Baudin's or bauxite?': stark warning black cockatoo won't survive mining expansion

"Mark Henryon, a volunteer with Birdlife Western Australia, said there was a clear choice that would decide whether the endangered Baudin's black cockatoo would survive. Baudin's or bauxite we can't have both, he said. Henryon has spent years advocating for better protection of what he describes as the state's forgotten black cockatoo. The dark-feathered, white-cheeked bird with a call like a squeaky gate is endemic to the state's south west."

"Compared with the higher profile Carnaby's black cockatoo, the Baudin's has a longer, narrower bill, which Henryon said it used like a surgical tool to extract the seeds from the marri nuts it fed on, without destroying the whole nut. BirdLife WA nominated the species for uplisting to critically endangered in 2023 under the state's laws after research found the species' population had declined by 90% in 40 years."

"Conservationists now fear the species is under greater pressure than ever due to planned expansions of bauxite mining in WA's northern jarrah forests. The US aluminium giant Alcoa has two proposals to expand its bauxite mining operations that would clear more than 11,000 hectares of the heavily mined forest, roughly equivalent to bulldozing Perth's Kings Park 27.5 times over. Metals company South32 has also been given the green light from the state and federal governments to clear more than 3,800ha"

Planned bauxite mining expansions in Western Australia's northern jarrah forests threaten the endangered Baudin's black cockatoo by destroying essential habitat. The species is endemic to the state's south west and has declined by 90% over 40 years, prompting a 2023 nomination to uplist it to critically endangered under state law. The threatened species scientific committee rejected the nomination for insufficient data. Major mining proposals by Alcoa would clear more than 11,000 hectares, and South32 has approval to clear over 3,800 hectares for Worsley Alumina. Conservationists warn that continued clearing could push the species to extinction.

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