Protect Mid-West iron ore: EPA
WA's environment watchdog has opened up another front in its bid to safeguard parts of the Mid West and Goldfields from iron ore mining, warning areas of international importance are at risk of being lost forever.
Paul Vogel, Environmental Protection Authority chairman, said it was "odd" that areas recommended for conservation in the Mid West were still unprotected despite rising mining activity.
The EPA's latest annual report was tabled in State Parliament last week. It called for protection measures for parts of the so-called banded iron formation ranges in the Mid West.
This time last year the EPA said it would take a "presumption against" further mining developments in the banded iron formation ranges north of South Cross until conservation measures were put in place.
Chris Ellison's Polaris Metals, a Mineral Resources subsidiary, is currently waiting on a decision by the EPA on what level to assess its proposed mine in the Mt Manning area near Southern Cross in what looms as a potential flashpoint for the issue.
The remarks also threaten to throw a spanner in the works of long-held plans to develop a port at Oakajee, north of Geraldton, which would need big volumes of iron ore.
The EPA said the Mid West ranges, which had been undisturbed for the past 250 million years, were of global significance for their biodiversity.
It said they hosted several plants species found nowhere else on Earth and played an "island refuge" role for many species of plants and animals in an otherwise flat, dry landscape.
The EPA noted the State Government had supported calls to protect parts of the region in an A-class reserve as a trade-off for mining development but nothing had been done.
Chamber of Minerals and Energy boss Reg Howard-Smith said there needed to be a "clear strategy" to balance conservation with resource development.
However, Mr Howard-Smith urged the Government not to rule out "co-existence" of mining and conservation when assessing proposals in the region.
Dr Vogel acknowledged that protecting parts of the ranges would lock up valuable iron ore but argued that allowing mining would lead to massive environmental and heritage losses.
