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This case study has been designed for VCE Environmental Science Unit 4, Area of Study 2 – Environmental science. As part of their unit 4 studies students are required to evaluate a selected environmental science project, in this case the Bendigo Gold Project.

Key Knowledge

In order to achieve the key skills and knowledge of Outcome 2 students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of;

  • ecologically sustainable development and environmental management;
  • environmental management tools and strategies including environmental management systems, waste minimisation, life cycle analysis, environmental impact assessment, environmental risk assessment;
  • application of environmental management tools and strategies to ensure ecological sustainability of the environment and the enhancement of environmental health;
  • assessment of the environmental impacts and risks associated with one selected environmental science project;
  • influence and consequences of regulatory frameworks related to the activities of the environmental science project;
  • role of community, media, and environmental interest groups and non governmental and government agencies in encouraging responsible environmental practices.

Key Skills

And demonstrate the ability to;

  • examine the elements of environmental management and its relationship to ecologically sustainable development;
  • assess the environmental impacts and risks through an environmental science project;
  • determine the stakeholders involved; including community, business, industry or government agency where relevant;
  • evaluate the effectiveness of the environmental management plan implemented by the organisation;
  • develop a management plan in response to scientific data to ensure that ecologically sustainable development can be obtained;
  • analyse the impact of eco-tourism

The completion of an investigation of the environmental management tools and strategies being used by the Bendigo Gold Project would provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate achievement of many of the key knowledge and skill areas listed above.

Student Investigation:

Important areas that are relevant to the key knowledge and skills of unit 4 include:

  1. Australian Mineral Industry Code for Environmental Management –

    Refer to the Annual Environmental Report in this website, as well as the Minerals Council of Australia website to investigate the following areas:

    • When was Enduring Value developed and by whom?
    • What is the purpose of the Australian Mineral Industry Framework for Sustainable Development?
    • What organisations are signatories to the Code?
    • Is Enduring Value a successful method of achieving responsible environmental management? Discuss.
    • Why would an organisation like Bendigo Mining Limited make a commitment to Enduring Value?
    • What are the key areas of Enduring Value as adopted by Bendigo Mining Limited?
    • How has Enduring Value been put into practise by Bendigo Mining Limited?

  2. The Environmental Effects Statement (EES) Process, and Risk Analysis and Management–

    Refer to the Environmental Effects Statement Summary section, and the Hazard and Risk material from the EES of this website, as well as the Department of Infrastructure website to investigate the following areas:

    • What is the purpose of the Environmental Effects Statement process? What types of activities require an EES to be carried out?
    • What are the basic steps involved in the Environmental Effects Statement process? Draw a flow diagram to illustrate the process.
    • What groups play a key role in the EES process in general? Describe the role/responsibility that these groups have in the EES process.
    • Summarise the key areas of environmental impact investigated as part of the EES prepared for Bendigo Mining Limited. Each of the major areas of the EES should be included in your overview; Flora and Fauna, Surface Water and Groundwater, Land-use, Transport, Air Quality, Acoustics, Blasting, Visual Impact, Archaeology and Heritage, Social Impact and Rehabilitation. Discuss the major findings and environmental issues included in the report.
    • The Outline Environmental Management Plan, prepared as part of the EES, provided a clear outline of how Bendigo Mining proposed to manage environmental aspects of the project. How do the listed actions relate to the current management systems?
    • What happens once the EES has been prepared and accepted?
    • How does the identification of these key areas of environmental impact help to direct future management plans to make the mining operation ecologically sustainable?
    • What is the purpose of a risk management study?
    • How was the Environmental Risk Assessment process carried out? Explain the major steps in the process - ‘Risk Identification’, ‘Risk Analysis’, and ‘Risk Assessment’.
    • What were the major risks identified as part of the environmental risk assessment process?
    • Investigate what the figures in the Risk Evaluation tables indicate.
    • What risk reduction measures were used in designing the proposal? Why were they incorporated?
    • Why is the company committed to an “ongoing risk reduction program”?

  3. Environmental Policy and the Environmental Management System

    Refer to the Annual Environmental Report section of this website, as well as the AMEEF website to investigate the following areas:

    • Describe the key elements of Bendigo Mining Environmental Policy. What is the purpose of policy like this?
    • Describe the key aspects of Environmental Management Systems as they relate to the mining industry in general.
    • Describe the key areas of Bendigo Mining Environmental Management System. Describe how work plans have been used to achieve environmental goals.
    • Why would the company be continually monitoring its environmental impact?
    • Why would it be using independent experts as part of the process?
    • How does encouraging responsible production lead to waste minimisation from the mine?
    • Use data from the Annual Report to discuss whether the management systems put in place by the company are working effectively.
    • Is the mine itself ‘a sustainable development’? Discuss.
    • How does the Environmental Management System put in place by Bendigo Mining Limited help to ensure ecological sustainability of the environment, and enhance the health of the environment?
    • Why is it important for Bendigo Mining to communicate its environmental performance?

  4. The regulatory framework and the role of other groups/organisations

    Refer to the Annual Environmental Report section of this website, as well as the Department of Infrastructure, and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment websites to investigate the following areas:

    • What have been the key State government organisations and Acts/regulations involved in the process of establishing the mine at Bendigo?
    • What are the key State government organisations and Acts/regulations involved in the ongoing regulation and monitoring the mine at Bendigo? Explain the role these organisations play in the monitoring process?
    • What could happen if Bendigo Mining was found to have broken regulations?
    • How has the local Council of the City of Greater Bendigo been involved in the process?
    • Who are the key non-government organisations interested in the mining at Bendigo? Why would they have an interest in the environmental issues?
    • How has Bendigo Mining made an effort to involve the local community and communicate effectively with them on environmental issues?
    • Have these various groups and organisations been helped in encouraging responsible environmental practices at the mine?

Assessment:

In the assessment of outcome 2, unit 4 Environmental Science students should be able to use the principles of ecologically sustainable development and environmental management to evaluate the selected environmental science project. There is a choice of focus for the project from the broad environmental issues related to the mine, or the focus could be narrowed to concentrate on this issues involved in the mine revegetation process, or the treatment of waste water from the mine. Assessment tasks to be completed are based on the evaluation or development of an environmental management plan. Students need a broad understanding of ecologically sustainable development principles, and environmental management tools and strategies. These are applied to their investigation of the environmental management plan. Two pieces of work are required to assess outcome 2.

Students must undertake

  • A short report or
  • A test, and a short report or
  • An outline of an environmental management plan.

Therefore students could be required to write a short report (500-750 words) which evaluates the Bendigo Mining Limited environmental management systems and strategies. This could be based on the material in the Annual Environmental Reports, including the data in various tables and graphs. This may also include material from a site visit. Access to such materials is allowed during completion of the task. Students should be allowed 80-100 minutes of class time to complete the task. Alternatively teachers could devise a test which focuses on evaluating the management systems and strategies of the mine. Key areas to cover, in the 40-50 minute test, include Environmental Management Systems, Environmental Effects Statements, Environmental Risk Assessment, environmental monitoring, regulatory frameworks and the involvement of relevant organisations. Short answer questions as well as extended response items can be used, and it is important to include data analysis.

The second possible short report requires the analysis of an environmental management plan. Again students need 80-100 minutes of class time to complete the task, with a range of between 500-750 words. Access to textbooks, scientific journals and other materials (including electronic sources) is allowed. It could be possible to use another mining project as a way of comparing, and evaluating Bendigo Mining Limited environmental management strategies. Alternatively students may be required to develop an outline of an environmental management plan in response to scientific data, identifying issues involved in the investigation of the Bendigo Gold Project. The outline of the management plan should be between 500-750 words, take 80-100 minutes of class time, and students should access to a variety of materials. It is possible to develop a scenario around a mining development based on the Bendigo Gold Project, and require students to develop a management plan to deal with various environmental issues outlined in this scenario. Assessment criteria should be used to assess each task and can be found on pages 19-20 of the Assessment Guide. www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/