Black-Throated Finch Management Plan approved

Issued: 31 May 2019

The Department of Environment and Science (DES) approved Adani’s Black-Throated Finch Management Plan (BTFMP) today (31 May).

On 2 May, DES set out a series of commitments it was seeking from Adani in the BTFMP.

Adani submitted its most recent version of the plan on the 28 May 2019 responding to these requirements.

Assessment of this plan has been a rigorous process, informed by the best available science. DES has met regularly with Adani to ensure that the plan is robust and is well-placed to deliver the best outcomes for the protection of the black-throated finch.

This process has included an independent expert panel review of a previous version of the plan submitted in December 2018.

The additional undertakings that Adani has committed to have strengthened the plan and are important to protect this endangered species.

This included commitments by Adani to:

  • establish enhanced understanding of the black-throated finch in the project area, including undertaking appropriate population studies,
  • establish appropriate monitoring protocols that will allow for an analysis of the black-throated finch population in the project area over time, and
  • manage the Ten Mile Bore area and surrounds in a manner that protects the black-throated finch, including a commitment to a low-grazing regime in that area.

DES is also satisfied that Adani will engage appropriately qualified ecologists to undertake the company’s survey and monitoring work in relation to the Black-throated finch.

The Carmichael mine site represents Australia’s most significant population of the Black-throated finch (southern subspecies). The bird is listed as endangered under Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act 1992 and the Federal Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

The development of the BTFMP has been a condition of the mine’s approvals since the Coordinator-General approved the Environmental Impact Statement in 2014 and is a condition of the mine’s Environmental Authority.