Record fine for gold miner highlights plight of tiny bat

AIM Mining Corporation has been hit with a record $118,000 fine for environmental breaches at its Warrawoona Gold Project in Western Australia's Pilbara region.

The penalty, the largest cumulative fine of its type registered by the Department of Climate Change, the Environment, Energy, and Water, stems from six infringement notices. All notices were related to inadequate safeguards for the threatened Pilbara leaf-nosed bat, a small, orange-furred creature listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

The Australian Conservation Foundation called the fine a "slap on the wrist," questioning its adequacy given the value of suburban properties. The regulator stated the open-cut mine violated its approvals by exceeding groundwater extraction limits, failing to implement a species management plan, and not reporting violations. The company also neglected its obligation to investigate lower control limits for the bat and install artificial roosts.

Bat expert Bob Bullen, who consulted on the project, noted the bat's natural preference for areas prone to industrial activity, as caves often form in mineral-rich strata. He mentioned that one mine shaft at the Warrawoona project sheltered up to 2,000 bats in 2020, representing one of the state's largest colonies. The extraction of groundwater for mining operations is a critical concern for the species' habitat.

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If you think that there are suburban houses in Perth that are changing hands for a million dollars this weekend, it doesn't seem like a lot.