The Kimberley
The Kimberley, in the north-west corner of Australia, is one of the world’s last remaining cultural and natural landscapes not yet industrialised. There are at least 26 major Indigenous language groups in the Kimberley and Traditional Owners retain strong links to their country. Half the Kimberley’s population is of Aboriginal descent and the people’s knowledge of its land and sea are key to its environmental future.
Kimberley landscapes are breathtaking. There are few places in the world that are as awe inspiring, with ancient and rugged ranges, gorges, escarpments and plateaux, sheer cliffs, mudflats and sandy beaches. One of Australia’s mightiest rivers, the Fitzroy, has so far been protected from damming and continues to have great spiritual and cultural importance for the Aboriginal people who live and depend on it. The eucalypt woodland and tall grassland that covers the Kimberley and most of northern Australia are the world’s most extensive intact tropical savannahs.
The Kimberley’s rainforests were only recognised by science in the 1960’s. Even though they cover less than 1% of the landmass they contain 25% of the region’s plant and animal species. Scientific expeditions find new species of plants regularly. Such findings have led people to say the Kimberley is like the Amazon 100 years ago: remote, little studied and poorly understood. Kings Park Science Director, Dr Kingsley Dixon, refers to the Kimberley as ‘the last great botanical frontier in Australia’.
The vast tropical coast and seas of the Kimberley are recognised as being amongst the most intact marine areas in the world. Science has only recently begun to investigate them. Three islands surveyed have been found to support 280 species of coral. The largest Humpack Whale population in the world calves and breeds in waters between Broome and Camden Sound.
Despite the cultural and natural riches of the Kimberley, most of the region remains unprotected and unmanaged, an astounding omission given its international importance and place in the Australian consciousness. Its islands and archipelagos, plateaux and gorges are open to the oil and gas industry, and mining companies are actively exploring for minerals including coal, uranium and bauxite. The Kimberley’s remoteness has until now kept most exploitative industries at bay, and made a scientific understanding of its natural areas difficult. The race is now on for the region’s future: natural wonderland or industrialised wasteland.
Environs Kimberley (EK) is the peak environmental organisation dedicated to the protection and management of this special part of the world. We advocate for the preservation of its natural assets and work with communities on the ground to manage its environment.
EK was founded in 1996 to save the Fitzroy River and 200,000 hectares of land from the cotton industry; now we work to protect the Kimberley from inappropriate development and to promote alternative industries that are compatible with its globally important natural and cultural riches.