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...

Pakistan resolves centre-provincial mining dispute

Pakistan's parliamentary committee on constitutional reforms has resolved the issue of sharing mineral and natural resources between the provinces and the federal government as it recommended joint control by the two levels of government with a 50% share in profit.

According to PakTribune sources, nationalist parties demanded to amend Article 172 of the Constitution and wanted ownership of minerals and ports by provinces instead of the federal government. However, stiff resistance to the proposal came from the Punjab government and from both the factions of the Pakistan Muslim League.

Article 172 reads: “Any property which has no rightful owner shall, if located in a province, vests in the government of that province, and in every other case, in the federal government. (2) All lands, minerals and other things of value within the constitutional shelf or underlying the ocean within the territorial waters of Pakistan shall vest in the federal government.”

Sources said after the resolution of the main issue on authority of controlling natural resources, the constitutional reforms committee is inching towards consensus on the issue of provincial authority.