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The Australian Government’s bioregional assessments programs provide transparent scientific information to better understand the potential impacts of unconventional gas and coal mining developments on water and the environment. There are two separate programs of bioregional assessments.
Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program
The Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program began in 2017 through to 2021. The Program will assess the potential impacts of unconventional gas development across three priority basins: the Cooper Basin; the Isa Superbasin; and the Beetaloo Sub-basin.
See: Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program for more information, including products available to date.
Bioregional Assessment Program
The Bioregional Assessment Program was completed in 2018 and looked at the impacts of coal seam gas and large coal mining developments on water resources and water-dependent assets over six bioregions. The Bioregional Assessment Program was one of a number of actions undertaken by the Australian Government to strengthen the science used to inform decisions on coal seam gas and large coal mining developments.
See: Bioregional Assessment Program for more information and available products.
How bioregional assessments can be used
Bioregional assessments from both programs will inform Commonwealth and state government decisions in regulating unconventional gas and coal mining operations. Development proponents can use the information in writing environmental impact statements for coal seam gas and coal mining proposals.
Bioregional assessments will also be used to identify data and knowledge gaps where further information is required before development applications proceed.
- Bioregional Assessment Program
- Lake Eyre Basin bioregion
- Northern Inland Catchments bioregion
- Clarence-Moreton bioregion
- Northern Sydney Basin bioregion
- Sydney Basin bioregion
- Gippsland Basin bioregion
- Indigenous assets
- Methods
- Bioregional assessment methodology
- Submethodologies
- Compiling water-dependent assets
- Assigning receptors to water-dependent assets
- Developing a coal resource development pathway
- Developing the conceptual model of causal pathways
- Surface water modelling
- Groundwater modelling
- Receptor impact modelling
- Propagating uncertainty through models
- Impacts and risks
- Systematic analysis of water-related hazards associated with coal resource development
- Assessment components
- Metadata and datasets
- Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program