Minmetals Resources Limited 2011 Sustainability Report (PDF)

CASE STUDY: Declared rare flora monitoring and protection at Golden GroveStylidium sp. Yalgoo is a small perennial trigger plantthat typically flowers between August and September.Approximately 100 millimetres high, it has two greenbasal leaves on the ground and a single or sometimesbranched red stem with one or more pearl-whiteflowers. The flowers are approximately 20 millimetresacross with vibrant pink markings on the upper surfaceat the base of the petals.Stylidium sp. Yalgoo was first identified at GoldenGrove during a flora survey in 2008 at which time theplant held a ‘Priority One’ conservation status. In August2010, Stylidium sp. Yalgoo was gazetted as Threatened/Declared Rare Flora (Minister for Environment, 2010),and ranked as vulnerable, meaning that it is consideredto be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. Thisstatus means Stylidium sp. Yalgoo is subject to legalprotection under the Australian Wildlife Protection Act1950 to ensure no loss of known individuals. Only withMinisterial approval can Threatened/Declared Rare Florabe removed.Stylidium sp. Yalgoo in flower.During field surveys conducted in August and September2011, more than 158,357 individual plants in a totalof 11 Stylidium sp. Yalgoo populations were locatedthroughout our tenements. Prior to this, the WesternAustralian FloraBase had records of 30,000 individualspreviously surveyed up to September 2009.While the populations located throughout our surveysare comparatively large, they remain confined to arelatively small area of the local region. Populationshave been mostly located on mining tenements close toactive exploration sites, and as such, these populationsare potentially under threat.As we are responsible for the monitoring and protectionof the Stylidium sp. Yalgoo populations within theGolden Grove tenements, Threatened and Priority Florareport forms were completed for the populations foundduring the 2011 searches and submitted to theDepartment of Environment and Conservation (DEC).This information assists DEC in their regional monitoringand management of the species.Golden Grove’s Threatened Flora management programis evolving as part of our ongoing commitment to theprotection of conservation-significant flora. This willprovide a means to monitor, assess and implementconservation practices to ensure the protection ofStylidium sp. Yalgoo at Golden Grove.Counting Stylidum sp. Yalgooindividuals during targeted searches.SUSTAINING OUR ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE RESPECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT WORKING WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS HEALTH AND SAFETY OUR PEOPLE59