Portfolio project feature - MMG takayna/Tarkine dam environmental assessment review
Image credit: Eastern quoll - FiledIMAGE
In 2022, MMG Mining was required by the Australian Government to conduct a professional peer review of the environmental impact assessment for their proposed tailings storage dam in Tasmania’s takayna / Tarkine region to ensure integrity. Ecotec, undertook the review in collaboration with partner environmental consultancy, Envirodynamics. The project has attracted considerable public and legal scrutiny due to potential threats to the region's biodiversity, including the endangered Tasmanian masked owl and Tasmanian devil.
Client: MMG Mining Company
Ecotec services provided:
o Expert peer review
o Ecological impact assessment
o Strategic environmental recommendations
Image credit: Masked owl Tyto novaehollandiae - JJ Harrison
Project cost: Professional services funded under governmental oversight.
Project scale: The review covered multiple potential sites within the mining area.
Time frame: 3 months
Benefits: The peer review by Ecotec enhanced the reliability of the environmental impact assessment by critiquing and recommending refinements to the survey methodologies, particularly in relation to survey intensity and species-specific management. This work enhanced the governmental and regulatory approvals processes, thereby bolstering stakeholder confidence in the environmental assessment process.
Banner image credit: Sunset reflected onlake - Phillip Laroche