Black-throated Finch Management Plan
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The Black-throated Finch (the finch) is a small native bird known for a distinctive black mark beneath its beak. The finch is found south of Townsville and in the Brigalow Belt and Desert Uplands bioregions. The finch is also found near our Carmichael Mine.
As part of the environmental approval conditions for the Carmichael Mine, Bravus has developed a targeted Management Plan to protect the population of local finches and their habitat.
The Black-throated Finch Management Plan:
- Draws on seven years of expert ecological studies
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Was approved in June 2019
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Complies with strict Australian and Queensland regulatory conditions
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Details a five year research program by experts.
The Management Plan details a range of practical actions to protect the finch including:
Weed management
Fire management
Grazing management
Enhancing water source locations
A new conservation area
Bravus has created a conservation area at Moray Downs West, land owned by the company, to protect habitat for local flora and fauna.
At more than 33,000 hectares in size, the conservation area is 126 times the size of the open cut mine area (Stage 1) and is one of the largest privately managed conservation areas in Queensland.
The offset area is the size of 33,000 standard rugby league football fields.
There is five kilometres between the conservation area and any mining activity or infrastructure.
Managing local finch habitat
Bravus has signed an agreement with Woongal Environmental Services (Woongal) to manage Black-throated Finch habitat on the non-mined areas of our leases, and the conservation area.
Majority owned by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Woongal delivers environmental monitoring and management services.
The new contract is a two-year program that will employ rangers, land and environmental managers, a graduate scientist and support staff – the majority of whom will be Indigenous.
Services through the contract include environmental monitoring and management to support the finch including surveys, monitoring and reporting.
The work will also include land and weed management, installing fences to protect important and sensitive habitat, installing fire trails and undertaking fire management.
Building Queensland’s finch knowledge
Bravus is undertaking best practice research into the finch and is sharing the findings with the Queensland Government to improve management of finch populations elsewhere in Queensland.
Over the next five years the research will determine:
Their nesting, breeding and feeding requirements.
How far they move around the area.
How our grazing management and water sources can best support the finch in the conservation area.