Steve Erwin's Nature Reserve in Australia threatened by mining plans

Save Steve's Place Blog



Photograph by Peter Taylor

The Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve (SIWR) is a wetland conservation property and a tribute to Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. The 135,000 ha property, in Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula, is home to a set of three important spring fed wetlands which provide a critical water source to threatened habitat, provide permanent flow of water to the Wenlock River, and is home to rare and vulnerable plants and wildlife.

The Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve (SIWR) was acquired as part of the National Reserve System Programme for the purpose of nature conservation with the assistance of the Australian Government.

The Situation

The Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve (SIWR) is being threatened by strip mining. Cape Alumina Pty Ltd has lodged mining lease applications which include approximately 12,300 ha of the Reserve. Cape Alumina company documents indicate an intention to mine 50 plus million tons over a 10 year period commencing 2010. The greater part of this mine is on SIWR

The proposed area for mining on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve contains the head waters of irreplaceable waterways and unique biodiversity which will not recover after mining operations are finished.

Online story about mining threat to Steve Irwin Nature Park in Australia

Australia Zoo will not give up the fight to Save Steve’s Place. Although the Land Court has granted Cape Alumina the right to continue the exploration and drilling of the 135 000 ha conservation property this does not mean they have the right to mine on the Reserve.

Cape Alumina company documents indicate an intention to mine 50 million tons of bauxite over a 10 year period, the greater part of this mine on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve.

Mining in an environmentally sensitive area such as the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve will endanger and possibly irreversibly destroy many rare and endangered natural treasures such as:

Rare plants

Vulnerable Wildlife

Palm Cockatoos

Spear-tooth Sharks

Saw Fish

Estuarine Crocodiles

Irreplaceable Waterways

These results are only after initial surveys, imagine what we will discover once a full study has been conducted.

Sign the Online Petition to support the Wenlock Wild River protection proposal


Not Just Steve's Place

There’s also another Nature Refuge in central-west Queensland, which is one of the few uncleared properties in the whole region, and it’s in line to be dug up for coal! There’s a petition running for this one too, which you can find through www.bimblebox.org.