Export port plan sparks fears for rare bird

There is concern a proposed port on the Eyre Peninsula could affect the breeding site of a rare bird.

Yesterday, IronClad Mining received state approval to develop a port at Lucky Bay near Cowell to export iron ore from its Wilcherry Hill mine near Kimba.

Conservationist and documentary maker Dan Monceaux says there is an important bird breeding site in the Franklin Harbour wetlands near the site's proposed ore stockpile.

"The population of white-bellied sea eagles is very small in South Australia, they're endangered, there's 70 to 80 state-wide and 79 per cent of that population breeds on offshore islands," he said.

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