This week, the Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue published its latest report on rehabilitation progress with the 2022 results demonstrating a continued focus by industry on progressively rehabilitating mining land across the region.

The Dialogue’s Rehabilitation Principles and Commitments project commenced in 2012, and has seen industry commit to a set of common rehabilitation principles that has improved the transparency of rehabilitation progress of Upper Hunter mine rehabilitation.

The report for the 2022 calendar year shows that 529 hectares of land was rehabilitated that year, compared to 676 hectares newly disturbed through mining activities. The 2022 results also show that the total amount of disturbed land under rehabilitation has climbed to just under 15,000 ha (up from 8,800 ha in 2012), with almost 40% of the total amount of disturbed land now under rehabilitation at the close of the 2022 reporting period (this percentage has increased from just under 33% in 2012).

The Dialogue rehabilitation reporting project builds on requirements that all mines in NSW have to report on their rehabilitation progress. Under new standard conditions on mining leases implemented in 2021 to ensure progressive rehabilitation occurs and sustainable post-mining land use outcomes are achieved, all Upper Hunter operations are required to lodge an annual rehabilitation report and forward program, as well as spatial plans via the Mine Rehabilitation (GIS) Portal, with spatial information anticipated to be publically available in mid-2024.

To view the latest results, click here: https://miningdialogue.com.au/project/rehab/results/2022-results

To view previous results, click here: https://miningdialogue.com.au/featured/rehabilitation-reporting