Rehabilitated mine sites and Top End animals

Rehabilitation standards specify the minimum levels a rehabilitation project must meet before it is considered a success. They distill the broad goals of the project into specific objectives that can be reliably measured using ecosystem attributes such as species richness, community structure and ecosystem function. The ecosystem attributes of the rehabilitation project are compared with those of a reference ecosystem used as the target for the project. For mine sites, rehabilitation standards specify the set of objectives that a mining company must meet before it is released from its rehabilitation obligations.

Key findings
These issues should be considered whenever rehabilitation standards for fauna are being developed:

  • Both vertebrate and invertebrate communities should be included.
  • Reference sites must be matched to the aim of the rehabilitation, for example, restoring a target ecosystem or recovering a particular land use.
  • The number of reference sites sampled must be sufficient to characterise natural variability, and each reference site must be sampled intensively enough to provide reliable data.
  • Only species that are sufficiently detectable using available survey techniques should be included in rehabilitation assessment. Naturally rare species may be more meaningfully considered when grouped together on the basis of their trophic guild or specific habitat requirements.
  • Sampling effort must be robust enough to characterise faunal communities to a confidence level that reflects the rehabilitation goals.

  • Ensuring that the rehabilitated sites are functional ecosystems is a crucial rehabilitation component. Photo: Michael Douglas.
  • Invertebrates, particularly ants, are essential considerations for faunal surveys of rehabilitated landforms. Photo: NESP Northern Hub.
  • Invertebrates have an important role in faunal assessments of rehabilitation. Photo: NESP Northern Hub.
  • Dragonflies are among the invertebrates that are critical to faunal assessments of rehabilitation. Photo: NESP Northern Hub
  • Ensuring that the rehabilitated sites are functional ecosystem is a crucial rehabilitation component. Photo: Michael Douglas.
  • The surrounding Kakadu National Park sets the standard for rehabilitation. Photo: Michael Douglas.
  • This research will help us know which animals should b living at rehabilitated mine sites. Photo: NESP Northern Hub.
  • This research aims to provide a framework for returning sites to former faunal complexity.

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