Algae and mining: A new frontier in sustainable site rehabilitation

Algae might seem an unlikely candidate to help transform Australia’s post-mining landscapes, but a new CSIRO -led project suggests these tiny aquatic organisms could provide sustainable futures for mine sites, surrounding ecosystems, and local communities. Looking down the microscope at the microalgae Nannochloropsis Australia’s mining sector is approaching a crossroads—where economic legacy and environmental responsibility must find common ground. A new CSIRO -led study, supported by the Cooperative Research Centre for Transformations in Mining Economies (CRC TiME), suggests that one of the most promising bridges between these imperatives may come from an unexpected source: algae. Though small in stature, algae are emerging as giants in their potential to transform post-mining landscapes. The study, developed in partnership with the University of Queensland and Murdoch University , proposes that algae-based technologies could reduce mining’s environmental footprint while seeding new...

Freeport adds $1m scholarship to Papua CSR

A $1 million scholarship program for Papuans to study in the USA, part of PT Freeport Indonesia’s corporate social responsibility program, has been welcomed by Indonesia's Deputy Minister of National Education, Fasli Jalal. “[This program] is strategic for Papua because the standards of Papuan universities, such as Universitas Cendrawasih and Universitas Negeri Papua, can increase through cooperation,” he said.

Freeport will not require recipients of the grants to work for the company.

Freeport will also continue to support the American-Indonesian Exchange Foundation's Fulbright program, which sent 22 masters degree scholarship recipients from Papua province to study in the USA between 1998 and 2009. This latest program will be valid for the next five years, from 2010 to 2015.