Assessing impacts of mining on provisioning ecosystem services in a culturally diverse landscape of Western Cape York, Australia

Robyn Boldy; Mark Annandale; Peter D Erskine; Laura J Sonter

doi:10.1007/s10980-023-01745-4

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Assessing impacts of mining on provisioning ecosystem services in a culturally diverse landscape of Western Cape York, Australia

Journal article

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Assessing impacts of mining on provisioning ecosystem services in a culturally diverse landscape of Western Cape York, Australia

Robyn Boldy, Mark Annandale, Peter D Erskine and Laura J Sonter

Landscape Ecology, Vol.38, pp.4467-4481

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-023-01745-4

Appears in UniSC Diversity and Inclusion Research Collection

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Abstract

Ecosystem services

Mining

Indigenous values

Northern Australia

Biodiversity

UniSC Diversity Area - Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

Context: Mitigating the impacts of mining on biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES) is critical for maintaining human wellbeing in mineral-rich landscapes. Environmental assessments and mitigation plans almost always consider impacts on biodiversity, yet few extend to the individual ES valued by local communities. As a result, mine site management, rehabilitation, and compensation activities may fail to prevent the loss of some ES, particularly those valued by remote Indigenous communities. Objectives: We seek to understand: (1) which ecosystems contain culturally significant plant species and where they are located in respect to mining areas; (2) whether areas containing large numbers of culturally significant plant species are protected under current environmental management plans focused on addressing biodiversity impacts, and; (3) which ES will be lost due to planned (and approved) future mining operations. Methods: We consider a region rich in both natural capital and Indigenous culture–western Cape York Peninsula in northern Australia. We identify and map the distribution of ES that are both valued by local Indigenous communities and threatened by current and future bauxite mining including plants that have significant cultural value (e.g., for food and medicine), and compare them to areas currently protected from mining due to their biodiversity value. Results: We find that open woodlands contain the highest number of culturally significant plant species (32 species) compared to other vegetation types in the region. However, despite this, open woodlands are the least protected vegetation type from mining operations under current management plans and regulatory requirements. Conclusions: Our results illustrate the benefits ES provide for local Indigenous people, and that the areas set aside for biodiversity management will not compensate for expected ES losses. We discuss the need for a collaborative approach between industry, government, and Traditional Owners to capture and manage ES for local people throughout and beyond the mining lifecycle.

Details

Title: Assessing impacts of mining on provisioning ecosystem services in a culturally diverse landscape of Western Cape York, Australia
Authors: Robyn Boldy (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Tropical Forests and People Research Centre
Mark Annandale (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Tropical Forests and People Research Centre
Peter D Erskine (Author) - The University of Queensland
Laura J Sonter (Author) - The University of Queensland
Publication details: Landscape Ecology, Vol.38, pp.4467-4481
Publisher: Springer Dordrecht
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.1007/s10980-023-01745-4
ISSN: 1572-9761; 0921-2973
Copyright note: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Grant note: University of Queensland Advance Queensland
Organisation Unit: Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99745898002621
Output Type: Journal article