Bauxite is often found in areas rich in plant and animal life. That’s why protecting, restoring and promoting biodiverse ecosystems is such an important part of sustainable bauxite mining.

Companies are investing in environmental research that supports priorities across the mining lifecycle, from early-stage exploration and development, through to operations, rehabilitation and closure, and post-mining land use.

Their work is reinforced by robust international, national and state legislation and guidelines, as well as strong community and stakeholder expectations.

Investing in high quality, diverse research

To drive high quality outcomes, bauxite operators are investing in people, projects and resources.

Building on more than 4 decades of initiatives, Alcoa’s Forest Research Centre launched in January 2025. The centre exemplifies an effective industry-research-community partnership, with a wide range of stakeholders helping to determine research priorities.

“We’re working with universities, industry groups, Traditional Owners and other bauxite operators to optimise everyone’s contributions. None of us should be duplicating efforts,” says Dr Lucy Commander, research manager.

The centre’s 5 research pillars cover rehabilitation, fauna protection, flora knowledge, water stewardship and First Nations 2-way science. Current priorities include feral predator control (pigs, cats and foxes) and fire ecology, among many other projects.

“We have a diverse and passionate researchers at all career stages,” says Dr Commander.

“The team started with a botanist and a fauna ecologist. But now we have a hydrologist, a restoration ecologist, cross-cultural scientists and other subject matter experts.

“We also provide student scholarships and recruit PhD graduates as research assistants, which means our work can nurture the next generation of environmental scientists.”

South32’s Worsley Alumina operates the Boddington bauxite mine in south-west Western Australia (WA). They are also partnering widely to drive innovative environmental research and support early-career scientists.

Current partners include Curtin University, Greening Australia, the WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

At Curtin University, Worsley Alumina is supporting a PhD candidate to investigate the use of eDNA technology to find fauna species. If effective, it is hoped this non-invasive method will be able to be incorporated into regular, routine environmental monitoring.

Protecting endangered species

Bauxite operators are also supporting conservation initiatives that protect fauna and their habitats.

Metro Mining has partnered with Far North Queensland Wildlife Rescue since 2023, strengthening on-ground conservation efforts in some very remote areas. They recently purchased 2 new incubators to assist with the rescue, care and release of native wildlife from Cardwell to Cape York.

Metro Mining has also invested in multi-year research into local native species, including the critically endangered speartooth shark and regional sawfish populations.

“Over 3 years, these field surveys generated important insight into the behaviour and ecology of sawfish and speartooth sharks in the systems of the Skardon River, Namaleta Creek and Port Musgrave,” says environmental advisor, Travis Ryan.

“These system-specific insights, which did not previously exist, allow us to better understand potential impacts and make more informed environmental management decisions.”

The Palm Cockatoo is another vulnerable species found in Far North Queensland. Glencore is working proactively to protect fauna at its proposed Aurukun Bauxite Project, with plans to create an offset area that will minimise potential habitat impacts.

The team is also trialling new ways to improve habitat quality and breeding success, including creating artificial hollows for the Palm Cockatoo – who only breed once every two years, on average – and other threatened species like the Masked Owl.

As the biggest bauxite operator in Cape York, Rio Tinto plays a pivotal role in regional environmental protection and research. It is currently leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to rapidly find, tag and categorise Palm Cockatoos.

The technology uses thousands of images to identify key areas of critical nesting habitat, thereby enabling long-term habitat protection at a scale that couldn’t previously be achieved manually.

On the other side of the country, Worsley Alumina is similarly focused on research priorities that help to protect native species and restore vital ecosystems.

They are supporting initiatives such as identification of habitat features in proposed operational areas and feral cat management.

Leveraging Indigenous knowledge

Partnering with Traditional Owners also helps to bring cultural knowledge to the forefront of environmental management.

At Alcoa, the Forest Research Centre team is facilitating a co-design process with the Gnaala Karla Booja Aboriginal Corporation to determine research priorities, including best practice forest management and culturally significant species.

Development-stage bauxite operator, VBX, is working with Wunambal Gaambera rangers in northern Western Australia to undertake environmental baseline surveys and facilitate workshops to share traditional knowledge.

“For us, it’s about understanding the impact we are going to have and how we can design the operation to minimise or avoid that impact,” says VBX managing director, Ryan de Franck.

“We are incorporating Wunambal Gaambera’s Healthy Country Plan and how they want to manage their Country. We are looking at how our project can support key targets in that plan from an environmental perspective.”