Developers, major projects and mining

Development, exploration, mining and other major projects are active in several parts of South Australia.

To ensure minimal impacts on native vegetation – and to ensure offsetting takes place when clearance is unavoidable – there are regulations in place.

Transport and infrastructure projects operate under Site Operations Plans. For mines, there is a Guide for a Significant Environmental Benefit for the Clearance of Native Vegetation associated with the Minerals and Petroleum Industry that companies must adhere to.

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport provides a range of environmental technical standards and guidelines when planning and building roads, rail and marine infrastructure.

The Department for Energy and Mining provides information to mineral exploration licence holders about statutory requirements relating to environmental, social and economic impacts on the exploration operations page of their website.

Risk assessment requirements

Certain clearance activities with a potential high or unknown level of risk of doing irreversible damage to biodiversity are required to undergo the risk assessment (Regulation 16).

Applications in this pathway require Native Vegetation Council approval and the delivery of a Significant Environmental Benefit (SEB) offset.

The aim is to ensure that approval processes are consistent with the Objects of the Act and are defensible, transparent and at a level commensurate with the level of risk.