Biodiversity impact assessment

Working with industry to improve the assessment of potential impacts of proposed developments on biodiversity, including cumulative impact assessments across large regions.

Our macroecological modelling analytical infrastructure enables an integrated array of impact assessment techniques to be applied for any area within Australia or around the world. CSIRO’s capability in undertaking biodiversity impact assessments is exemplified by recent projects with BHP Billiton Iron Ore. Harnessing advances in biological and environmental data for the Pilbara region in Western Australia, we developed macroecological models for a variety of taxa and applied these in assessments of biodiversity change under recent land-use changes. This research contributed to BHP’s strategic assessment of iron ore mining development in the Pilbara region. A subsequent project with BHP has focused on modelling diversity patterns for subterranean fauna (troglofauna & stygofauna) across the Pilbara, and assessing the cumulative impacts of all past mining activities, and proposed future scenarios, on subterranean fauna persistence.