Environmental Management for Sustainable Development

This paper discusses the viability of exploring natural resources in Western Australia and the challenges of mine site rehabilitation for sustainable development. It explores the economic benefits of mining, the abundance of mineral supplies in Western Australia, and the need for successful rehabilitation of mine sites. The paper also highlights the unique challenges and opportunities for mining companies in terms of flora, topsoil restoration, revegetation, and drainage of acid mine runoff. It concludes that while advancements in technology offer opportunities for exploration, the challenges of rehabilitation make it difficult to achieve sustainable development.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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Abstract
A delicate balance is needed between exploring the various minerals in Western Australia and
ensuring the conservation of the landscapes and environment at large. Technological
advancements are presenting techniques of exploration of the minerals in such a way that the
miners feel they are able to restore the land as soon as the mines close. Some of the challenges of
rehabilitation of mine sites including disruption of the landscapes cannot be restored and hence
making the environment completely loses the initial form and shape. Rehabilitation of the mine
sites may thus not serve to meet the anticipations of the public as far as conservation of the
environment and the flora is concerned. Numerous challenges that come with the rehabilitation
make one of such options that should not be considered on a top priority basis (Ioppolo,
Cucurachi, Salomone, Saija & Shi, 2016).
Introduction
The focus of this paper is an argument on the viability of the idea of exploring the natural wealth
resources of Western Australia and making repairs to the damages done to the landscape and
environment later. It cannot be denied that the development of the energy as well as mineral
resources is the main contributor to the economy of Australia and in a specific case, to the
Western Australian state. The current mining boom has been extensively discussed for almost the
last decade and has attracted significant revenue to the state alongside the federal governments.
Just as good as being of economic benefits, mining is important in the provision of raw materials
that are dependent upon by modern society for various processes in the mining sector as well as
substantial inputs to a lot of technological developments and research in an environment in
Australia. Still, of greater importance is the fact that the locally mined coal offers in excess of 80
percent of Australia's significantly cheap electricity which is used in powering the nation.
In geological terms, Australia is an old continent that enjoys an abundance of mineral supplies
with the most resourceful states having been identified to be Western Australia and Queensland.
More than half of the minerals and operating mines are found in Western Australia out of the
possible estimated three hundred and forty operational mines.
Western Australia generates an avalanche of mineral commodities among them 70 percent of the
gold of Australia, nearly all the iron ore, lithium, diamond, nickel, tantalum as well as major

portions of the mineral sands and bauxite. The Eastern Goldfields region which includes
Kalgoorlie is known for high amounts of nickel and gold mines. The large operation of open cut
Super pit which is a combination of numerous small underground miens now generates to the
tune of over 850 000 ounces of gold every year. Iron ore deposits are mainly hosted in the
Pilbara region of the Hamersley Basin which is as well the point where extraction of gold occurs
(Severo, de Guimarães & Dorion, 2017). Most of the mineral deposits in Western Australia have
not been fully exploited and with the advancement in technology, the focus is on exploiting the
mineral reserves even as claims are made that the destruction caused to the environment as a
result of mining and mining activities would be repaired upon completion of the exploration
process.
Rehabilitation of mine sites
Rehabilitation of the unique vegetation and flora of Western Australia owing to the closure of the
large scale mines in the times to come looms as one of the main environmental challenges and an
everlasting concern. Significant efforts, planning as well as planning is needed to attain a
successful rehabilitation of Western Australia that is associated with and an avalanche of
biodiverse vegetation as well as flora (Sullivan, Thomas & Rosano, 2018).
Rehabilitation has been raised in the last four years as fundamental issues with emphasis that
planning for while of life rehabilitation is a very integral aspect in the provision of better
ecological as well as financial results (Ramos et al., 2015). With a projected 76% of the
suggestion in the stipulation of Pilbara rehabilitation conditions as the typical obligation of the
closure of the mine, adequate planning is required to ascertain such projects can attain the
approval conditions.
Nevertheless, a recreation of the adequate conditions for the various species which have
developed to adapt in a wide variety of specialized conditions as well as the skeletal soils
remains a significant challenge. The consideration that an avalanche of soils as well as climates
all over the wide state would insinuate that successful techniques of rehabilitation in one place
would not apply in other regions adds to the complexity of the task (Schaltegger, Burritt &
Petersen, 2017).

Opportunities
One of the opportunities available for the mining companies is the non-choosy nature of the
Australian flora. Numerous species of the Australian plants tend to be quite tolerant of the poor
conditions since the soils of Australia have been established to be some of the poorest globally
Unique challenges
Australia encounters some issues with regard to rehabilitation of the mine sites. There is ancient
flora that is developed on the ancient soil which has established systems that do not need large
scale migration since the systems have turned out to be inherently quite stable over lengthy
periods of time. Another challenge that is common with the Australian mines is noted in the
diverse range of the ecosystems as well as landscapes of which most of them remain undisturbed
for a significant period of time.
The main challenge for the mining companies which are now compelled by law to take full
responsibility of rehabilitation of the mines upon closure is the restoration of the topsoil to a site
of mining (Severo, de Guimarães & Dorion, 2017). This is one of the most vital steps in the
rehabilitation process since the topsoil is composed of most of the seed stores of the landscape.
At the beginning of the mining session, this soil is often set aside to a location where it would not
wash away or even blow to the completion and completion of the mines and the soul is
replaceable. This, however, does not happen.
Revegetation is the subsequent step which is most commonly attained through seeding even
though it may need vast quantities of seed at times worth millions of dollars. It is as well
dependent on the amount of rain that is falling where and when it is required (Kolk, 2016). A
country like Australia that is often plagued with severe droughts like the one that affects the large
swaths of eastern states makes this very distant from a safe bet. Using tube stocks present an
alternative. tube stocks are young plants that have been grown within pots to the extent they may
be transplanted for further growth in the ground, a process that is a bit labor intensive as well as
expensive.

One of the mines that have relatively been easier when it comes to repopulation with the fauna in
comparison with the other mining sites since it is entirely covered by the biodiverse national park
(Le Blanc, 2015). Nevertheless, in other regions, the alternative is waiting for fauna to relocate
into the region in their own manner.
The legacy of the drainage of acid mine or acidic runoff that is rich in minerals is yet another
issue that is associated with the rehabilitation of the sites of old mines (Masud, Aldakhil, Nassani
& Azam, 2017). Attempts have been put in place including the use of bacteria which feed on the
sulfates that are found in the water and generate alkalinity in the process which may neutralize
the level of acidity.
Owing to the discussed constraints and challenges that are associated with rehabilitation of mine
sites, it can be noted that the legislative process which offers protection to the people of
Australia, as well as the landscapes when approval to a mining is done, tends to be to a large
extent very inadequate in achieving that which would be acceptable end product by the public.
The mining industry itself acknowledges that in the past times it has been making mistakes even
though enough focus and attention has been set in place to ensure the best foot is set forward for
the future (Schaltegger, Burritt & Petersen, 2017). Adjustment in the various systems of
activities taking place in the mine sites and the mining industry as a whole would be greatly
appreciated when it comes to achieving the rehabilitation expectations that are aimed at
conservation of the landscapes and the accompanying flora.
Conclusion
Advancements in technologies are opening more opportunities for exploration of the active
mineral deposits that still lies within them large volumes of the precious substances. The current
guidelines on closure and rehabilitation have a significant role to play in the provision of the
operators with the wide modestly elaborate explanation on the expectations of the government
and various legislative bodies. The anticipation of the outcomes of rehabilitation is however at
times unrealistic with the various agreements between the threaths
regulator and the proponents that wish for closure outcomes. There is a wide-spreading
international acceptance that chances of higher value rehabilitation results are least likely for

numerous mines. This renders the argument that the sites and landscapes in Western Australia
can be repaired upon an exploration of the mineral deposits an idea that is not justifiable.
Still, the challenges presented as affecting the rehabilitation processes make it even harder to
attain as some of them including the need of the topsoil and disruption of the various species in
their habitats are just not attainable. Efforts should thus be geared toward reducing disruption to
the landscapes which are best attained by not exploring the mines.

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