BY SEAN MARTIN-IVERSON
PERTH — On October 28, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) issued an environmental impact assessment supporting a proposed marina resort development at Mauds Landing on the Ningaloo Reef.
An ongoing campaign has tried to block tourist and other commercial developments proposed for the environmentally sensitive and valuable WA coastal region around the North West Cape and the Ningaloo Reef. The Save Ningaloo Campaign brings together many conservation organisations concerned about the future of the reef.
According to Paul Gamblin, spokesperson for the Save Ningaloo Campaign, the EPA assessment "puts obstacles in front of development but still leaves a pathway for it to proceed. It has shocked and angered many in the community ... the developers are treating the community as fools by trying to tell us all that this development will help the environment.
"Ningaloo is one of the world's healthiest coral reefs at a time when most of the world's reefs are threatened by human activities. The United Nations [has] cited 'irresponsible tourism' as one of the main causes of damage. The lesson is clear, you just cannot take such huge risks with fragile coral ecosystems and endangered species."
Ironically, the WA government and tourism industry emphasise the 'pristine' nature of the reef ecosystem and its status as a (supposedly) protected marine park in promoting the area as a prime eco-tourist destination, and thus risking its obliteration.
Discover West Holidays, for example, describes Ningaloo as "A virtually untouched barrier reef". Its publicity continues: "More than 500 species of tropical fish and 220 species of coral make up the Ningaloo Reef, a protected marine park. The waters beyond the reef are the migrating routes of humpback whales, dolphins, and dugongs. Coral spawning can also be seen here. [Endangered loggerhead] turtles nest on the beach in summer. The reef is world famous for the 'gentle giant' whale sharks that gather off the coast to feed on plankton."
The EPA's approval of the development did not come as a surprise to Ningaloo campaigners. Prior to the decision, Paul Gamblin explained, "It's difficult to believe that the EPA would contemplate giving support for this massive, destructive marina resort, but unfortunately that's what we're anticipating. The EPA very rarely recommends against development proposals."
In 1995, the EPA approved an even larger resort proposal from the same developers, but it was knocked back by the environment minister at the time, Liberal Cheryl Edwardes. The current proposal has a smaller residential component than the 1995 proposal and lacks the originally proposed golf course, but the marina is larger.
Gamblin describes the proposal as a "juggernaut", and its progress through the approval process as "a litany of ill-informed and premature decisions, without real community participation".
According to Dave Mackenzie, WA campaigns coordinator for the Wilderness Society, the current Labor government looks set to break its pledge to nominate the Cape Range-Ningaloo region for World Heritage listing and fix the coastal planning system.
"It is difficult for the community to have confidence in the current process, which is obviously a razor-thin veneer [covering up] years of contradictory planning and inappropriate decision-making by successive governments," he said.
At its state conference in June, the ALP passed a vaguely worded resolution that some campaigners believed opposed development that threatens the reef. However, Premier Geoff Gallop has subsequently made it clear that the government is far from committed to saving the reef. Gallop stated that "The Labor Party through the conference has expressed the point of view that there is a process being followed within government and a development application is being considered by the EPA. The government is also receiving a lot of submissions from members of the public... we'll take all these into account when developing our position."
Officially, the decision about whether the development will go ahead is up to the WA government, specifically environment and heritage minister Judy Edwards. The future of Ningaloo depends on whether the existing public sentiment can be mobilised to restrain the Gallop government from supporting short term "economic development" at the cost of the environment.
From Green Left Weekly, November 20, 2002.
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