INNOVATION May-June 2017

f ea t u r e s

A New Afton mine project uses genomics to measure insect-species richness and diversity before and after site rehabilitation. P hoto : N ew G old

Wilson saw how this technology could provide measurable performance

2016, the International Barcode of Life (IBOL) library contained five million snippets of DNA from 550,000 species of plants, animals, and some microbes.

quickly and easily identify them—in much the same way universal product codes are used to identify items at a supermarket checkout counter. As of June

indicators for reclaimed mine sites and joined forces with Hebert and Fraser to design a genomics-driven monitoring project at New Afton. New Gold Manager for Environment, Social Responsibility and Tailings Scott Davidson, P. Geo., drives the project onsite. He says, “What we saw with genomics was an opportunity to understand species richness and biodiversity at the insect level, before and after rehabilitation.” Insects and spiders were collected in low-maintenance malaise traps—small, tent-like structures with collection bottles attached—at a range of previously disturbed, rehabilitated, and control grassland and wetland sites around the mine. These arthropods are abundant and play important roles as plant pollinators, nutrient recyclers, scavengers, and food for larger

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