US bauxite miner Alcoa’s mine site rehabilitation efforts in the Northern Jarrah Forests have been slammed by Western Australia’s leading scientists and conservation organisations.
A recent independent scientific assessment has given Alcoa only 2-stars for its bauxite mine site rehabilitation in the Northern Jarrah Forest (NJF). This is well below the 5-star rating the company and government agree is needed to restore a self-sustaining forest ecosystem. The report has been brought together with other evidence of forest rehabilitation failure by Alcoa and fellow bauxite miner South32 in a fact sheet published by the End Forest Mining campaign.
The document highlights that Western Australians have been sold a lie that rehabilitation is working. Returning mining pits to a functional Jarrah forest is not possible due to the removal of the essential bauxitic substrate on which these ancient forests have evolved.
One of the report’s authors, Professor Kingsley Dixon stated:
“The scientific community is clear: it is not a lack of knowledge but a lack of ecological fabric to create a Jarrah forest that is the issue”
Compared to unmined forests, 20-year-old rehabilitation has fewer plant species, more weeds, Jarrah trees forking closer to the ground and fewer Marri trees which are important for fauna habitat and ecological resilience.
To date none of Alcoa’s rehabilitation has been signed off by the WA Government as successfully completed in 60 years of mining.
“The Cook government must face the facts and halt bauxite mining expansions.
The forest that remains must be protected if we want to have safe drinking water, climate, nature and continued access to Perth residents’ favourite weekend destination.”
Jason Fowler
Senior Campaigner
WA Forests Alliance
Take action now
Write to the Premier, the Ministers for Environment, Mines and Water and your local MPs to ensure the Cook Government knows that Western Australians want an end to the irreversible damage from mining forests for bauxite.