BHP today announced a further A$5.5 million contribution to Australia’s largest nature discovery project, Bush Blitz.

The national partnership between BHP, the Australian Government and Earthwatch, aims to discover, document and describe Australia’s unique plants and animals, of which only a quarter are currently known to science.

So far around 45,000 plant and animal species have been recorded and over 1,700 new species have been discovered.

Speaking at an event to mark the continuation of this highly successful partnership, Geoff Healy, BHP Chief External Affairs Officer, said Bush Blitz was a great example of BHP’s commitment to the environment.

“Bush Blitz has been an enormous success over the last ten years, and this new funding will guarantee that this important work is able to carry-on over the next five years.

“The success of the Bush Blitz program shows what great things can be achieved when the public, private and not-for-profit sectors come together to reach shared goals and tackle some of our most pressing environmental challenges”

Aside from the donation, the program also gives BHP employees the chance to participate in field work and contribute to the on-ground teams undertaking surveys and identifying new species. So far, more than 80 BHP employees have involved, and the program hopes to engage a further 100 employees over the next five years.

Mr Healy stressed the importance of helping to develop the next group of internal biodiversity advocates.

“To us, this is what Sustainability is all about” he said.