Protecting the Alligator Rivers Region from the effects of uranium mining
The Alligator Rivers Region (ARR) is located about 220 km east of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. The ARR includes Kakadu National Park, which is a World Heritage area and is listed under the Ramsar convention on wetlands. Uranium exploration and mining in the ARR began in the 1950s, and by the mid-1960s four major deposits were identified. These were Ranger, Jabiluka, Koongarra and Nabarlek.
Ranger was the largest uranium mine to operate in the ARR. It operated from 1980 to January 2021. Decommissioning and rehabilitation of the site are currently being undertaken by the mining company.
The Office of the Supervising Scientist ensures the protection of the ARR and the local communities from the effects of uranium mining by undertaking environmental research and monitoring, participating in and overseeing the regulatory process and developing standards and practices for environmental protection. The branch currently has many research and assessment projects underway that focus on the rehabilitation of the Ranger mine.
