PhD scholar

How do vegetation, birds and landscape function in post bauxite mining rehabilitating lands compare with remnant tall Eucalyptus tetradonta woodlands of the bauxite plateau?

E-mail: sue.gould@anu.edu.au

A unique regional ecosystem of tall Eucalyptus tetrodonta woodlands is confined to one of the world's largest bauxite deposits. The bauxite ore body extends along the west coast of Cape York Peninsula for 275 kilometres north to south and 75 kilometres east to west. The combined current bauxite mine leases along the west coast of Cape York Peninsula cover more than 585,500 hectares.

The land surface in the post-mining landscape is lowered by a few metres and there are potentially significant changes in the infiltration and water holding characteristics. Current mining and rehabilitation practices have the potential to alter a high percentage of the tall Eucalyptus tetradonta woodlands from the regional landscape.

The primary objective of this research is to understand the long term impacts of mining and associated rehabilitation on the bird habitat values of the Weipa plateau tall Eucalyptus tetradonta woodlands.