Rehabilitation and Land Use

Rehabilitating mined land to leave a long term positive legacy

The Dialogue is working to ensure that Upper Hunter is left with a positive legacy for future generations and that land disturbed by mining is rehabilitated during operations.

Prioritising and undertaking quality progressive rehabilitation throughout the life cycle of mining will help provide local communities with a range of beneficial, productive and sustainable uses post-mining.

Rehabilitation and land use issues are a key environmental focus for the Dialogue and we work to address issues and concerns raised under this theme via three objectives:

  1. Decrease the time that disturbed areas are left without temporary or final cover, while recognising different mining operations are at different points in rehabilitation;
  2. Provide transparent and reliable information through the Rehabilitation Reporting Principles;
  3. Achieve a consistent level of best practice, quality, integrated rehabilitation across the Upper Hunter (within industry and with future land uses) and be a responsible steward of the land.

There are a number of projects underway to achieve these goals.

  1. Rehabilitation Principles and Commitments
  2. Grazing Studies into Rehabilitated Mine Land
  3. Investigation of Possible Beneficial Uses for Mine Voids in the Upper Hunter

The Dialogue has also developed a range of Rehabilitation and Land Use Resources, as well as working with relevant Government Departments to promote their resources to our stakeholders.