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Western Australia Spelio Group Conservation Appeal 2000.
This article has been published in Descent, but I felt that
many people do not buy Descent on a regular basis and would therefore miss this
serious conservation issue. I would like
to add that this is not the only issue in
Western Australia at this moment in
time. There is also a development
company in the north
Perth
area that is digging up caves to build a new housing estate. Sadly, the WASG can only afford to
concentrate on the larger and more serious issue in the
Cape
range, as the costs are crippling. PLEASE READ ON. I have recently been in contact with the WASG
who have informed me that they have a serious conservation problem in
Western Australia. The club is relatively small, but has to
police (if that is the right word) a huge area from Margaret River in the south
western comer of Western Australia up through to Perth where there are caves in
the Yanchep National Park, then on up to Exmouth and the Cape Range. Also, beyond into the
North West
Territories! This is an almost impossible task with the
financial resources they have, so they do the best they can, relying on the
park Wardens, local people, and conservationists to help them.
At this moment in time, a Mining Corporation LEARMONT
LIMESTONE is applying for licences to mine 82 sq. KM of the
Cape
Range. This will devastate the karst area around
Exmouth and the
Cape! There are 600 known
caves in this region with another 50 approx being found annually. (I quote from the official report THE CAPE
RANGE KARST IS A VISUALLY STUNNING LANDFORM THAT WOULD BE PERMANENTLY SCARRED
BY THE PLACEMENT OF A MINE ON THE PROPOSED MINING LEASE. KARST LANDFORMS ARE
RELATIVELY RARE IN
AUSTRALIA
OCCUPYING ONLY ABOUT 3% OF THE TOTAL LAND MASS). There is also a report on the impact to the
flora and fauna in the region and underground.
WASG and other organisations are trying to oppose the lease
using Court Action; "the hearing opened on the 3rd August 2000" but
this will be crippling financially to the club and others involved.
The Lawyers are advising a softly, softly approach to the
problem and WASG do not want this to become a blazing issue until the sensible
method has been tried. At the moment an
alternative site for mining has been proposed by the conservationists. However, the caving club and all the groups
are desperate for financial help and I appeal to all the clubs in
Great Britain
to make some kind of contribution, however small, every little helps!
At the moment the information I have is that cheques should
be made out to CAVCARE which is the WA cave conservation fund set up for this
purpose . You can send the cheques to my home address and I will forward them on
to CAVCARE or they can go direct to WA at CAVCARE 27 BECKENHAM ST, BECKENHAM
WESTERN
AUSTRALIA.
My address is Keynsham,
Somerset. Email mwi1co@[removed].
Please help fellow Conservationists in their struggle to
keep the
Cape
Range flora and fauna, caves, and
landscape intact! Mike Wilson.
To illustrate this appeal, Mr. Wilson has sent me an article
written some while ago which describes some of the delights of caving in this
threatened area- Ed (see next section)
