Exclusive: Proposed mines to
produce aluminium are putting the habitat of vulnerable Cape York palm cockatoo
at risk, sparking calls for stronger environmental laws
Thursday 9 June
201621.26 BSTLast modified on Thursday 9 June 201623.40 BST
Australia’s spectacular palm
cockatoo is being put at risk by proposed bauxite mines, conservationists have
said.
The Cape York palm cockatoo,
Australia’s largest cockatoo, is listed as vulnerable under Australia’s federal
environment laws. About 3,000 mature birds are thought to exist, and their
numbers are declining.
It is considered a distinct
subspecies of the palm cockatoo, which includes another subspecies found in
Papua New Guinea.
One of the key threats facing the
bird is loss of habitat from mining bauxite to make aluminium, according to
advice given to the environment minister, Greg Hunt, in 2015 by the
government’s independent threatened species scientific committee.
The advice recommended that Hunt
“ensure impacts from mining activity do not further reduce the amount of
available breeding and foraging habitat”. Despite that, it found 85% of the
palm cockatoo’s woodland habitats were covered by mining or exploration leases.
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