ioneer Ltd has expressed full support for the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) proposal to create a critical habitat as part of a proposed rule to list Tiehm’s buckwheat as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The critical habitat proposal is in line with ioneer’s expectations and previous communications to the market, and the company continues to fully support the FWS’ efforts in the ongoing management and protection of Tiehm’s buckwheat populations at the Rhyolite Ridge Project, including an ESA listing.
ioneer says this anticipated development has no material impact on its planned mining activities, as it has already been accounted for.
Tiehm’s buckwheat is found along the western margin of ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron ore deposit in Nevada.
Mining in areas designated critical habitat is allowable with approval from the FWS and US Bureau of Land Management (BLM). ioneer is working closely with both agencies to ensure its proposed activities will not impact the conservation of the species.
Fully committed to preservation
“We fully support the proposed ESA listing by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the work it and the BLM are undertaking to safeguard Tiehm’s buckwheat,” ioneer managing director Bernard Rowe said.
“ioneer reiterates its commitment to preservation of this species. From the beginning, the Rhyolite Ridge operation has been designed and planned to incorporate the conservation and protection of Tiehm’s buckwheat.
“We have always firmly understood the need to protect this species, irrespective of its listing status.”
ioneer says the protection and conservation of Tiehm’s buckwheat, which is already classified as a Sensitive Species by the BLM, is and always has been a central part of its environmental planning and approvals process for the project.
Considerable investment in management
“To ensure Tiehm’s buckwheat is not only protected but that its populations are expanded in the years to come, ioneer has made considerable investments into the most comprehensive studies and efforts into management strategies to date,” Rowe continued.
“We will continue this work in partnership with the FWS and the BLM to ensure the long-term viability of the plant population at Rhyolite Ridge.
“ioneer will ensure the necessary measures are in place to mitigate any potential indirect impacts of our operations and natural threats to the plant.
“Core to our strategy is avoidance (no direct impact) and minimisation of any indirect impacts by our operations coupled with appropriate mitigation measures.”
Confident in ability to sustainably coexist
“Our propagation and seedling transplant programs will not only see populations expanded, but also reduce the risk to the plant from further climate-related impacts and herbivory,” Rowe said.
“Based upon the best available science, we are highly confident that with a combination of avoidance, protection and seedling propagation, as has been successfully demonstrated with other mat buckwheat species in the region, we can achieve the successful coexistence of Tiehm’s buckwheat and our environmentally significant project, which will supply critically needed lithium products in the US.”
About ioneer
ioneer is expected to be the first new lithium chemicals producer in the US in more than 60 years and plans to become a major supplier of lithium and boron products to the US and global markets for many decades.
The company owns a 100% interest in the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Nevada, the only known lithium-boron deposit in North America and one of only two known such deposits in the world.
A definitive feasibility study (DFS) completed in April 2020 confirmed Rhyolite Ridge as a world-class lithium and boron project that is expected to become a globally significant, long-life, low-cost source of lithium and boron vital to a sustainable future.