A Northern Territory gold mine that could create up to 80 jobs...

A Northern Territory gold mine that could create up to 80 jobs and provide a shot in the arm to the embattled nearby town of Pine Creek could be put in jeopardy by a rare and tiny flying mammal.

A small population of the ghost bat — which was listed as a threatened species in 2016 — exists at the site of the mothballed Union Reefs gold mine and poses an environmental hurdle to the project's reopening.

Research suggests there are less than 10,000 of these ghost bats, Macroderma gigas, in existence with up to 3,500 of these in the NT — and the population is declining.

Kirkland Lake Gold project director Mark Edwards said the bat population at the site was between 20 to 30 and the species was posing a challenge to their pending Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-30/ghost-bat-population-in-pine-creek-under-threat/11909568

Some more technical details here around mine, output and conservation efforts etc

https://www.katherinetimes.com.au/story/6525708/gold-miner-wants-to-find-new-homes-for-ghost-bats/