Calling All Biodiversity Enthusiasts – Quarry Life Award Submissions Open
We’re excited to announce that we’ll be participating in HeidelbergCement’s fifth edition of the Quarry Life Award contest over the next two years. This international biodiversity competition invites researchers, students, local communities and NGOs to participate in a unique corporate-community, scientific and educational initiative.
HeidelbergCement’s quarries will be opening their doors to community groups for this global competition.
The Quarry Life Award 2022 is a two-stream competition, held in 26 countries, with 62 participating quarries. Hanson Australia’s Langwarrin and Wollert quarries, along with Alex Fraser’s Clarinda Recycling Facility will be opening their doors to participants to submit their applications for either the Research or Community streams.
The Research stream is open to academics, scientists, topic experts and NGOs and will include scientific projects that increase the knowledge of quarry-specific ecology and/or lead to improved biodiversity, landscape or water management at extraction sites.
The Community stream is open to all individuals and organisations (including secondary schools, NGOs, youth clubs, community groups and environmental organisations) without a scientific background, but with a big heart for nature. This includes projects to assist the quarries and their operating units to better connect and raise awareness with the community surrounding biodiversity opportunities at extraction sites. The winning Research and Community teams will each win $7,500 (AUD).
Biodiversity management is a key component of the Quarry Life Award contest.
If the participants are interested in competing at an international level, each project proposal must meet one of the following categories:
- Biodiversity Management
- Habitat and Species
- Beyond Quarry Borders
- Biodiversity and Education
- Connecting Quarries and Local Communities
- Nature Based Solutions.
The best international projects in each of the six categories will win € 10,000 ($15,720AUD), and the overall winner will receive € 30,000 ($47,160AUD).
Species of fauna are often sighted at quarries.
Quarry Life Award Co-ordinator for Australia Ken Brown says that the judging panel will look favourably on ideas that improve biodiversity and rehabilitation outcomes.
“Topics to be addressed could be managing threatened species during extraction, improving habitat and diversity in the site rehabilitation phase or focusing on quarry wetlands which are important refuges for waterbirds and frogs.”
Past international winners include native plants and geo-ecological mapping to improve soil fertilization and vegetable production, evaluation seed enhancement technologies for use in biodiverse Banksia woodland restoration and quarries as stepping stones and corridors for bees and wasps.
Participating Australian quarries include Langwarrin (pictured), Wollert and Clarinda Recycling Facility.
View our participating quarries here:
Wollert Basalt Hard Rock Quarry
The Award is now open for submissions and will close on November 18, 2021. To be eligible to participate in the contest, students, researchers, NGOs and local communities are required to submit a project proposal by this date. If you or someone you know may be interested in participating in the program, visit Quarry Life Award to register.
Read more about this global competition in Quarry Magazine.