In a balance of power position, the Greens (WA) will negotiate for an end to forest mining in Western Australia and greater protections for our forests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
WA has some of the most beautiful and biodiverse forests on earth yet bauxite mining is the number one cause of deforestation in these forests, with over 33,000 hectares already lost to this strip-mining practice and huge expansion proposals before government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These forests are vital for wildlife, biodiversity, water and climate and the Greens will prioritise their protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While aluminium and critical minerals are essential to the energy transition, the destruction of any more of our forests is a net loss for our climate and our state\u2019s dwindling biodiversity – mining must be off limits in native forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2023, the community was appalled when Environment Minister Reece Whitby and the Cook Government took the extraordinary step of granting <\/u><\/a>Alcoa a special exemption to continue clearing forests even while the WA Environmental Protection Authority undertakes an assessment of the company\u2019s impacts on the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Greens will hold the Cook Labor government to account and call an end to the prioritising of corporate profits over our precious forests and the endangered wildlife who call them home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a balance of power position, the Greens will push for:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Greens WA Forest Spokesperson Jess Beckerling:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have some of the most beautiful, biodiverse forests on Earth, and we\u2019re treating them like a giant quarry. This has to come to an end.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is impossible to restore a jarrah forest after bauxite mining. The science is very clear that once they\u2019re gone they\u2019re gone forever.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe community was appalled when Minister Whitby and the Cook Government recently granted Alcoa a special exemption to keep clearing even while the EPA finally assesses its impacts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s staggering that the Cook Government has allowed clearing to continue even in the face of the Water Corporation stating that a contamination event from Alcoa\u2019s strip mining is considered certain, and that it constitutes the most significant risk to Perth and the South West\u2019s water quality.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n WA Greens MLC Dr Brad Pettitt:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight now, almost nowhere in WA is off limits to mining projects.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have so much land, yet we allow these massive multinational companies to deforest and destroy some of the most biodiverse habitats in our state, home to critically endangered species.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight now, the South West Black Cockatoos are in serious trouble with the Perth Zoo and wildlife centres reporting an inundation of starving cockatoos coming into their care.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cProtecting what remains of our native forests and restoring their habitat is the only way to prevent further decline and the unthinkable extinction of these beloved birds.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Greens WA candidate Diane Evers:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMining Exclusion Zones are required throughout the southwest to protect areas for conservation, food security, tourism and other economic activities.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur Mining Act is 45 years old and no longer reflects the interests of our communities. Nowhere in the legislation is the term, \u201cpublic interest\u201d defined.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur southwest forests provide considerable economic value to the nearby communities for recreation, honey production, and biological research, and this is in addition to the physical and mental health values of interacting with nature.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur Environmental Protection Authority should be fully independent and assess mining applications taking into account the cumulative impact on the forest over time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Background<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The current primary cause of deforestation in WA\u2019s south west forests is bauxite mining by Alcoa and South32. In the past sixty years, bauxite mining has been responsible for the clearing of at least 33,000 hectares of publicly owned forests. The rate of clearing for bauxite mining is accelerating \u2013 with more than a third of this area cleared between 2010 and 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The loss of forest from mining activities is permanent. The science is very clear – jarrah forests do not regrow after bauxite mining. This forest destruction has profoundly devastating impacts on Black Cockatoos, Quokkas and other endangered wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n South West Black Cockatoos rely on the nesting and feeding habitat in the Northern Jarrah Forests. Following WA\u2019s longest, hottest, driest summer on record, and the resulting drought impacts on the forests, all three species are reportedly struggling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Perth Zoo and wildlife centres are reporting an inundation of starving cockatoos coming into their care and experts are renewing calls for habitat to be protected and restored to prevent their extinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bauxite mining in our forests is also risking Perth\u2019s water. The Water Corporation has said that Alcoa\u2019s strip mining in water supply catchments \u201cthe single most significant risk to water quality in Perth and the South West\u201d and that a contamination event is \u201cconsidered certain\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a balance of power position, the Greens (WA) will negotiate for an end to forest mining in Western Australia and greater protections for our forests. WA has some of the most beautiful and biodiverse forests on earth yet bauxite mining is the number one cause of deforestation in these forests, with over 33,000 hectares … Continue reading “Greens WA call for end to forest mining”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aussie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31003"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31004,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31003\/revisions\/31004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}