As part of the scope of BHP's Pilbara air quality program the miner is working with Curtin University and Greening Australia to establish a dust barrier between its operations and the community in and around Port Hedland, after years of dust emissions from stockpiles at Nelson Point.
Concerns about the dust's impact on public health were first raised by Western Australia's Environmental Protection Authority in 2009.
A dust management taskforce was set up by Colin Barnett's Liberal government which concluded seven years later that there was sufficient evidence of negative effects on human health from dust to warrant action.
In 2018 the WA government handed control of dust monitoring to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
Two years later the government approved a $200 million industry-funded voluntary buyback scheme for homes in the West End.
BHP promised to spend $300 million over five years to minimise dust emissions.
That includes $130 million to build a 2km long, 30m high fence upwind of the ore stockpiles at the loading facilities on Finucane Island and Nelson Point to reduce the wind speed going across the top of the ore stockpiles, so dust does not blow into town.
Phase one of the Pilbara air quality program involved planting about 80,000 seedlings specifically selected by IBN.
Another 80,000 seedlings are planned in phase 2, which is scheduled to begin in the coming months.
BHP hopes that as the plants grow and develop, they will create a natural dust barrier between its operations and the community.
IBN Services manager Evelyn Kroczek said it was an important contract for the business.
"We're very involved with the land and the country and we want to help look after it," she said.
Yurra has been contracted to manage ground works.
Yurra manager Justin Bryne said the company was working with Greening Australia to formulate the design and look at the plant mixes.
"We chose what we thought would grow well," he said
"We're also providing the local supervision as well as the project management."
