Seabed mining in the East Kimberley’s Cambridge Gulf

Cambridge Gulf is a remarkable meeting point for five great rivers that flow out of the vast East Kimberley: the Ord, Forrest, King, Durack and Pentecost rivers. These rivers flow into the Gulf system, delivering nutrients to the dense fringing mangrove systems that are internationally important and listed as a Ramsar wetland. These systems provide extensive habitat for intertidal marine species as well as an abundance of bird life.

Back in December, just as everyone was winding down for Christmas break, the Western Australian Environment Protection Authority (WA EPA) released their recommendation for the first ever seabed mining proposal in the Kimberley. Their report recommended seabed mining could proceed in Cambridge Gulf. The operator, Boskalis, a Dutch-owned dredging company, is proposing to mine the seabed for sand over the next 15 years. This long-term seabed mining proposal is unprecedented in the Kimberley.

Across the border in the Northern Territory (NT), the NT Minister for the Environment has formally declared subsea mining a prohibited activity in coastal and intertidal waters due to the risks it poses to the marine environment and the lack of knowledge about the long-term implications of the practice. Yet here we are with this disappointing recommendation from the WA EPA for a destructive proposal.

Multiple beaches surrounding the proposal area are critically important as nesting areas for flatback turtles, some of the most significant for flatbacks anywhere in Australia. Cape Dommett in particular has dense nesting activity, and the inter-nesting area for the flatback turtles lies in the proposed Boskalis seabed mining area. Flatbacks travel through the proposed seabed mining area as they move to and from their nesting grounds.

Boskalis is proposing to dredge 70 million cubic meters of sand over 15 years of seabed mining operations. This equates to around 28,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of sand that would be transported overseas and used in construction projects. The state appeals process is in train and the final decision lies with WA Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn. We are calling on Minister Swinbourn to reject the project and follow the lead of the Northern Territory by declaring seabed mining a prohibited activity in the Kimberley.

If you haven't already, send a message to the WA Environment Minister, Matthew Swinbourn, calling on him to reject the project.