritage; historic mining heritage is particularly at risk from mine rehabilitation,” the report stated.

The report found that since colonisation of Australia occurred in 1788, some 39 mammal species have gone extinct in the region, representing 38% of the world’s lost mammals. Since 2016, when the last report was released, a further 17 mammal species have been either added to the endangered list or upgraded to the critically endangered list, along with 17 bird and 19 frog species.

“Australia’s strategies and investment in biodiversity conservation do not match the scale of the challenge, and the state and trend of Australia’s ecosystems and species continue to decline. Australia has lost more mammal species than any other continent and continues to have one of the highest rates of species decline among countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

“The true number of extinctions is likely to be significantly higher because many species are poorly surveyed or poorly described, or both. Increasingly, we are resorting to the costliest conservation mechanisms of restoration, rehabilitation, ex situ conservation, translocations, and the creation of safe havens on islands and in fenced areas,” the report reads.

The report noted that intense competition for land and water resources in Australia has resulted in continued declines in the amount and condition of our land- and water-based natural capital, including native vegetation, soil, wetlands, rivers and biodiversity, that together deliver ecosystem services.

“Reversing this trend requires collaboration and cooperation between governments, businesses and communities to build resilient landscapes, to achieve balanced and equitable environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits.”

In response to the State of the Environment Report, federal Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek has announced that the newly elected government would develop new environmental legislation for 2023 and would "consult thoroughly" on current environmental standards.

“But in the meantime, I’d like to see an immediate start on improving our environmental data and regional planning – establishing a shared view around what needs to be protected or restored, and areas where development can occur with minimal consequence,” the Minister said.

“I’m not naïve: I know improving our environmental laws is going to be challenging. 

"People will have different ideas of what national standards should look like. And as Minister, I will make calls that some people disagree with. But I’m determined to improve the system.”

The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) said this week that the State of the Environment report provided a “crucial insight” into Australia’s environment to help guide future investment and reform to national environmental law.

Responding to Plibersek's pledge to reform legislation, MCA CEO Tania Constable said that it would provide certainty for business and enhance community trust in environmental protection.

“The reforms will play a key part of the broader government response to the findings of the State of the Environment Report,” Constable said.

“Australia’s minerals sector is committed to the protection and restoration of our unique environment and national heritage values. A focus on clear, effective and outcomes-based regulation outlined by the Minister will provide certainty for businesses, the community and decision-makers achieving the high national environmental and heritage standards Australians expect.

“Timely approvals, national coordination and clearer guidelines will help Australia’s minerals industry create more jobs, boost investment and contribute to improved national biodiversity and heritage outcomes,” she added.

Constable noted that while the minerals industry is a relatively small land user, occupying less than 0.2% of the Australian land mass, it took seriously its commitment to land and water stewardship.

“As a temporary land use, the industry is committed to managing, mitigating and offsetting potential significant impacts and contributing to broader biodiversity outcomes. Australian companies plan for and rehabilitate land across the mine life, from exploration to closure.

“In addition to strict regulatory requirements, the industry undertakes a range of voluntary conservation activities, establishing significant conservation areas and partnering with local communities and First Nations people to support enduring environmental outcomes.

The programmes supported by the sector extend well beyond the mine to surrounding regions and in some cases across the country.

“The minerals industry is at the forefront of innovation, investing heavily in environmental data and conservation science, working in partnership with leading institutions. Australian leading practice is exported globally. These programmes will form part of the industry’s contribution to the government’s environmental policy agenda,” Constable said.