The Mitchell Plateau Region (north Kimberley) – Under threat

• The natural values of the region
• Threats to the region
• The Solutions
• About the Norsk Hydro and UMC Joint venture
• What you can do

The Mitchell Plateau region is approximately 350km north-east of Derby in the far north west of the Kimberley, Western Australia (WA). It is the home of the Wunambal people. From the plateau the Mitchell and Lawley rivers drain into the spectacular Admiralty Gulf. An area of high rainfall and unique geography this region is of very high conservation significance.

UMC/Norsk Hydro Joint venture bauxite tenements - CLICK MAP TO ENLARGE

Due to its remoteness, ruggedness and extremely high rainfall the Mitchell Plateau region has, until recently, been protected from many of the impacts of industrial society.

The Mitchell Plateau/Lawley River region combines a unique mix of tropical and sub-tropical habitats. It is one of the least disturbed ecosystems left in the world and is the last refuge for many species that are either unique to the area or extinct elsewhere.

The north Kimberley is the only region in WA and one of the few in Australia where no mammal species have yet been recorded as extinct.

Both the environmental and cultural values are of World Heritage significance, and both are currently under threat.

Despite the almost universal recognition of the outstanding natural and cultural values of the north Kimberley/Mitchell Plateau region, the granting many decades ago of bauxite mining tenements over most of the region – historically owned by Rio Tinto Ltd – has blocked attempts to adequately conserve the area.

Mertens falls, Mitchell Plateau. Photo: Jiri Lochman. Copyright: Lochman Transparencies

The natural values of the region

The Mitchell/Lawley Rivers Region (Ngauwudu) is a distinct landscape in the north-west Kimberley: a landscape of beauty and diversity that is absolutely unique and highly significant on a world scale.

The area is characterised by a plateau made up of a combination of basalt, laterite and sandstone substrates patterned by rivers and gorges fed by the region’s high rainfall. The plateau features the majestic sights and sounds of the world famous Mitchell Falls – the centerpiece of a rapidly expanding tourism industry.

The diverse habitats of the region include mound springs, swamps, "dry" rainforest patches, vine thickets, swamp rainforest, mangroves, mighty rivers and riparian zones, and savannah woodlands.

This diversity has resulted in stunning natural features and a distinctive array of plants and animals including an amazing 45 species of mammals such as the rare Monjon (rock wallaby), hundreds of bird species including the endangered Gouldian Finch, rare and endemic reptiles such as the cave-dwelling frog and diverse vegetation including the Livistona eastonii palm community, unique in Western Australia.

Some of the other outstanding natural values of the region include:

Diverse and unique rainforest patches – every rainforest patch studied to date has been found to contain species found absolutely nowhere else in the world (e.g. land snail species).

The region is currently considered to be free of some of the feral species such as foxes and rabbits – and cane toads - that plague other Australian ecosystems.

There are diverse and numerous wetlands – e.g. Airfield Swamp on the Mitchell Plateau (a large perched paperbark forest wetland).

The region is well known for the presence of Livistona palms up to 18m high -there are no other substantial areas in WA where palms are such a dominant feature of the vegetation.

An impressive 14 species of freshwater fish have been recorded in the Mitchell/Lawley Rivers Region including the endangered Freshwater Sawfish.

Strip mining means large scale clearing and major erosion problems, once destroyed it is often impossible to rehabilitate these areas. Embley River catchment, Cape York Peninsula. Photo: Glenn Walker

The Threats

Threats facing the outstanding natural values of the region include large scale strip mining for bauxite, feral animals (e.g. cattle), altered fire regimes, and increasing pressure from tourism.

Companies such as Norsk Hydro, United Minerals Corporation, Rio Tinto and Alcoa have identified large deposits of bauxite (used to produce aluminium) in the region and the proposed mining of these deposits looms as the most significant threat the region has ever faced.

Globally, the greatest threats to biodiversity are habitat loss, habitat degradation, habitat fragmentation and climate change. Bauxite mining threatens biodiversity in all of these catagories as it involves:

• Bulldozing literally thousands of hectares of natural vegetation including rainforest, palm forest, and savannah woodland.
• Burning the vegetation, and then;
• Extracting millions of tonnes of rock and soil to be processed and shipped off to greenhouse-intensive aluminium smelters.

The drastic alteration of the drainage patterns in the landscape and the soil structure means that mined areas can never be rehabilitated to be the same as pre-mining ecosystems in diversity and structure.

Altered fire regimes threaten Kimberley diversity and have climate change implications. Photo: Jiri Lochman. Copyright: Lochman Transparencies

Along with the direct impacts of bauxite mining come the insidious threats of introduced pest species and excessive water use for mining and processing. While the region has a high average annual rainfall, this is highly seasonal – all the rain coming in a few months of monsoon.  When the rains do come, there is a major risk of mine-related erosion, sedimentation and chemical pollution. The extraction of water for mining use and pollution of wastewater will have long term implications for the rivers, wetlands and water holes in the area and the Indigenous people and natural ecosystems that rely on them.

The infrastructure and transport routes associated with a major bauxite mining venture will almost certainly lead to the further introduction of a range of unwanted plant and animal species that will compete with, and displace, native species. The region already faces a major challenge as the cane toad invasion seems likely to reach the area withing a few years - compounding this risk with further invasive species cannot be allowed.
 
Altered fire regimes are another major threat facing this region and the North Kimberley as a whole. In the 20th Century the Indigenous people of the region were largely moved off country to missions and reserves like Kalumburu. This meant that the traditional burning largely ceased and larger, late dry season fires became more common. There is evidence that this altered fire regime is having very significant negative impacts on the biodiversity of the region as well as greenhouse gas implications.

The Solutions

The north Kimberley represents some of the best that the World’s natural environment has to offer – it deserves the best protection we can provide.

The natural values of this unique region are not compatible with large scale industrial development. There is no way that bauxite mining in this region can be undertaken without extensively and irreparably damaging this unspoilt region.

People, companies and governments – internationally, nationally and locally - need to put their hands up for the Kimberley and ensure protection for this special place.

A comprehensive conservation plan for the area must be developed and implemented in conjunction with local Indigenous people. Adequate resourcing is required for the implementation of strategies that include Indigenous Ranger group(s), expanded Indigenous-owned protected areas and the permanent removal of the threat from mining.

There is plenty of work that needs to be done to address existing threats such as feral species and altered fire regimes without compounding the problems with damaging industry.  In 1993, three areas of land were returned to the Aboriginal community. This has enabled Wunambal people to re-establish a residential base at Kandiwal. Traditional Owners need assistance to care for their country by controlling feral pests and re-establishing traditional fire management. This can be achieved via Indigenous Ranger programs which have been proven to have positive environmental, social and cultural outcomes across northern Australia.

The Northern Quoll is just one of the many rare mammal species threatened by proposed Bauxite mining. Photo: Jiri Lochman. Copyright: Lochman Transparencies

About the Norsk Hydro and UMC Joint venture

Norsk Hydro is a Fortune Global 500 supplier of aluminium and aluminium products. Based in Norway, the company employs 22,000 people in more than 30 countries and has activities on all continents. Hydro has signed a joint-venture agreement with UMC of Australia where Hydro intends to recover bauxite and produce alumina in the Kimberley, Western Australia. The Kimberley project office is located in Perth.

United Minerals Corporation (UMC), through its 100% subsidiary Bauxite Australia first secured ground in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in 2005 for the exploration and development of a strategic bauxite project. A total of 6,830 km² were secured and the first round of drilling commenced immediately following approvals. The aim is to establish sufficient tonnages of bauxite to support an alumina refinery in the region.

Other mining interests in the region:

The Western Australian Government has granted joint venture partners Rio Tinto and Alcoa more time to submit their plans to develop bauxite mining in the Kimberley. Rio Tinto and Alcoa have a Temporary Reserve on the Mitchell Plateau, but have put off submitting a bauxite development proposal to the State Government. They now have until the end of 2010 to do so.

What you can do

Write to Norsk Hydro and let them know that their plans to mine the Kimberley are not compatible with protecting the unique natural values of the region. Click this link to download a letter (PDF - 60Kb) which you can print out and mail directly to the company.

e-mail: Alternatively, click this link to email Norsk Hydro - Corporate Social Responsibility.

Remind this huge international company that such a development will meet with strong opposition from the public who care about the future of one of the world’s special places and that mining the Kimberley would forever tarnish their environmental reputation.

Now is the time to put your Hands up for the Kimberley!

Get involved with The Wilderness Society and our campaign to protect the Kimberley.  www.wilderness.org.au/kimberley

More

Visit our Kimberley cyberaction to show your support for protecting the Kimberley from industrialisation.

Join The Wilderness Society

Volunteer to help the Kimberley Campaign – Contact Community Campaigner

Volunteer with The Wilderness Society

References

National Heritage List Nomination, Report Produced: Sat Feb 3 11:18:32 2007 
http://www.aussieheritage.com.au/listings/wa/Kalumburu/Ngauwudu-MitchellPlateau/21094

http://www.norskhydro.com/en/About-Hydro/ (Accessed 8 July, 2008)

The Australian Natural Resource Atlas, Biodiversity Assessment - Northern Kimberley. (Accessed 14/07/08)
http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/vegetation/assessment/wa/ibra-nk-natural-values.html