Blog

If you’re a landholder looking to improve biodiversity on your land, you may be wondering what Biodiversity Stewardship Agreements are, how they are funded, and how they are monitored. In the following article our Senior Environmental Consultant Dean Woods provides a quick overview.

In the dynamic world of open cut mining, effective dig design is pivotal for ensuring the safety, efficiency, and productivity of mining activities. For engineers tasked with creating and maintaining long-term, medium-term, and short-term dig designs, the challenge lies in balancing numerous factors to achieve optimal performance while adhering to regulatory and environmental standards. As Atlantech Senior Mining Engineer David Shirley explains, unlike initial mine design – which focuses on feasibility and high-level planning – dig design within the operational phase requires a detailed approach that adapts to ongoing conditions and operational realities. In the following article, David lists fifteen key considerations for operational dig designs in open cut mining.

Construction, extraction of minerals, and farming are essential to a country's development. Nevertheless, these activities can result in land clearing and the loss of habitat with potential harm to Australia’s flora and fauna. As Atlantech Graduate Environmental Consultant Jonathan Kool explains, it is therefore an ecologist or fauna spotter catcher’s priority to provide a best-practice approach for preventing and mitigating ecological effects while helping to re-instate habitat with salvaged material or nest boxes.

In the dynamic landscape of modern mining, autonomous haul trucks are revolutionising efficiency and safety standards. Equipped with innovative technology, these vehicles excel on long, flat haul routes due to their ability to operate with precision, predictability and consistency. This article by Atlantech Senior Mining Engineer David Shirley delves into the distinct advantages of flat routes for autonomous haul trucks, while highlighting their comparative performance in uneven loading areas verse human-operated trucks.

What are Per- and Poly- fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and how are they affecting human and animal health, and our planet? These substances are found in items we may be using everyday (like our clothes, food packaging, and even sunscreen) and because they are highly water-soluble, they’re absorbed by the human body quite easily or transported through the environment. In the following blog, Atlantech Environmental Consultant Nina Rotton details the risks of PFAS, current Australian management practices, and explores a real-life case study involving the RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales.