To commemorate the milestone a native Red River Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) was planted by two members of MRM’s Environment Team – William Joll who has been part of the team for more than 10 years, alongside rehabilitation trainee Judy Lansen, a local Gudanji woman and Traditional Custodian.

The significant feat includes the planting of one million tubestocks, shrubs and grasses since 2010 as part of a broader and more extensive program to rehabilitate the 5.5 kilometre diversion channel of the McArthur River.

The millionth tubestock was cultivated in MRM’s on-site nursery from seeds collected across the local region.

This nursery is capable of producing more than 150,000 plants per year, providing more than 40 native species, including 18 regionally significant species of trees, grasses, and shrubs, which continue to be planted across MRM’s rehabilitation areas.

MRM is committed to protecting the environment and delivering on the highest standards of environmental management and performance.

“Surpassing one million tubestocks planted is a significant milestone in our rehabilitation of the McArthur River Diversion Channel and is testament to our commitment to responsibly manage and rehabilitate our mine,” says McArthur River Mine General Manager Mark Furlotte.

“This achievement has been made possible by many of our workers, past and present, and I’d like to recognise each of them for their efforts.”

Glencore’s MRM, which is 700 kilometres south-east of Darwin and 65 kilometres from the township of Borroloola, mines one of the world’s largest zinc deposits. MRM processes zinc, lead and silver concentrates on site before exporting them from its Bing Bong Loading Facility in the Gulf of Carpentaria to customers across the globe.

MRM is a proud Territory operation committed to making a positive impact to the communities where it operates. The operation employs more than 1250 people and 73 percent of its workforce are from the Territory.

Its commitment to safe and responsible operations is an ethos that is hard wired into the operation and the culture of its workforce and goes hand-in-hand with robust regulation overseen by the Northern Territory and Australian governments.

MRM continues to meet all of its regulatory obligations put in place following the diversion of the McArthur River when the mine was approved to expand from an underground operation to open-cut, using rehabilitation programs benchmarked to industry best practice.

This best practice is outlined in independent monitoring, with recent reports indicating MRM’s rehabilitation efforts on the McArthur River, outlining the work done through planting and placing woody debris in the river to replicate a more natural river channel. The IM found that MRM “has improved the river habitat for the animals living in the river”.

Pleasing results for MRM’s Environment Superintendent, Simon Longhurst, who leads the highly specialised team that ensures the mine continues delivering on the highest standards of environmental management.

“The work of our environment team is making a real and positive impact,” he says. “Most importantly, the Independent Monitor continues to find that the McArthur River remains healthy, the water quality is good, and the fish are safe to eat.”

For Simon and his team, rehabilitation is brought together through extensive monitoring and reporting programs, ranging from ecological monitoring assessing abundance, diversity and distribution of flora and fauna, such as the migratory patterns of the freshwater sawfish, right through to the on-ground rehabilitation of the McArthur River.

The millionth tubestock milestone is symbolic of how extensive MRM’s environmental efforts are, and Simon and his team are committed to best practice environmental management.

“Our rehabilitation programs ensure the environment around our mine site is healthy, wildlife populations are supported, and the local community’s values and beneficial uses continue to be protected,” he says.

To learn more about MRM’s rehabilitation programs, view aerial footage of the McArthur River Division Channel, or to read MRM’s statement and factsheet on the 2023 IM Annual Report Card, visit glencore.com.au/mrm