Peel shire establishes groundbreaking mining exclusion area at popular nature reserve with Alcoa Australia

The Shire of Waroona has established a groundbreaking new mining exclusion area in Lane Pool Reserve, with mining giant Alcoa to keep clear of a popular tourist spot. Councillors voted to establish a mining exclusion area at the reserve last month, limiting Alcoa Australia’s mining area around a popular forest camping spot. The exclusion zone was first put forth by the Shire of Murray after it reclassified areas of the reserve as national park now falling across boundaries into the shire of Waroona. Alcoa agrees, with the new restrictions to see the mining giant veer away from the northern forest, with the potential to continue its expansion south in the coming years. Waroona shire president Mike Walmsley said the proposal had been on the table for several years, with an informal agreement between the two Peel shires and Alcoa to avoid the region. But this is the first time the shire council has been able to agree to a concrete exclusion zone. “This is formalising the Murray approach, given most of the protected land would be within the Waroona shire, and we are happy to formalise it,” Cr Walmsley said. An Alcoa spokesperson said the Lane Poole area contained a complex matrix of reserves and the mining company already avoided mining in areas designated as conservation zones or old-growth forest. “While some areas of Lane Poole Reserve are known to contain bauxite deposits, we have not carried out detailed exploration drilling across much of the area,” the spokesperson said. “While mining further south may be considered in the future, any such proposal would be subject to an environmental assessment by the Environmental Protection Authority, inclusive of broad stakeholder and community consultation.” Cr Walmsley said he believed this was the first time the shire had been able to implement its own exclusion area with the miner, with most restrictions being led by the the State Government. He said it was good Alcoa was moving in this direction whereby it avoided areas with potentially large deposits of bauxite. “It’s a sad thought that the best bauxite grows under the best trees,” Cr Walmsley said. “I understand that every acre is important to them. “We have always had some form of communication, but this is a little bit of a higher level. “I congratulate Alcoa for taking (on) what we are saying and making this commitment.” Alcoa’s spokesperson said the miner was committed to working with local stakeholders to ensure its operations continued to benefit the communities the company worked within.