By Jon Daly
Wilderness Society WA state director Jenita Enevoldsen says the state government needs to "step-up" by turning the Helena Aurora Range into a national park.
Speaking at a launch event in Hyde Park, Ms Enevoldsen said Helena Aurora Range, almost 500 kilometres north-east of Perth, was a refuge for endangered plants and animals and needed to become a "Class A" National Park.
The state government is being urged to protect the Helena and Aurora Range from mining.Credit: Photographer: Rob Neave
"In the last few months we've seen a groundswell of community support for this ancient biodiversity hotspot - with more than 10,000 community members calling on the WA environment minister to halt mining and turn the Helena Aurora Range into a National Park, for future generations to enjoy," she said.
"Today we are launching our proposal to protect the Helena Aurora Range. It's a refuge for both threatened flora and fauna including two declared rare endemic flowering plants and species found nowhere else on earth.
"The Helena Aurora Range is the largest, highest and most outstanding example of an intact ancient banded ironstone formation in the Yilgarn region of WA and is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world."
Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Authority found a proposal by Mineral Resources Limited to develop the Jackson 5 and Bungalbin East iron ore deposits was environmentally unacceptable.
The EPA's decision on the proposal was appealed nine times.
Environment Minister Stephen Dawson dismissed all them.
"After carefully considering the concerns raised, I have found that the EPA's assessment was rigorous and comprehensive," Mr Dawson said.
But the EPA's rejection of the mining proposal is not the final say, with the government yet to make a binding decision on the matter.
"I will now consult with my ministerial colleagues to ensure the social, economic and environmental aspects of this proposal are considered," Mr Dawson said.
Ms Enevoldsen said the government had the "exceptional" opportunity to protect the 2.6 billion-year-old biodiversity hotspot for generations to come.
"Earlier this month, the Helena and Aurora Range Science Declaration was released by Emeritus Professor John Bailey, Dr. Carmen Lawrence and over 50 other leading scientists in the fields of biology, health and geology - backing the EPA's calls to turn the range into a National Park," she said.
In a media statement released by Mineral Resources Limited, the company said the Helena Aurora Range had long been recognised as a "mining area", with BHP drilling for iron ore in the 1960s and 1970s.
"Most of the disturbance is sensitively planned and occurs away from the ranges," the statement said.
"There is no evidence that any species of flora or fauna will be lost."
A traditional owner of the Kalamia Kalpurn people Mark Champion, WA business leader Warwick Hemsley and community members from the Yilgarn, WA family bushwalkers group and Birdlife Australia also spoke at Sunday's event.