Pilbara Rehabilitation Group: industry working together

Authors: Duncan, L; de San Miguel, V; Chester, P; Wittkuhn, R Download Paper Open access courtesy of:

DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2615_21

Cite As:
Duncan, L, de San Miguel, V, Chester, P & Wittkuhn, R 2026, 'Pilbara Rehabilitation Group: industry working together', in AB Fourie, G Boggs, J Heyes & M Tibbett (eds), Mine Closure 2026: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Mine Closure, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 1-14, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2615_21



Abstract:
The Western Australian Pilbara region is undergoing significant mining activity where the cumulative scale of disturbance has intensified the focus on effective land rehabilitation. Success requires proven techniques to re-establish the region’s unique ecology, particularly with the constraints of skeletal soils, arid climate with infrequent but intense rainfall, and complex native seed germination requirements. Since these challenges are similar for neighbouring operators managing the same landscape, collaboration beyond tenure-defined boundaries presents scope to realise significant landscape level opportunities. The Pilbara Rehabilitation Group (PRG) is an industry-led, practitioner-focused partnership bringing together major mining and energy companies operating in the Pilbara, including Rio Tinto, BHP, Hancock Iron Ore, Fortescue, and Mineral Resources Limited. PRG fosters a trusted peer network through webinars, workshops, forums, and site visits where members exchange operational experience and insights on priorities such as research and trials, native seed sourcing and supply, progressive rehabilitation, mine plan integration and execution, completion criteria and monitoring approaches suited to Pilbara conditions. These platforms have enabled partnership in collaborative projects, including benchmarking rehabilitation performance criteria and refining both landform design principles and execution methods using applied, proven examples. Building on this strong foundation, PRG’s initiatives enable members to de‑risk innovation by pooling resources, sharing costs and collectively learning from trials. Its structure unites practitioners from companies at different stages of maturity, breaking down siloed thinking and accelerating the uptake of proven techniques. These combined efforts create a shared knowledge base that upskills practitioners, drives development of standardised best practice and provides opportunity for the co-development of scalable solutions for improved rehabilitation outcomes. This paper outlines PRG’s collaborative approach, showcases key projects and shares lessons learned, highlighting how alignment on priorities delivers tangible benefits in the Pilbara with insights transferable to other mining regions facing similar challenges.

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