Mining in Tarkine North West of Tasmania - Literature review Example

MINING IN TARKINE Introduction According to AboutAustralia (2014), Tasmania represents a rich and beautiful Australian history. Tasmania is a beautiful island on the Western side of Australia. The island was formed through glacial action as water levels rose in the ocean and completely cut of Tasmania from the mainland. The local Aborigines were cut off too and remained there for many years until 1803 when the British first entered the island. The British subjected the Aborigines to great injustice by persecuting them through death, hard labour, introduction of deadly infectious diseases, and forced relocation. AboutAustralia (2014) asserts that the proclamation of the commonwealth, with Tasmania as an Australian State, was proclaimed in 1901. Tasmania is endowed with a rich forest cover, a diversity of wild animals, and numerous minerals. For this reason, it has drawn many interested parties like a magnet. These include environmentalists, tourists, the government, mining companies, wildlife conservationists, politicians, and the local communities. Ryan (2013) confirms that these interest groups which include rich mining and manufacturing companies, the local residents, and politicians are now embroiled in a battle for the resources of the North West of Tasmania. The following is a TV talk show between representatives of the interest groups. These representatives include Locar – A priest serving in the local diocese, Minco – President of Tasmania Mines Ltd, Wilco – President of the Tasmanian Conservation Agency, and Lopol – a local politician from the Labour Party which supports mining in the Tarkine (Ryan, 2013). The TV show host is Host; Host: Mr Locar, can you describe this area called Tarkine and explain why it has attracted such great attention in the recent past? Locar: According to Ryan (2013), Tarkine is a region in the North-West side of the state of Tasmania. The Tarkine is rich in mineral deposits which include copper, flint, ochre, tin, coal, limestone, salt, and so on (Dickens, 2006). This has definitely attracted a large number of mining companies to cash in on the multi-billion dollar minerals business. However mining in the Tarkine is not a new venture. It began way back in the 1700s with the Aborigines who used to mine such minerals as sandstone, clay, ochre, salt, and so on. An important factor to note though is that Tarkine is home to several endangered species such as the Tasmanian Devil (Ryan, 2006); a home which environmentalists feel would be destroyed by mining and thus decimating the entire population. Johnstone (2014) also exposes the destruction of ancient rain forest which would result from tin mining. She argues that tin mining includes cutting deep craters on large chunks of earth. For these reasons, environmentalist and conservations have recommended the abolishment of mining activities in the Tarkine. This is what has caused the furore. Wilco: As much as I agree with the sentiments of the priest that is not the only reason for this altercation. According to Ryan (2006), there have been proposals to start ten new mines in the Tarkine region alone. You can imagine the level of destruction on both flora and fauna if those proposals became a reality. Mining is destroying the natural habit of the Tasmanian Devil and the Spotted Tailed Quoll. Allowing ten more mines is the equivalent of condemning these rare animals to extinction. Johnstone (2006) asserts that thousands of the local population depends on income from tourism. Tourism in the Tarkine is largely because of the natural forests which have existed for millions of years and thus provide a rare environment. It is really sad that the government wants to destroy that long-time and irreplaceable investment for a short-term mining investment that will provide income for a short period then dry out once the miners exhaust the earth. Besides that, one single company, Venture Minerals, has two other proposals for excavation into the Tarkine. The Environment minister has already issued 56 exploration licences (Johnstone, 2014). This obviously is an indication of the interest that the government has on mining activities and its willingness to open up more mining space in the Tarkine. With numerous mining companies in the Tarkine, the entire region will no longer be a natural forest. It will be a network of roads, rails, and other infrastructure linking the mining plants one with the other. Host: What is your take on this matter Mr. Minco? Minco: I do not understand what all this noise is about. Mining in the Tarkine is as old as the Tarkine. It was practiced by the Aborigines many years before the British invaded Tasmania in 1803. It was a cultural practice. It was also an economic activity for the Aborigines who mined materials for building, salt for food, and coal for fuel (Dickens, 2006). Any argument that mining destroys the Tarkine thus becomes invalidated. Furthermore, the mining licenses currently being issued by the government are pegged on financial support for conservation initiatives for the Tasmanian Devils and any other endangered species in the Tarkine (McDonald, 2013). That means that all the companies that engage in mining activities in the Tarkine must contribute a fair share of their earnings to conservation activities. So, it is misleading to argue that mining activities will lead to the decimation of the Tasmanian Devils. The financial contribution of the miners will indeed ensure that these endangered species are preserved for a lifetime within the Tarkine. Also note that where there have been doubts on the mining proposals suggesting a conflict with conservation initiatives, the government has quickly revoked the licenses, for example the Shree Mines. The federal courts stopped the initiation of these mines after it proved that the environment minister failed in his duty to protect the Tasmanian Devils by excluding conservation advice in his licensing decisions (McDonal, 2013). So, the animals really are protected. Host: Mr. Lopol, the politicians have joined the fray. Explain your involvement. Lopol: The Labour Party supports mining in the Tarkine. That does not mean we do not care about the environment. We care about both the people and the environment. The usefulness of the environment is in its utility to the people. Our greatest motivation is in the creation of Jobs. According to TMEC (2014), the state of Tasmania has been experiencing a serious economic depression leading to huge job losses. In the Tarkine region alone, there were job loses to the tune of 2700 in less than one year. That is a very large number of people losing their jobs within a small area. All economic sectors of Tasmania have registered decline in growth or stagnation, a situation which threatens the well-being of the people and the state. Only the mining sector has shown good prospects. In fact, we have gained support from both sides of the political divide. Politicians such as Joan Ryla (TMEC, 2014), the Liberal Member for Braddon, argues that environmentalists mislead the public on the political stance taken by people like us. She says that her support for mining is not at the expense of the environment. Instead it is an attempt to have the environment creating jobs for the people. She asserts that the government has instituted excellent rehabilitation measures therefore all “destroyed” areas are now going through rehabilitation to restore them to their former glory and provide natural environment again for the endangered species. If we do not take care of our people first then the environment will not mean anything to them. Host: Jobs versus environment? Jobs with environment? Minco: Yes. I don’t understand how somebody can call mining a short term investment. It sounds like mining is a small venture that will take place within the next 5 years then it will all be over. This terribly misleading. Tasmania may be small but it has very large deposits of a diversity of minerals. According to Tasmaniana Government (2014), Tasmania boast of rare and expensive minerals such as gold, tin, copper, silver, iron, tungsten, and zinc. The industrial minerals available in Tasmania include dolomite, coal, silica flour, limestone, and magnesite. Furthermore, Tarkine is rich in sand, gravel, and stone, all building materials. All these materials and chemicals have been mined since the 1800s and have not shown any signs of depletion. The claim that it’s a temporary investment is as absurd as it sounds. Again, nothing is really permannetn. With global warming and other unexpected drastic climatic changes, there is no assurance that the Tarkine forest will outlive the mining activities. What’s more, all this mining activitiy and exploration constitutes of about 1% of the entire land mass of Tasmania, not to forget that the 1% is largely undestroyed. Here is the clincher; 50% of all export earnings of Tasmania comes from mining! Locar: The only thing that all proponents of mining have in common is money. They have all pegged their arguments of how much money human beings earn or should earn the environment notwithstanding. I do not refute the fact that we all need money. But life and human happiness is not just about money. Satisfaction also comes from national pride, and this is where the beauty of the environment and national heritage comes in. Ryan (2013), asserts that the Tarkine holds the highest concentration of national heritage elements such as the Aboriginal heritage, natural forests, and rare animal species. This should be protected under the national heritage legislation. We cannot possibly ignore the extensive damage facing the Tarkine, not just in mining but in exploration activities. According to Jordan (2014), non-mining activity such as drilling, pit tests, and geophysical surveys result in bush clearing, construction of roads, and use of harmful chemicals that pollute the environment. Even areas that have no mining value end up destroyed. The argument that there are noticeable gains in rehabilitation does not hold water. According to Reportage (2014), some companies have ceased their operations in the Tarkine already. However, they have left behind large chunks of cleared forest cover and constructed waste pools that have no useful value to the environment. In fact their continued existence in the absence of the miners is a danger to tourists, flora and fauna. Images The following image shows the extensive mineral deposits of Tasmania (Mineral Resources Tasmania, 2014); The following Image extracted from McAllum (2013) shows a Tasmanian Devil in a felled tree; Questions 1. How can the stalemate between the interested parties be resolved? 2. Do you support the sentiment that mining is indeed “Jobs with the environment”? 3. Is the politician’s reaction to this matter predictable? 4. What do you think will be the future of Tarkine? References AboutAustralia. (2014). Tasmania History. Retrieved 11 September 2014, from, http://www.about-australia.com/facts/tasmania-history/ Dickens, G. (2006). Mining. Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies. Retrieved 11 Sept 2014, from, http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/M/Mining.htm Johnstone, L. (2014). Miners Plan to Open-Cut the Tarkine Forest. The Wilderness Society Inc. Retrieved 7th September 2014, from, https://secure.wilderness.org.au/cyberactivist/cyberactions/12-05-tarkine-cyberaction.php? Jordan, S. (2014). Mining. Save the Tarkine. Retrieved 11 Septemebr 2014, from, http://tarkine.org/mining/ McCallum (2013, January 16). Tarkine Mines Last Straw for Tasmanian devils? Australian Geographic. Retrieved 10th September 2014, from, http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2013/01/tarkine-mines-last-straw-for-tasmanian-devils/ McDonald, J. (2013, August 12). Tasmania’s Tarkine Needs a Strategic Plan. The Conversation University of Tasmania. Retrieved 4th September 2014, from, http://theconversation.com/tasmanias-tarkine-needs-a-strategic-plan-16876 Reportage. (2014). Mining Withdraws from the Tarkine Wilderness. Magazine of the Australian Centre for for Independent Journalism. Retrieved 6th September 2014, from, http://www.reportageonline.com/2014/06/mining-withdraws-from-the-tarkine-wilderness/ Ryan, J. (2013, Aug 9). Analysis: The battle for Tasmania’s Tarkine Wilderness. ABC Rural. Retrieved 11th September 2014, from, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-06/mining-in-the-tarkine/4863892 Tasmanian Government. (2014a). Mineral Resources Tasmania. Retrieved 10th September 2014, from, http://www.mrt.tas.gov.au/portal/home Tasmanian Government. (2014b). Current Exploration and Mining in Tasmania. Mineral Resources Tasmania. Retrieved 5th September 2014, http://www.mrt.tas.gov.au/portal/less-than-one-per-cent Tasmanian Government. (2014c). Mineral Resources Tasmania. Retrieved 5th September 2014, from, http://www.mrt.tas.gov.au/portal/documents/10184/28634/mines%2Bprocessor%2Bcare_slide.png/a51f1709-c3ae-45bc-8794-900d9c3b13f4?t=1401335133445 Tasmanian Mineral and Energy Council (TMEC). (2014). Tasmanian Mining. TMEC Politics. Retrieved 9th September 2014, from, http://www.tasmanianmining.com.au/articles_politics/joan_rylah_1059 Read More