The Environmental Excellence through the Mining Cycle research group is a leading provider of environmental solutions for the mining industry. We deliver innovative and sustainable outcomes from exploration through to closure. Our team collaborates extensively with stakeholders and research partners in Australia and internationally, offering technical depth across:
- Hydrology, hydrogeology and soil hydrology
- Water resources engineering
- Spatial and data science
- Climate science
- Aquatic ecology
These disciplines are integrated to address complex environmental challenges, including water resource management in a changing climate, and improving environmental performance across the sector.
Core research activities
- Environmental diagnostics and pathways to highly reliable environmental performance
- Integrated regional water management
- Climate adaptation and mitigation, including renewable energy deployment on mine land and biofuel crop farming
- Mitigation of water quality risks: erosion and sediment control, development of algae- and plant-based mine water treatment technologies
Services
- Capacity building and professional development, with a range of online courses
- Technical support and independent reviews
- Development of sustainability strategies, informed by research on high reliability organisations to embed environmental performance into industry culture.
Traditional Owners
Our team has established collaborations with Aboriginal groups to provide more effective pathways for conserving environmental and cultural values. Our research aims to foster mutually beneficial partnerships by providing Traditional Owners with the tools to advocate for their land, and provide knowledge that can inform sustainable mining practices and support effective governance.
Group Leader
Professor Claire Côte
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Research Team
Professor Neil McIntyre
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Dr Robynne Chrystal
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Dr Louisa Rochford
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Dr Mandana Shaygan
View Mandana Shaygan's research profile
Dr Pascal Bolz
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HDR students
The Environmental Excellence through the Mining Cycle research group undertakes a wide range of research in hydrology, hydrogeology and soil hydrology, water resources engineering, spatial and data science, climate science and aquatic ecology. For a full project list, please click here.
Peer-reviewed journals
Bulovic, N., McIntyre, N., Trancoso, R., 2024. Climate change risks to mine closure. J. Clean. Prod. 142697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.142697
Bulovic, N., McIntyre, N., Trancoso, R., Bolz, P., Shaygan, M., 2024. Downscaled climate model erosivity projections and drivers of change across distinct climate regions. CATENA 244, 108250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2024.108250
Howe, L., Cote, C., Johnston, S., 2025. Applying High Reliability Organisation Theory to Guide Implementation of the Global Industry Standard for Tailings Management (GISTM). Bus. Strat. Environ. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70427
Howe, L., Johnston, S., Côte, C., 2024. How Reliable Is Environmental Management in Mining? Learnings Through Analysis of Sustainability Reports. Corp. Soc. Responsib. Environ. Manag. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.3085
Hilton, M., Shaygan, M., McIntyre, N., Baumgartl, T., Edraki, M., 2019. The Effect of Weathering on Salt Release from Coal Mine Spoils. Minerals 9, 760. https://doi.org/10.3390/min9120760
McIntyre, N., Jain, K.R., Edraki, M., 2021. Modelling of Salt Leaching from Coal Mine Spoils at Two Scales. Mine Water Environ. 40, 902–918. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-021-00797-9
Kemanga, B., McIntyre, N., Bulovic, N., 2024. Hydrological classification of mine pit lakes using modelling experiments. J. Environ. Manag. 370, 123057. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123057
González-Martínez, M-D, Huguet, C, Camacho, LA, Pearse, J, McIntyre, M. 2019. Assessment of potential contamination of Paramo soil and downstream water supplies in a coal mining region of Colombia. Applied Geochemistry 108, 104382, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2019.104382
Anzooman, M., McKenna, P.B., Ufer, N., Baumgartl, T., McIntyre, N., Shaygan, M., 2024. Assessing the Post-Fire Recovery of Mined-Under Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone. Land 13, 2253. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13122253
Integrating mines into the regional landscape and economy
Pagliero, L., McIntyre, N., Aitken, D., Bolz, P., Jamett, N., Pérez-Murillo, G., Rivero, F., Herrera-León, S., Ordens, C.M., Campos, L., García, G., Cisternas, L.A., 2024. Sustainable integration of desalinated seawater into regional water supply networks using a participatory modelling framework. Environ. Sci. Polic. 155, 103714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103714
Robertson, J., Côte, C., Stevens, S., 2024. Examining reported company commitments to water stewardship: Working beyond the mine? Resour. Polic. 96, 105193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2024.105193
Rochford, L.M., Bulovic, N., Ordens, C.M., McIntyre, N., 2023.What makes them pump? Factors influencing groundwater extraction for cattle grazing in a semi-arid region. Agricultural Water Management. 279, 108158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108158.
Worden, S., Svobodova, K., Côte, C., Bolz, P., 2024. Regional post-mining land use assessment: An interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach. Resour. Polic. 89, 104680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2024.104680
Sun, Z., Zhao, Y., Bolz, P., Côte, C., Ren, J., 2025. A multimethod GIS-based framework for site selection of underground pumped storage power stations using closing coal mines: A case study of the Shanxi province, China. Renew. Energy 243, 122521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2025.122521
Lèbre, E., Czarnota, K., Walsh, S.D.C., Haynes, M., Ufer, N., Sonter, L.J., Sreekar, R., Bolz, P., Bulovic, N., Côte, C., Kunz, N.C., Micklethwaite, S., Northey, S.A., Rochford, L.M., Schodde, R., Seligmann, B., Sturman, K., 2025. ESG mapping of the Australian mining sector – The state of play on mobilising spatial datasets for decision making. Resour. Polic. 105, 105592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2025.105592
Lèbre, É., Stringer, M., Svobodova, K., Owen, J.R., Kemp, D., Côte, C., Arratia-Solar, A., Valenta, R.K., 2020. The social and environmental complexities of extracting energy transition metals. Nat Commun 11, 4823. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18661-9
Moreno-Silva, C.P., Pagliero, L., McIntyre, N., 2024. Environmental and Social Impacts from Desalinated Water Supply Projects. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5051497
Contact us
Get in touch to learn more about our research.
Professor Claire Côte
Group Leader - Environmental Excellence through the Mining Cycle
The Ecological Engineering in Mining research group sits within the Centre for Environmental Responsibility in Mining (CERM).