Life Sciences Commons^™

The Fringing Halophytic Vegetation Of Lake Austin: A Study Of Mining Impacts And Vegetation Dynamics, Simone Vellekoop

Theses : Honours

Mining operations in arid regions of Western Australia are faced with many environmental management issues. One such issue is the disposal of mine water to the environment. Mine water is commonly discharged to nearby salt lakes under licence by the Department of Environmental Protection. Licence conditions dictate that the discharge water and the receiving environment be monitored to allow impacts on the environment to be detected. Salt lakes are associated with vegetation communities dominated by halophytic members of the Chenopodiaceae, While these plants are tolerant of salinity extremes, the germination stage of many species requires periods of lowered salinity. There …