UNDER PRESSURE, LITTLE PROTECTION

The region faces a number of serious, cumulative pressures, including climate change, large wild fires, feral animals and weeds, cattle grazing degradation and ad hoc and incompatible development.

Unless we take action now, these pressures will continue to grow unabated and lead to irreversible and widespread environmental degradation, with all the consequent social and economic impacts and costs.

Worse still, very little of the Kimberley is protected, with no state waters in protection and only around 12% of land managed for conservation.

A FIVE POINT PLAN FOR REAL ACTION

The Premier has made many promises to protect the Kimberley. It’s time to make sure he matches these words with action.

WA is booming – it’s time to get the balance right. Half measures won’t do to protect the Kimberley.

We need a real plan of action for the region – one which ensures a healthy environment and a healthy economy.

Our five point plan proposes to:

1) Establish a conservation and compatible development plan for the Kimberley as a whole which:

• protects the Kimberley’s globally significant environment
• provides sustainable income, jobs and social benefits for Traditional Owners and wider communities; and
• prevents ad hoc and incompatible industrialisation.

2) Secure the Kimberley’s landscape and seascape with an effective and connected network of conservation areas that protect its extraordinary features. This should include:

• expanding Indigenous Protected Areas across the Kimberley;
• creating a large network of marine sanctuary areas in the Kimberley marine environment; and
• Encouraging and assisting pastoralists to manage pastoral lands more sustainably, and in areas of the highest environmental values, working with pastoralists to create conservation reserves.

3) Strongly support the National Heritage listing of the West Kimberley region, in recognition of the outstanding cultural and environmental values found there.

4 ) Extend Indigenous land and sea management capacity across the Kimberley, including:

• increase funding commitments to employ additional Indigenous Rangers;
• adopt a co-management approach to the management the Kimberley’s conservation areas on land and sea.

5) Establish a major long-term fund to manage threats to the Kimberley environment in partnership with Traditional Owners – including wildfires, weeds and feral animals – and ensure protection for its unique plants and animals.