Assessing impacts of mining on provisioning ecosystem services in a culturally diverse landscape of Western Cape York, Australia

Abstract

Context: Mitigating the impacts of mining on biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES) is critical for maintaining human wellbeing in mineral-rich landscapes. Environmental assessments and mitigation plans almost always consider impacts on biodiversity, yet few extend to the individual ES valued by local communities. As a result, mine site management, rehabilitation, and compensation activities may fail to prevent the loss of some ES, particularly those valued by remote Indigenous communities. Objectives: We seek to understand: (1) which ecosystems contain culturally significant plant species and where they are located in respect to mining areas; (2) whether areas containing large numbers of culturally significant plant species are protected under current environmental management plans focused on addressing biodiversity impacts, and; (3) which ES will be lost due to planned (and approved) future mining operations. Methods: We consider a region rich in both natural capital and Indigenous culture–western Cape York Peninsula in northern Australia. We identify and map the distribution of ES that are both valued by local Indigenous communities and threatened by current and future bauxite mining including plants that have significant cultural value (e.g., for food and medicine), and compare them to areas currently protected from mining due to their biodiversity value. Results: We find that open woodlands contain the highest number of culturally significant plant species (32 species) compared to other vegetation types in the region. However, despite this, open woodlands are the least protected vegetation type from mining operations under current management plans and regulatory requirements. Conclusions: Our results illustrate the benefits ES provide for local Indigenous people, and that the areas set aside for biodiversity management will not compensate for expected ES losses. We discuss the need for a collaborative approach between industry, government, and Traditional Owners to capture and manage ES for local people throughout and beyond the mining lifecycle.