Groundwater dependent ecosystems within our evolving mining landscape

 Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are ecosystems with communities of plants, animals and ecological processes that rely fully or partially on groundwater presence.

Australia’s mining provinces are often situated in remote and ecologically diverse environments that contain highly variable GDEs located in rivers, wetlands, springs, and riparian vegetation communities. There is now recognition in mining approval processes to adhere to a logical GDE framework for assessing impacts from a project’s water affecting activities. The Independent Expert Scientific Committee (IESC) provides a logical GDE framework for undertaking the assessment and suggest tools and techniques that may be useful to both identifying and assessing potential impacts due to water affecting activities. Across Australia, the use of these guidelines are increasing, however in Queensland, the IESC GDE framework are mandated along with other requirements developed by the Department of Environment Science and Innovation (DESI). The framework requires both desktop studies and field-based ground truthing of GDE groundwater dependence and baseline ecological functioning. This detailed characterisation can then feed into a risk-based assessment of impact that informs monitoring and management options to avoid or mitigate those impacts. Achieving a balance between industrial development and biodiversity conservation is essential, particularly as climate change introduces additional layers of complexity. This growing awareness underscores the importance of integrating ecological protection with sustainable and nature positive resource management practices.

EMM has observed a significant increase in the need to identify and characterise groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) during the early stages of project development to allow for those necessary field-based assessments to occur. This requirement often arises from environmental impact statement (EIS) obligations or as a condition for obtaining an environmental authority. Whereas desktop analyses once sufficed, the industry has shifted towards the inclusion of upfront and ongoing comprehensive site-based studies.

At EMM, our extensive and diverse environmental team includes hydrogeologists, hydrologists, geochemists, terrestrial and aquatic ecologists, modellers, and spatial scientists with practical field experience right across Australia’s varied mining provinces. GDE studies demand a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating multiple lines of evidence, a variety of sampling techniques, and specialised equipment. At EMM, we are setup to be able to undertake these integrated studies to assist your project’s specific GDE impact assessment and inform your approval process. Please do not hesitate to reach out. We would love to help.

Author: Joel Georgiou

Contributors: Tim Ezzy, Sarah Perry and Alex Kiss

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Connect with Joel Joel Gerogiou Associate Director jgeorgiou@emmconsulting.com.au    LinkedIn