Land

Rio Tinto Coal Australia is a large land owner in the areas where we operate. While the location of mining is largely dictated by the location of coal seams, environmental and cultural heritage assessments also determine which land is suitable for mining and related activities.

We support the sustainable development of land resources through planning frameworks that consider the values and needs of all land users. Planning should address issues of land use compatibility on a case-by-case basis, so that multiple and sequential outcomes can be generated from the same and adjacent land. We work closely with other land users to ensure sustainable, successful use of this important resource.

Over the life of a mine, we develop a range of environmental improvement plans to manage impacts on our land. Land use management plans provide the framework for undertaking rehabilitation and other land management programmes.

Rehabilitation involves reshaping and re-vegetating land that has been mined to restore the land for future use. Rehabilitation also reduces erosion by limiting the areas of a mine exposed to wind and water.

The rehabilitation process may involve the establishment of erosion control structures, such as contour banks, drainage lines and dams. Each site develops strategies to manage weeds and feral animals.

Our underground site, Kestrel Mine, is also required to manage subsidence to ensure we minimise any potential impact on overlying land and waterways.

Our total landholding is 148,000 hectares. Of that landholding, about 12 per cent is actively used for mining and infrastructure purposes. The remaining land may be mined in the future or is used as a buffer zone between our operations and near neighbours. This non-mining land may be leased to third parties or actively managed by Rio Tinto Coal Australia for other uses, such as grazing, dairy production or cropping. Regardless of how it is used, we recognise the need for sustainable stewardship of non-mining land.

Rehabilitation and disturbance in 2010

In 2010 a total of 1202 hectares of land were disturbed across our sites to enable access to coal and construction of associated infrastructure. This was an increase from 926 hectares disturbed in 2009.

Increased land disturbance was largely at Clermont, Hail Creek, Kestrel, Hunter Valley Operations and Mount Thorley Warkworth where the establishment of new mining areas required an increase in disturbance. Clermont Mine reported its disturbance and rehabilitation for the first time in 2010 as a newly operating mine.

Approximately 140 hectares of land were rehabilitated during 2010 compared with more than 560 hectares of land rehabilitated in 2009. As a result, our rate of rehabilitation decreased from 60 per cent in 2009 to about 14 per cent in 2010.