The Australian Federal Government has temporarily ceased plans to prolong the life of a majority Chinese state-owned mine in Tasmania following public outcry over its proposal to decimate a section of rainforest. The plan to extend the shelf life of Minerals and Metals Group’s (MMG) 85-year-old Rosebery Mine for another 40 years was put on hold after the Department of Environment found the project required assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act before it could proceed. The zinc, copper, lead, and gold mine—and the 500 workers it sustained—required new space to store its waste, and intended to construct a 140-hectare dam to hold the mine’s tailings. The plan would see a total of 285 hectares of wilderness, including parts of the Tarkine rainforest, cleared in the process. MMG, which is more than two-thirds owned by China Minmetals, encountered resistance from environmental protection group Bob Brown Foundation (BBF), …