Mineral exploration improves biodiversity and pastoral condition
Commendation: Environment, Resources sector
Alligator Energy is a uranium and energy metals project development and exploration group.
Alligator Energy’s Samphire Uranium Project is located on pastoral lands 20 km southwest of Whyalla. The uranium resources in the area are amenable to potential in situ recovery (ISR), a method which has lower environmental impact compared with conventional mining techniques.
Alligator Energy has partnered with a Natural Resources Management specialist to plan and execute its environmental work integral to its drilling programs. They work in conjunction with local landowners to address land management issues on their properties, and with Traditional Owners to ensure their continued input into Alligator’s field programs.
Alligator Energy’s innovative approach to rehabilitating the country as it carries out exploration drilling uses integrated measures to tackle the various impacts that exploration and other land uses have had on the country.
Measures include rolling vegetation rather than grading, re-seeding with local seed, fencing off areas with listed birds and active weed and rabbit management.
The integrated approach to land management has resulted in increased native vegetation cover and density with flow-on effects of increased habitat and biodiversity values, reduced soil erosion, reduced dust and, in the long-term, increased pasture condition for the pastoralists.
Q&A with Alligator Energy
Dr Peter Waite (SA Waite Institute) published in 1890 that before colonisation, the saltbush country in South Australia had between 10,000 to 12,000 bushes per hectare near the Whyalla region. It is now between 4,000 to 5,000 per hectare.
In a few words it’s about
- improving this biodiversity on the land on which we operate through all stages of exploration and development of the Samphire Uranium Project
- working collaboratively to assist landholders in the area to leverage on our knowledge, learnings and resources
Alligator Energy is a publicly listed uranium focused explorer and project developer. We acquired the Samphire Uranium Project in late 2020 (20 km south of Whyalla)
The uranium resource is hosted in sand approximately 80 m below surface that is amenable to in situ recovery (ISR), similar to the Honeymoon and Four Mile uranium mines.
Working collaboratively with our local landholder and neighbouring pastoralists is key to its success and, as such, we have integrated biodiversity improvement benchmarks as standard into Alligator's activities on ground.
Over the past 140 years the condition of the country has been degraded with European land uses and feral animals.
Significant erosion exists over much of the region with an increase in the number of flora and fauna species that are now listed as either rare or endangered.
Simple methodologies we have applied which have a tangible impacts:
- Rolling the chenopod vegetation as opposed to clearing/grading allowing the vegetation to rapidly recover
- Regular collection of fresh, local province, native seed each year
- Fencing off areas of large shrubs containing listed woodland birds such as western grass wrens and slender-billed thornbills
- No clearance of trees or bushes higher than 750 mm to preserve habitat for wrens and other woodland birds
- Fencing to a standard that prevent stock and rabbits accessing reseeded/rehabilitated drill pads, working towards achieving the Dr Peter Waite “vegetation management of chenopod for SA rangelands standard (1890)” that is 1 shrub per 1 m2 as opposed to 1 shrub per 2 m2 currently
- Active weed and rabbit management
Because the landowner said all explorers should know and get better rehabilitation outcomes, and we should spread the word with government and industry.
Great landscapes, beaches and friendly people and stable regulatory environment, easy to travel to our project being near Whyalla. Close to a regional town with access to trades, engineering, and construction services.
A very bright future - future energy needs to transition from hydrocarbons to emission free methods.
Working through the technical and regulatory requirements so we can develop South Australia’s next ISR uranium mine with strong environmental, social and governance fundamental's embedded in our day-to day operations.
Celebrate and share the positive outcomes of the industry’s efforts with respect to project development, social, climate and environmental outcomes/successes.
Opportunity for companies of all sizes to showcase their best practice, paving the way for continual improvement as we learn more of the activities/practices being deployed.
When the owner of the pastoral lease said ‘more people in your industry should know what you are doing here with the land management’, and ‘you need to get more explorers doing this sort of rehabilitation’.
- A sustained increase in uranium commodity price based on future demand, more awareness of a the need for carbon neutrality with regard to climate change and how nuclear fits into the energy mix towards that goal.
- Excellent on ground performance in environmental and biodiversity management.
- Positive feedback from the landholder has us want to sustain the standard and look for more areas we can improve.
- Our work on ground having positive outcomes for land management on the wider pastoral lease and neighbouring properties.
Diverse environments – beaches, ranges and desert; friendly people.
Learn from all the good work that has been done in the last 100 years on environmental science and mining operations.
Keep up to date with Alligator Energy
Visit Alligator Energy website: https://alligatorenergy.com.au/
Follow Alligator Energy on social media:
