Environmental Management The Kintyre Uranium Project lies on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert in the Eastern Pilbara Region of Western Australia, about 1,200 kilometres NNE of Perth. This is a transition zone between the Great Sandy Desert and Little Sandy Desert - an arid setting of exposed bedrock, low mesas and dry water courses. The Kintyre prospect is adjacent to the northern boundary of the Rudall River National Park, in the catchment of the Yandagooge Creek system. This system is separated by low hills from the catchment of the Rudall River System. The Rudall River National Park was established in 1977 to preserve the integrity of Rudall River, an example of an arid dry river ecosystem. The mining and processing operations at Kintyre will pose no threat to the Rudall River system or the conservation values of the National Park.

There is little immediate prospect for tourism in this remote region. Infrastructure is virtually non-existent, with only unsealed roads and tracks traversing the very long distances between the Rudall River area and tourist support facilities. Environmental Management At the time of the uranium discovery in 1985, little was known about the ecology of the Kintyre area and Rudall River region. Since then, Canning Resources (originally the developer of the Kintyre Project) has undertaken a number of detailed ecological and environmental studies in the area. These have confirmed that the Kintyre area is not unique in the region, and that no human community, or animal or plant ecosystem, will be disrupted by the development of the uranium project at Kintyre. A herbarium of plant species collected in the Kintyre area by Canning Resources has been donated to the Western Australian Museum. In 1993, the Yandagooge Creek System was excised from the National Park, placing the Kintyre Project outside the park's boundaries. In its approach to responsible environmental management, Canning Resources made no distinction between areas within the park and areas outside the park. All exploration and development work at Kintyre has been conducted in strict accordance with the guidelines approved by CALM for work in the Park. Close co-operation with State and Federal governments has helped teh company to maintain the industry's good record in environmental management.

Environmental Approval Kintyre will undergo a rigorous environmental assessment process before mining can start. An environmental impact study will be prepared, based on guidelines developed by the relevant State and Federal agencies. In Western Australia, the assessment process is administered by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), while the Federal process is controlled by Environment Australia. For developments such as Kintyre, the highest level of assessment requires the preparation of an Environmental Review and Management Programme (ERMP), and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Canning Resources commenced preparing these assessment documents, which will be available for extensive review and comment by the public prior the their evaluation by the EPA and EA. Based on these evaluations, the EPA and EA will establish the legally binding conditions under which the Kintyre Project may proceed. Environmental Safeguards The requirements and obligations under the ERMP are only part of environmental safeguards under which Kintyre must operate. Uranium mining is also constrained by the Australian Government's Codes of Practice relating to the mining, processing and transportation of radioactive materials. Under these codes, Kintyre will require approval from regulatory authorities prior to the start of mining, and must submit monitoring results at prescribed intervals. Decommissioning and Rehabilitation When mining and production has been completed at the Kintyre mine site, the entire area will be rehabilitated, using procedures developed and proven by Rio Tinto during rehabilitation of exploration activities in the area. All equipment will be cleaned or buried in an approved landfill. A unique aspect of the uranium recovery process at Kintyre will be the greatly reduced volume of tailings, compared to any other uranium project. In addition, the tailings will be dewatered prior to disposal, thus alternatives to a tailings dam can be considered for final disposal. Tailing dams have been the greatest source of problems in the rehabilitation of uranium mining sites around the world. Rio Tinto has already demonstrated its ability to successfully rehabilitate a uranium mining site. Through its subsidiary, Mary Kathleen Uranium Ltd, Rio Tinto operated a uranium mine and treatment plant at Mary Kathleen in Queensland between 1958 and 1963, and again between 1976 and 1982. When the mine closed, the company successfully rehabilitated the site to the highest environmental standards, at a cost of $A19 million. In 1988, this rehabilitation project received the Institute of Engineers Award for Excellence in Engineering. For its exploration and evaluation activities in the Rudall River region, Rio Tinto Exploration has already agreed a set of rehabilitation criteria with CALM and the Department of Minerals and Energy. Officers from these authorities regularly visit the area to monitor and report on current operations. The company's rehabilitation work won it a favorable response from CALM. Water and Dust The mining and processing facilities at Kintyre will be designed, operated and monitored in order to prevent pollution of the surrounding area by contaminated water or dust. Concern has been expressed by some Aboriginal people that the communities at Parnngurr (Mt Cotten) and Punmu (Lake Dora) may be affected by contaminated water and dust from the project. In fact, this cannot happen. Kintyre is in a different water drainage basin, Yandagooge, from that of the two communities. Kintyre is 80 kilometres from Mt Cotten and 120 kilometres from Lake Dora. For similar reasons, there is no risk of contamination from radioactive dust. The level of radioactive dust within the site will be kept within prescribed safety limits to protect the work force. Away from the mine site, radioactivity will be at natural background levels. In any event, prevailing winds blow away from the two Aboriginal communities. Existing Land Use Currently, there is no economic land use in the Rudall region. The nearest pastoral leases (Wandyana and Balfour Downs) are about 40 kilometres west of the Rudall River National Park Boundary. The nearest major mining centre is Telfer, about 90 kilometres to the north. In this present situation, there are no means by which local Aboriginal communities can realise their wish to be economically independent. In the immediate future, the only economically viable activity in the region is the development of mineral deposits, both known and potential. Impacts in Perspective The Rudall River region is so vast and sparsely populated that there will be few, if any, negative social impacts from the Kintyre Project. The only permanent communities in the National Park are at Punmu and Parnngurr, and total about 200 people. At Kintyre, the mine, processing plant and all support infrastructure will occupy an area of less than 6 square kilometres, immediately around the mine site. All private vehicles will be banned, and recreation facilities will be restricted to the project site. Potential Land Uses Aboriginal Needs Land tenure is a primary concern for Aboriginal communities in the Rudall area. In its 1992 Mabo Judgement, the High Court of Australia ruled that the common law of Australia recognized native title to land. Native title claims do exert an influence over mining and exploration activities, and Kintyre is no exception. It is important, however, than such claims recognize the need for exploration and mining in the region. Canning Resources comenced negotiations with relevant government, aboriginal and community bodies to reach an agreement in relation to the Kintyre project. Exploration Since exploration and drilling activities are transient and affect only very small areas of land, Rio Tinto has been able to successfully negotiate exploration licenses. Throughout Australia, access to land for exploration is vital if the mining industry is to continue its major input into the nation's economy. Kintyre and the Rudall region are excellent examples of the potential benefits which come from exploration conducted without harm to the environment. Mining Mining offers the best opportunity for efficient land use in the region.The entire mining project at Kintyre will be less than 6 square kilometres in area, and anthropological surveys of the site have not discovered any sites of significance to Aboriginal people. Tourism In and around the Rudall region there is some potential for tourism, albeit for a small section of the public. This will have little impact, and there will be no further growth, unless better access roads and facilities are developed. General This is a vast land area with minimal economic potential,except for mining. However, there are a number of competing interests for the land, which, through co-operation, can find mutual benefit in each other's activities. These complementary interests can include: potential employment and training for Aboriginals in mining and tourism providing a mine tour for visitors to the region Once a viable economic centre, such as the Kintyre mining operation is established, there will be many more possibilities for mutually beneficial partnerships in the region. Multiple land use will bring benefit to all potential users.