New threat to Kimberley exposed

Buccaneer Archipelago, near Talbot and Dugong Bays, Kimberley, Western Australia.

A spectacular natural phenomenon that supports a thriving local tourist industry is the latest wilderness area in the Kimberley to come into the sights of a rapacious mining industry. The Horizontal Falls in Talbot Bay are an extraordinary sight and one of many amazing natural features in the unspoiled Kimberley.

The falls consist of two narrow gorges that separate sunken valleys from the sea. With some tides in the region being over 10 metres, the torrent of water flowing between the narrow walls of the gorges at every turning of the tide produces an amazing and unique sight. Tourists come from all over Australia and the world to see the Horizontal Falls, adding $20 million into the local economy every year.

The bays surrounding the spectacular Horizontal Falls are also home to some of the most diverse and untouched coral reefs in Australia. The reefs, mangroves and sea grass meadows in Dugong Bay and Talbot Bay support important habitat for dugongs, sharks and many species of fish.

Despite the amazing biodiversity and natural beauty of the region, Pegasus Metals wants to turn the area into a giant open cut copper mine.

It currently holds mineral exploration licences that straddle Talbot and Dugong Bays and Pegasus has already commenced exploratory drilling in the region. It recently announced that it has found copper, zinc and silver deposits near the Horizontal Falls. While Pegasus Metals might be excited about the prospect of carving up the Horizontal Falls area for a quick profit, the local tourism industry and environmentalists are extremely concerned about the effects of this proposed mine on the region.

Apart from turning one of the most pristine areas in Australia into a huge industrial zone, one of the biggest environmental impacts of copper mining is heavy metal contamination. The direct effects of heavy metal contamination in the pristine Kimberly coast would be catastrophic and would destroy part of the world’s last untouched marine environments.

Along with the proposed gas hub at James Price Point, we will be fighting to ensure inappropriate developments like this never get the green light and the wilderness values of the Kimberley will be able to be enjoyed for many generations to come.

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