Resourcing the Green Economy

Exploring new approaches to harness the planet’s natural resources and develop nature-positive solutions for sustainable societies of the future.

Mines deliver essential metals needed for the energy transition to renewable sources that will help humanity halt and reverse climate change.

We explore new frontiers to make new mineral discoveries, but we recognise that mining can damage both ecosystems and communities. We collaborate with national and international partners on projects that engage local communities to create biodiversity-positive mining practices and sustainable post-mining legacies. We’re seeking biological solutions to mining, waste management and rehabilitation strategies.

Regions of the deep sea are also currently being explored for their mineral potential. But there’s concern that mining could destroy this fragile ecosystem, which has likely remained unchanged for millions of years.

Our work has uncovered that the seafloor is far more diverse than anyone realised. The Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean is an area of interest, and at a conservative estimate, there are between 6,000 and 8,000 species here that are yet to be described by scientists. We work to assess this deep-sea biodiversity to evaluate the impact of human interventions and provide this evidence to policymakers.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that by 2050, we’ll need to produce 60% more food to feed a world population of 9.3 billion. This will have a significant impact on our natural resources if we continue with a business-as-usual approach to farming. Algae, fungi and plants play a crucial role in food security, medicine, industry and traditional uses.

We investigate wild species of food plants, their pests, pathogens and pollinators, crop domestication, advantageous crop traits and the development of new strains of crops that could thrive on our changing planet to feed Earth’s growing population into the future.

Projects