Alcoa announces $15m for new Forest Research Centre
Alcoa Australia will enhance its longstanding commitment to protecting, restoring and sharing knowledge about the forest by establishing a dedicated research centre.
The aluminium producer, which mines bauxite in select areas of the Northern Jarrah Forest in WA’s Darling Range, has dedicated $15m of research funding over the next five years delivered through the formation of a new Forest Research Centre.
Alcoa is also increasing its internal environmental research team from four to 11 staff and upgrading existing facilities at several of its WA locations to support the research programs.
Alcoa Australia interim vice president of operations Australia Tanya Simmonds says the Forest Research Centre will build on the decades of research that has seen the company receive several accolades for its excellence in environmental management.
“Over the past 50 years, we’ve maintained an inhouse team of environmental researchers and contributed to collaborative projects, leading to significant progress in rehabilitation outcomes, water management, fauna management and return, and countless other advancements in environmental stewardship,” she said.
“Through the Forest Research Centre we aim not only to expand understanding of the forest, but contribute to improving overall forest health, as well as facilitating wide reaching application of the science across all manner of land uses and forest management globally.”
The centre will embrace several existing environmental research projects and provide a platform for research into the future.
Research will address five core pillars, continuing Alcoa’s focus on plant diversity return, fauna recolonisation and water stewardship, while introducing new areas of research to support forest conservation beyond mining and embrace Indigenous cultural values and practices through a “two-way” science program.
Ms Simmonds announced the Forest Research Centre at the Alcoa Environmental Symposium held at Murdoch University on May 16 May that brought together over 100 researchers, academics and industry and government stakeholders to share information on environmental research related to flora, fauna, water and climate.
Murdoch University’s Harry Butler Institute executive director Professor Treena Burgess welcomes the announcement and says the Forest Research Centre will enhance opportunities for ongoing improvement in environmental performance.
“Murdoch University and Alcoa have longstanding research collaborations focused on critical environmental challenges associated with mineral extraction, including fauna conservation, ecosystem restoration, and dieback management,” she said.
“The work that comes out of the new Forest Research Centre is likely to have broad, positive impacts on mine rehabilitation and sustainable land use.”
Ms Simmonds adds the Forest Research Centre will provide researchers with access to an extensive “living laboratory” covering unmined forest areas, rehabilitation from over the past 50 years and areas where mining has recently ceased, providing a broad range of research opportunities for both established researchers and students.
“Having this resource in close proximity to Perth and other key regional centres provides exceptional value as a training ground for the next generation of environmental specialists and we hope to grow on our current program of supporting Masters and PhD students with research aligned with the centre’s focus areas,” she said.
Alongside its own investment, Alcoa aims for the centre to attract additional collaborative research funding.
A governance committee will be established in coming months with the first new research projects expected to commence in early 2025.
