Darwin Harbour — Northern Jewel under threat!

Darwin Harbour is exceptional; it is one of the few remaining harbours in the world next to a city with relatively healthy terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Nightcliff Jetty, Darwin Harbour. Photo: Prue Barnard

Five times bigger than Sydney Harbour, Darwin Harbour has a catchment of 450 km2. It has 8 m tides with 1 million tonnes of water flowing past the harbour entrance at high tide.

The Harbour contains an amazing array of different wildlife; over 3000 marine invertebrate species; 123 coral species; over 300 fish species, 6 species of sea turtles, 20 species of marine snakes, crocodiles, and dugongs). Thirty-six of the world’s 48 mangrove species fringe its quiet waters. Additionally it is visited by 12 species of whales and dolphins (including the Great sperm whale, Pygmy sperm whale, and Humpback whale).

Darwin Harbour is central to the lifestyle of many citizens of the region. The Larrakia people have lived around Darwin Harbour for centuries.

The relatively good health of the Harbour can be attributed to its minimal industrialisation (to date) and the small population base (approx. 117 400) - which has meant limited urban development and pollution inputs.

Unfortunately, the NT government’s short sighted actions are jeopardising Darwin Harbour’s long-term health. They are currently promoting Darwin Harbour as the new frontier for industry, yet its development assessment processes are inconsistent, weak and fail to protect the Harbour’s natural values from inappropriate development.

The NT Government has gone to great lengths to secure Inpex’s proposed gas processing facility and attract industries such as Arafura Resources, who want to build a processing facility for radioactive material (uranium and thorium) on the banks of Darwin Harbour.

The NT must learn from the bitter experience of other harbour cities that insensitive, industrial development can leave a legacy ofmanagement approach. We live in a time when we know our ecosystems are fragile and their health underpins society’s health. We therefore implore the irreversible damage, habitat loss and/or pollution which is - at best - very expensive to repair.

We have an opportunity to get things right in Darwin Harbour. To do so we need a ‘whole-of-harbour’ and total catchment NT Government to develop a management framework for the Harbour that achieves environmental best practice and ecologically sustainable industrial development.

For more information contact our NT marine campaigner Prue Barnard on (08) 8941 7461 or pruebarnard@amcs.org.au

What can you do for Darwin Harbour?

Write to Chief Minister Paul Henderson expressing your concern
GPO Box 3146
Darwin NT 0801
Email: paul.henderson@nt.gov.au