Mining activities can intersect biodiversity-rich landscapes and Indigenous communities, especially in pre- and post-mining phases that fall outside of voluntary standards and regulation.
To address this, Accounting for Nature will pilot a culturally inclusive, science-based approach to environmental accounting at a 400,000-hectare Indigenous-managed landscape in Far North Queensland under increasing mining activity.
Applying the Accounting for Nature® Framework for the first time in mining, the project will deliver a certified Environmental Account that integrates ecological condition data with cultural knowledge – providing valuable insights for regulatory processes (e.g. FPIC, mine closure criteria), future nature market mechanisms, and performance monitoring for sustainability systems and landholders.
Designed for replication across geographies and sectors, this collaborative approach to environmental accounting offers a practical blueprint for other sustainability systems to align biodiversity data, strengthen assurance, and foster inclusion in landscape-level initiatives.
