The Cooperative Research Centre for Transformations in Mining Economies (CRC TiME) is pleased to announce the commencement of an exciting new project to improve seed-based land rehabilitation across Australia.
CRC TiME in partnership with The University of Western Australia (UWA), Alcoa of Australia (Alcoa) and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (Kings Park Science) have launched the first phase of this $3 million, 3.5 year project known as the Australia Seed Scaling Initiative (ASSI).
ASSI aims to address the challenge of utilising wild-collected native seeds at a scale and efficiency level suitable for large scale ecological restoration and rehabilitation post mining. The technology more efficiently precision sows diverse mixes of wild-collected seeds in sloped and rock landforms. The evidence-based work within the ASSI program will be critically important to ensure we make every seed count for restoration at scale now and into the future.
The project builds upon new seeding mechanisms designed by the UWA and Kings Park Science research group for use in the Pilbara and will apply and optimise this technology in Alcoa’s bauxite mine rehabilitation in the Peel and South West regions of Western Australia.
Working with advisory project participants from Rio Tinto, BHP, Peel Harvey Catchment Council, Peel Development Commission and Rangelands NRM, the ASSI project team plans to develop the technology and process to deploy over similar mined landscapes and severely degraded agricultural environments requiring restoration across Australia.
CRC TiME, CEO, Dr Guy Boggs highlighted the significance of the ASSI initiative:
“Ecological restoration is one of the most frequent post-mining land uses and it requires enormous expertise and technology to achieve long-term success and meet expected future demand. Our ASSI project partners are doing tremendous work that will hugely assist the viability of the rehabilitation process, with improved economic and scientific outcomes.”
Alcoa’s Biodiversity Director Andrew Grigg said:
“Managing our mining footprint and establishing high-quality rehabilitation are key aspects in Alcoa’s pursuit of no net loss in biodiversity for new mines or major extensions.”
“This partnership with UWA, Kings Park Science and CRC TiME is a significant step in our ongoing journey to restore a healthy and resilient jarrah forest in the Peel and South West.”
UWA, Project Lead, Dr Todd Erickson added:
“Our UWA-Kings Park Science restoration-engineering team is excited to lead this new initiative to continue developing and refining a range of seed enhancement technologies and custom-built seed cleaning and precision seeding mechanisms. Our core focus is to co-develop a ‘precision seeding package’ that considers both the ecological needs of the seeds and what enhancements can aid their recruitment, whilst developing machinery capable of deploying these seeds at scale across diverse landscapes and environments.”
Click here for further information on the ASSI project.
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