3.4.6.3 Potential ecosystem impacts

The New Acland Coal Mine Stage 3 zone of potential hydrological change includes small areas of human-modified landscapes that are likely to have a heavy dependence on groundwater and surface water extracted from nearby aquifers and streams (e.g. intensive uses and production from irrigated agriculture and plantations) (Figure 33 and Table 8). Most of the remaining areas of non-remnant vegetation are classified as ‘Conservation and natural environments’, ‘Production from dryland agriculture and plantations’ and ‘Production from relatively natural environments’. These landscape classes are reliant on incident rainfall and local surface water runoff, with limited groundwater dependency.

The zone of potential hydrological change near The Range proposed coal mine contains large areas of non-remnant vegetation classified as ‘Production from relatively natural environments’, with smaller areas classified as ‘Conservation and natural environments’ and ‘Production from dryland agriculture and plantations’. These landscapes are reliant on incident rainfall and local surface water runoff, with limited groundwater dependency. Small areas are classified as ‘Intensive uses’ and ‘Production from irrigated agriculture and plantations’, which are likely to have some dependence on groundwater and surface water extracted from nearby aquifers and streams.