Burrup Peninsula and James Price Point are too precious to lose
The Australian Greens today launched a nation-wide campaign to protect the country's most precious ecological sites.
The ‘Too Precious To Lose' campaign will defend sites and species under threat: www.tooprecioustolose.org.au/#
Senators for Western Australia Scott Ludlam and Rachel Siewert will lead the campaigns to protect the Burrup Peninsula and James Price Point.
"There is nowhere like Murujuga - or the Burrup Peninsula - anywhere else in the world," said Senator Ludlam. "World-renowned for its rock art, the Burrup is also home to three endangered animal species, 39 endangered or endemic plant species, and a range of marine life including dugongs, turtles, and a whale nursery. There are also waterholes and stunning areas where the red hills of the Pilbara meet the Indian Ocean."
"Despite the unmatched artistic, ecological, cultural, and historical significance of the Burrup Peninsula, the Western Australian government continues to encourage and approve industrial development there. By the Premier's own admission, around 25 per cent of the ancient rock art has already been destroyed. It is under further threat from a new ammonium nitrate plant that was recently approved.
"We need to halt the destruction of rock art on the Dampier Archipelago and the industrialisation of the Burrup Peninsula," said Senator Ludlam.
Senator Siewert said James Price Point was "home to a large number of threatened and endangered species, a whale nursery, and the world's largest dinosaur footprints, and is the only place in the world where Aboriginal culture incorporates remnants of dinosaurs".
"The cultural and heritage value of James Price Point for Aboriginal people is unique and significant, yet it is under threat because it has been chosen as the proposed location for an LNG processing hub.
"This massive gas hub would permanently change the Kimberley and open the door to widespread industrialisation across the whole region. The WA Government is pushing ferociously to develop James Price Point despite the fact that alternative locations exist for processing Browse LNG.
"The State Government has failed to properly assess the impact of the project. It is up to the Federal Government, through Environment Minister Tony Burke, to step in and save the Kimberley - it is far too precious to lose."
