The Concern is Growing

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PRESS RELEASE 26 November 2013

Call for halt of industrial developments in the upper reaches of Spencer
Gulf and Gulf St Vincent

I call on the South Australian Government and the community to do everything
they can to protect the upper reaches of South Australian Gulfs, Spencer
Gulf and Gulf St. Vincent, from industrial destruction by heavy industries
and port facilities proposed for the regions.

These regions and their extensive coverage of seagrasses, mangroves, salt
marshes, intertidal mudflats and rocky shorelines are important breeding
habitats for a rich diversity of marine species and birdlife, including the
world’s only mass aggregation of the iconic Giant Australian Cuttlefish and
the largest known world population of Western King Prawn. On the other hand,
the upper reaches of South Australian gulfs are most vulnerable to
industrial pollution. For instance, the Era oil spill near Port Bonython in
1992 has destroyed 23 hectares of mangroves.

The current plans to build a large port facilities and a large open cut mine
in close vicinity of precious marine habitat, marine parks and significant
wetlands bear immense pollution risks via oil spills, import of marine
pests, and stormwater runoff of mining pollutants. These plans are
incompatible with South Australia’s Strategic Plan 2011 and its targets:
Target 69 – Lose no species – and Target 71 – Marine biodiversity: Maintain
the health and diversity of South Australia’s unique marine environments.

On ecological grounds, I call on the South Australian Government to reject
both the proposal for a Bulk Commodities Export Facility at Port Bonython by
Spencer Gulf Port Link, and the proposal for the Hillside Copper Mine
Proposal (Mining Lease Proposal & Management Plan) by Rex Minerals Ltd. The
medium-term economic gain from these developments cannot outweigh long-term
ecologic destruction caused by them. The South Australian Government should
have of a duty of care for important natural resources and habitat.

Associate Professor Jochen Kaempf, School of the Environment, Flinders
University

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