Petition Text

Thank you for issuing a vegetation conservation notice to Shanghai Zenith to stop them clearing more native bushland on their Yakka Munga pastoral lease in the Kimberley's Fitzroy River catchment. I am shocked at the bulldozing and excavating they have done without permits. This shows a complete disregard for the Kimberley’s ecosystems, one of the most intact tropical savannahs on the planet. It greatly distressed me to see the Traditional Owners’ anguish at the destruction of medicine plants, fruit trees, including Boabs, and termite mounds, which were often used for storing ancestral remains.

I now strongly urge you to prosecute Shanghai Zenith. In the past, pastoralists have got away with landclearing with fines of as little as $50 per hectare or even just a letter of warning – these aren’t a deterrent. A fine was probably factored in to the business plans of the companies concerned. It is very important that this company be prosecuted and heavily fined to deter other pastoralists from doing the same thing. I also ask you to consider legislating higher minimum penalties for unauthorised land clearing.

I also strongly urge you to ensure that Shanghai Zenith restores the landscape it has bulldozed and excavated to its natural condition, and re-plants the site with native vegetation.