Wilderness or Mining at the Risk of Tasmanian Devil Extinction
There have been many heated debates about the proposed open cut iron ore mine in the Tarkine area of the North West coast of Tasmania.
Minister Burke has subsequently approved the mining venture.
His decision has highlighted the factors at stake.
On the one hand, Tasmania's economy is stagnant, and whilst mining may provide a much needed boost to Tasmania's economy, it may be short lived.
Once the mine is depleted, and this particular area devastated, job opportunities will evaporate.
Unfortunately, the North West coast is also home to one of the very few remaining populations of Tasmanian Devils not affected by the facial tumour cancer to date.
It also has sixteen other threatened species of wildlife all located within a 5km radius of the proposed mine.
The last Tasmanian Tiger died a captive animal at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart in 1936, after their extinction in the wild.
Tasmanian Devils are their closest relative, and now, less than eighty years later, the Tasmanian Devil could be facing its own extinction.
Sixty percent of the State's Devil population were infected by the contagious facial tumour before scientists discovered their predicament.
Alarmingly, it could be as little as five years before this disease has spread throughout the whole Devil population.
The North West coast of Tasmania, as the last stronghold for disease free Devils takes on commensurately more importance as an area that must be preserved.
It has been postulated that Devils in North West Tasmania have a slightly different genetic makeup to Devils in other areas, and are more resistant to this lethal disease.
Scientists have targeted Maria Island, just off Tasmania's east coast, as a base for a new Devil programme, in which small groups of disease free animals will be quarantined and a breeding programme implemented to stave off extinction.
The open cut mine along with its entire infrastructure will cause significant damage not only to the wildlife but the vegetation.
Minister Burke stated previously, that information will be kept regarding the Devils and other wildlife killed in this area.
The realities of the day to day operation of a company focused on profit, argues strongly against the relevance of collecting such information.
Is Minister Burke suggesting that if Devils and other wildlife are killed, the mine will be closed? If so what exact number of animals will need to be killed, to trigger this outcome? In any event, the company has a vested interest in under reporting the effect their operations will have on wildlife.
Certainly, the mine will provide jobs, but it is a short term solution compared with the State's ongoing struggle to employ its citizens.
Tasmania is struggling, the economy is bleak, but this mine will not solve this problem.
The State needs industry that is there for the long haul and not dependent on exploiting finite resources.
The question is, "where does this end, what will be next...
mining and logging at Cradle Mountain, Freycinet National Park, or perhaps in the Florentine Valley, home to some of Australia's magnificent caves, which contain ancient relics of the Aboriginal tribes who lived and hunted there during the last Ice Age?" Any area can potentially be targeted next.
Predictably, many Tasmanians are in favour of mining, because of the employment opportunities associated with it during the life of the mine, but it is short sighted; the destruction of this magnificent area will be permanent, whereas employment will be temporary.
The consequences of mining in this, largely unspoilt wilderness will be irreparable.
Pro mining activists argue that a large part of Tasmania is already 'protected', but is it really protected when Governments can easily and very quickly decide that an area can be exploited even though it is already considered to be part of the protected area of the State? This does not sound like any form of protection.
People need to ask themselves "at what point will you be prepared to say that enough exploitation of these reserves is enough?" Minister Burke has recognised the threat to the Devil population and developers are required to donate $350,000 to "Save the Tasmanian Devil Programme" which aims to compensate for the mine's impact.
The ore from the mine will be trucked out by road for approximately 150kms, which unfortunately, traverses the habitat of disease free Devils.
Because Devils are natural scavengers, they will be highly susceptible to being run over as they feed on the carcasses of other road kill.
What will the future hold? The possible extinction of our Tasmanian Devils, an icon of the State, no longer to be seen in their natural habitat? The possibility of future generations only being able to see these creatures in photographs and picture books, just like their predecessors, the Tasmanian Tiger? The Tarkine wilderness, decimated by mining's infrastructure, and future generations only able to appreciate the lost beauty of this area via picture books? When do we call a halt to all of this, and look at alternative ways to boost a failing economy and promote employment? In the future, will Tasmanian bushwalks in wilderness areas only be possible when people have to be guided, like they are in so many other countries? Let's face it, our planet's natural rainforest and wilderness areas are diminishing, as a result of man's greed and plunder.
Perhaps the answer would be for more Government funding to provide those people who would otherwise be dependent upon the exploitation of these resources, sensible and viable alternatives to earn a living.
For example, instead of concentrating service industries in our existing capital cities, why not relocate service industries such as Government departments to Tasmania? Communications these days are such that being remote from the major centres of population, would not really be a major drawback.
The introduction of the National Broadband Network, the continual expansion and improvement of information technology, all make the necessity for being located in central areas, much less important.
We have some precedence for this with the growth and development of Albury Wodonga, an area which was deliberately targeted as a viable region for decentralization years ago when Australia was far more dependent on manufacturing industry.
"Only when the last tree has died, the last river been poisoned, and the last fish caught, will we realize we cannot eat money"...
an Indian Proverb.
Minister Burke has subsequently approved the mining venture.
His decision has highlighted the factors at stake.
On the one hand, Tasmania's economy is stagnant, and whilst mining may provide a much needed boost to Tasmania's economy, it may be short lived.
Once the mine is depleted, and this particular area devastated, job opportunities will evaporate.
Unfortunately, the North West coast is also home to one of the very few remaining populations of Tasmanian Devils not affected by the facial tumour cancer to date.
It also has sixteen other threatened species of wildlife all located within a 5km radius of the proposed mine.
The last Tasmanian Tiger died a captive animal at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart in 1936, after their extinction in the wild.
Tasmanian Devils are their closest relative, and now, less than eighty years later, the Tasmanian Devil could be facing its own extinction.
Sixty percent of the State's Devil population were infected by the contagious facial tumour before scientists discovered their predicament.
Alarmingly, it could be as little as five years before this disease has spread throughout the whole Devil population.
The North West coast of Tasmania, as the last stronghold for disease free Devils takes on commensurately more importance as an area that must be preserved.
It has been postulated that Devils in North West Tasmania have a slightly different genetic makeup to Devils in other areas, and are more resistant to this lethal disease.
Scientists have targeted Maria Island, just off Tasmania's east coast, as a base for a new Devil programme, in which small groups of disease free animals will be quarantined and a breeding programme implemented to stave off extinction.
The open cut mine along with its entire infrastructure will cause significant damage not only to the wildlife but the vegetation.
Minister Burke stated previously, that information will be kept regarding the Devils and other wildlife killed in this area.
The realities of the day to day operation of a company focused on profit, argues strongly against the relevance of collecting such information.
Is Minister Burke suggesting that if Devils and other wildlife are killed, the mine will be closed? If so what exact number of animals will need to be killed, to trigger this outcome? In any event, the company has a vested interest in under reporting the effect their operations will have on wildlife.
Certainly, the mine will provide jobs, but it is a short term solution compared with the State's ongoing struggle to employ its citizens.
Tasmania is struggling, the economy is bleak, but this mine will not solve this problem.
The State needs industry that is there for the long haul and not dependent on exploiting finite resources.
The question is, "where does this end, what will be next...
mining and logging at Cradle Mountain, Freycinet National Park, or perhaps in the Florentine Valley, home to some of Australia's magnificent caves, which contain ancient relics of the Aboriginal tribes who lived and hunted there during the last Ice Age?" Any area can potentially be targeted next.
Predictably, many Tasmanians are in favour of mining, because of the employment opportunities associated with it during the life of the mine, but it is short sighted; the destruction of this magnificent area will be permanent, whereas employment will be temporary.
The consequences of mining in this, largely unspoilt wilderness will be irreparable.
Pro mining activists argue that a large part of Tasmania is already 'protected', but is it really protected when Governments can easily and very quickly decide that an area can be exploited even though it is already considered to be part of the protected area of the State? This does not sound like any form of protection.
People need to ask themselves "at what point will you be prepared to say that enough exploitation of these reserves is enough?" Minister Burke has recognised the threat to the Devil population and developers are required to donate $350,000 to "Save the Tasmanian Devil Programme" which aims to compensate for the mine's impact.
The ore from the mine will be trucked out by road for approximately 150kms, which unfortunately, traverses the habitat of disease free Devils.
Because Devils are natural scavengers, they will be highly susceptible to being run over as they feed on the carcasses of other road kill.
What will the future hold? The possible extinction of our Tasmanian Devils, an icon of the State, no longer to be seen in their natural habitat? The possibility of future generations only being able to see these creatures in photographs and picture books, just like their predecessors, the Tasmanian Tiger? The Tarkine wilderness, decimated by mining's infrastructure, and future generations only able to appreciate the lost beauty of this area via picture books? When do we call a halt to all of this, and look at alternative ways to boost a failing economy and promote employment? In the future, will Tasmanian bushwalks in wilderness areas only be possible when people have to be guided, like they are in so many other countries? Let's face it, our planet's natural rainforest and wilderness areas are diminishing, as a result of man's greed and plunder.
Perhaps the answer would be for more Government funding to provide those people who would otherwise be dependent upon the exploitation of these resources, sensible and viable alternatives to earn a living.
For example, instead of concentrating service industries in our existing capital cities, why not relocate service industries such as Government departments to Tasmania? Communications these days are such that being remote from the major centres of population, would not really be a major drawback.
The introduction of the National Broadband Network, the continual expansion and improvement of information technology, all make the necessity for being located in central areas, much less important.
We have some precedence for this with the growth and development of Albury Wodonga, an area which was deliberately targeted as a viable region for decentralization years ago when Australia was far more dependent on manufacturing industry.
"Only when the last tree has died, the last river been poisoned, and the last fish caught, will we realize we cannot eat money"...
an Indian Proverb.
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