BHP enhances Olympic Dam biodiversity

BHP (ASX: BHP) is undertaking an innovative research project to conserve and enhance biodiversity using emerging research techniques to test and monitor animal species.

The BHP-Curtin Alliance eDNA for Global Environmental Studies Subterranean Fauna Detection and Conservation project uses environmental DNA (eDNA) to create a functional biomonitoring tool that provides additional information on biodiversity.

eDNA is the biological material deposited by organisms into their habitat, terrestrial or aquatic, and can be isolated from a variety of substrates, such as soil, water and air, through non-invasive sampling techniques — unlike traditional biodiversity monitoring methods.

The Olympic Dam area includes the Great Artesian Basin, which supports about 7,000 individual springs in 450 spring groups across the basin area. These natural flowing artesian springs are a water source for a variety of threatened, endemic and relict species.

The scope of the project will include developing high-resolution eDNA tools for monitoring genetic diversity and changes in groups of organisms located within the basin’s subterranean ecosystems.

The project is led by representatives from Curtin University and the Olympic Dam environment team as well as representatives from the Traditional Owner group, the Arabana, who completed the field sampling.

The research will assist industry in making informed decisions on managing species with very limited ranges or occurrences. Novel techniques for identifying and monitoring biodiversity is expected to play an integral role in contributing to societal efforts to halt and reverse current trends in nature loss.