Iron ore mines slated for development in Tasmania’s Tarkine region could imperil the survival of the only robust Tasmanian devil population still left in the wild.
The Australian reports that Hamish McCallum, head of the School of Environment at Griffith University and former chief scientist of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, has said that the mines will threaten the very survival of Tasmanian devil populations in the area.
Western Australia’s Venture Minerals obtained a lease to mine for hematite in the Tarkine Region at the end of May 2012, and expects to obtain final approvals for the mine prior to the year’s end
Scott Jordan from the Tarkine national Coalition has accused Resources Minister Bryan Green of fast-tracking the mining lease, and proposes that the area be made a World Heritage site.
Images published by the Australian attest to the existence of significant numbers of the Tasmanian Devil in the area of the mining leases, and also show that the animals are free of a malignant facial tumour which has already wiped out 80% of the species.
Comments
Mike Whitney
It is imperative for mining companies to turn ecological and environmental issues to their balance sheet advantage. It’s a good way to live and limit risk to the major project. In West Africa companies like Sierra Gold do their alluvial mining under the social protection of a parallel food crop planted on thousands of acres in this case sorgum. We all know where human interference with mining projects comes from but if you see the trouble as an opportunity you can make profits off of doing the “right thing.” Mike Whitney Toronto ON