Aussie Plants At Risk From Mining: Scientists

SYDNEY, June 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Jun, 2021 ) :Iron ore mining could destroy up to 75 percent of native plants in the vast, dry Mid West region in Australia's Western Australia (WA) state, according to botanists and ecologists.

A research, unveiled by Australia's Curtin University on Tuesday and published in Ecology and Evolution, revealed that the plant ecosystems were well-adapted to the region's ancient and nutrient-poor soils. The area is known for its Banded Iron Formations (BIF) ranges which provide a cooler, wetter refuge for many plants that are unable to survive in the surrounding harsh landscape.

The iron-rich rock in BIF is, however, increasingly attracting miners.

"Unfortunately, the chemical characteristics of some by-products produced by mines can be more like material on the moon than to the ancient, highly-weathered soils of BIF," said lead researcher botanist Adam Cross from Curtin University, adding it "presents a really challenging, hostile environment for many native plant species." The researchers described the BIF as natural "museums" for a wide variety of plants.

"Once BIF are gone, that's it -- we cannot recreate these iconic landforms, and our study suggests that, even if we could, the post-mining environment likely wouldn't support many of the species that used to call them home," Cross said.

The research team also studied 538 plant species in an 82,000-hectare area in the region, assessing their growth on different soil types and examining their potential tolerance to the chemical characteristics of mined materials.

It was found that at least some were tolerant of a wide range of soil types and might be used as "pioneers" to help kick-start vegetation recovery in rehabilitation.

Cross suggested more studies be taken to mitigate potential impacts and finding a balance between development and conservation.

"The mining industry needs to consider the soil properties of landforms requiring rehabilitation or ecological restoration, and the implications for vegetation establishment and plant community development," he said.