INDEPENDENCE GROUP NL SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2018

Environmental Report and in the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) Index of Biodiversity Surveys for Assessments. The centre piece of Tropicana’s offset strategy is the establishment of the Biodiversity Trust, administered by the Federal Government. The Trust has been set up to facilitate landscape level research, fund on-ground activities and provide direct offset to restore and rehabilitate degraded land outside the Tropicana Operation footprint. LONG OPERATION The Long Operation is located on the shore of Lake Lefroy, and the surrounding land is dominated by Eucalyptus woodlands and halophytic low shrublands. The Long Operation sits within the Goldfields region of Western Australia and is subject to extreme temperatures and periodic rainfall, predominantly in the winter months. The surrounding area of Long has had mining activities taking place for over 35 years. This has resulted in clearing for the construction of infrastructure, waste rock dumps, tailings storage facilities, processing plants, open pits and underground mines. The local environment has been degraded over time, as a result of mining town development and the historic use of public land of the surrounding area. In FY18, IGO completed two flora surveys, with particular focus on previously rehabilitated land. The surveys also inspected established reference sites and identified new, more representative vegetation communities for the purposes of refining closure completion criteria. JAGUAR OPERATION The Jaguar Operation has a long history of mining activities which has impacted the vegetation within the mining leases. Further impacts by both cattle grazing and a range of feral animals and introduced weeds can also be seen on surrounding pastoral properties. Large populations of introduced goats, dogs, cats and rabbits are periodically controlled to variable effect. Mulga woodlands and flora typical of the region’s ephemeral creek lines dominate the land surrounding the Jaguar Operation. The Jaguar Operation has conducted a number of fauna field surveys, with 57 bird species, eight native and four introduced mammals, 23 reptiles and four amphibians recorded. A desktop analysis of potential fauna distributions identified three mammal, one reptile and one bird species of conservation significance that could be present in the area due to the presence of suitable habitat. It should be noted that none of these species have been sighted since the early 1980s and it is now considered that they are locally extinct. Conversely, anecdotal evidence (increased sightings of breeding pairs) suggests there has been an increase in the population of birds of prey around Jaguar. PROGRESSIVE REHABILITATION IGO is committed to the progressive rehabilitation of our mine sites and exploration areas. Progressive rehabilitation speaks to the values of IGO. Good planning and a conscious awareness of the value of the Western Woodland environment in which Nova Operation is situated has kept the cleared footprint of the mine smaller than anticipated. Some of the clearing undertaken during construction was also repurposed for operational uses, thus reducing the overall disturbance footprint for essential infrastructure. The construction camp is now used for the core yard and the borrow pit, which was used for the airstrip construction, has been levelled in anticipation of the solar farm installation in FY19. As the main access road and airstrip were completed early in the construction process, additional clearing for borrow pits and other infrastructure was not required during operations. This enabled borrow pits to be rehabilitated before the mine was fully operational using earthmoving machinery and experienced personnel during construction. Undertaking progressive rehabilitation at this early stage in the mine's life has produced excellent results. The surface materials are showing great stability with complex native vegetation communities, and some evidence of fauna establishment. There is an abundance in the volume of growth and also diversity and strata in the regeneration of the vegetation over a number of soil types and landforms. Detailed fora surveys will be undertaken in FY19 to confirm these observations. These early results provide reassurance to the ongoing rehabilitation results. The successes and learnings that are captured in vegetation plots will be applied to future rehabilitation activities for greater certainty in timing, cost and expected vegetation and landscape stability results. CASE STUDY / ENVIRONMENT IGO SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2018— 73

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