Sharing resources
Creating opportunities for sustainable regional industries is one of Comalco’s community objectives. Comalco is one of the world’s largest aluminium producers and part of the Rio Tinto Group. One such project is the cooperative partnership with local business Nanum Tawap. Nanum Tawap is a company owned
by the five clans of the Napranum region, who log timber on the mining lease prior to the mining process. Timber from harvests was exported to Hong Kong for use at the new Disneyland.
While Nanum Tawap had successfully harvested timber on the mining lease in previous years, a modification of the harvest process in 2004 saw a significant increase in the amount of timber they were able to collect. In the past, timber was salvaged after an area was cleared for mining but this resulted in poor returns due to the inaccessibility of the fallen timber and damage during the felling process. In 2004, a partnership was formed between Comalco, Nanum Tawap and state government that agreed the timber could be harvested prior to felling. The arrangements took into consideration mine safety, heritage management, forestry codes of practice, licensing and access. Improvements included 1560 cubic metres of timber harvested without incident in 2004, compared to an average of 50 cubic metres in previous years. Employees at Nanum Tawap also collect seeds from local native plants, which are used by Comalco in the revegetation and rehabilitation process.
Queensland’s Department of State Development and Innovation and the Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry played vital roles in the development of the Comalco - Nanum Tawap partnership. Outcomes include economic, employment and training benefits for the clans, along with improved timber resource management on the mine lease. The partnership demonstrates the practical way the region’s natural resources can be shared by combining forces, to ensure the economic benefits of timber harvesting stay close to home.
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