Independence Group Sustainability Report 2019

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT We work in some of Australia’s most biologically, ecologically and culturally rich environments. Responsible environmental management plays a significant role in maintaining our social licence to operate and is an important aspect of our legal compliance and permitting. While IGO’s environmental impacts are relatively minor, we have an ongoing commitment to making a real but proportionate contribution to addressing the global environmental challenges, such as global warming, biodiversity loss, deforestation, water pollution, soil degradation or loss and waste management. We are committed to understanding the impacts that our activities have on both our host communities and the environments in which we operate. It is essential that our knowledge and understanding informs decision-making so we can mitigate or minimise against any negative impacts and employ acceptable solutions. We conduct our environmental management activities throughout the business life cycle in accordance with our Environmental Policy and our environmental standards for rehabilitation and mine closure, social and environmental impact assessment, mineral waste management, water management, land use and biodiversity management, air emissions management, and general waste management. Working in rich and biodiverse regions IGO are privileged to work in some of Australia’s most unique and remote regions, with important biological, ecological and cultural heritage values. We are committed to contributing to the conservation of biodiversity and seek to understand and protect the flora and fauna communities at each of our operations. Our Nova Operation and exploration activities in the Fraser Range are situated within the Great Western Woodland (GWW), the largest relatively untouched temperate woodland. The GWW covers an area of almost 16 million hectares. It is composed predominantly of woodland, shrubland and mallee communities with a high diversity of Eucalyptus species. Field studies conducted within the Nova Operation area during its feasibility phase found a total of 45 vegetation communities, comprising 28 eucalypt woodland communities, 13 mixed shrublands and scrub communities, and four hummock grassland communities. A total of 142 vertebrate fauna species, including 40 reptile, 82 bird and 20 mammal species were recorded. The Nova Operation area represents 0.03 per cent of the GWW’s total area. Northern parts of our Fraser Range exploration project area fall within the proposed Lake Harris Class C Nature Reserve and the Plumridge Lakes Class A Nature Reserve. Several tenements in the southern part of the project are located within the Dundas Nature Reserve. IGO is required to operate under approved conservation management plans when working in these nature reserves. The Tropicana Operation is located on the western edge of the Great Victoria Desert, considered to be the largest desert in Australia. The Great Victoria Desert contains a number of protected reserves, including Plumridge Lakes Nature Reserve and Queen Victoria Springs Nature Reserve. It is situated in an area of high biological significance and is subject to an integrated conservation management strategy developed to ensure that flora and fauna are protected. The Tropicana Operation have implemented a threatened species management strategy to identify potential risks and mitigate any impacts on threatened species. It is also a culturally significant region for the Traditional Owners of the land, including the Wongatha and Spinifex peoples. As party to the Tropicana Joint Venture, the Tropicana Operation approval was subject to an offset strategy, which included the establishment of a conservation 38 — IGO SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2019 SECTION 3 RESPONSIBLE OPERATIONS