The Northern Jarrah Forest near Dwellingup.Credit:Peter de Kruijff
The area encompasses about 5000 hectares of forest,more than 30 kilometres of the Bibbulmun track,and the Munda Biddi cycle trail.
Alcoa Australia president Matt Reed said the decision was the product of extensive studies,community consultation and feedback about the importance of the area’s ecotourism and forest recreational values.
“We hope this decision provides greater certainty about our intentions in a prospective mineral area and demonstrates our willingness to protect important environmental and social values,” he said.
The move was welcomed by the West Australian government and Dwellingup Discovery Forest Defender’s chair Jennie Wise,who hailed it a win for the town.
Alcoa’s 8344-hectare mining avoidance zone in and around Dwellingup.Credit:Alcoa
However,while acknowledging it provided security that would help underpin private investment in the area,particularly in tourism,Wise said it was not a plus for the forest because it would not be spared in its entirety.
WA Forest Alliance campaign director Jess Beckerling labelled the move “shameless greenwashing”,arguing that maps of the exclusion zone against the company’s expansion plans showed it had no intention of mining the area it was now promising to protect.