The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has welcomed the decision of the Wangan & Jagalingou people to oppose the development of the proposed Carmichael coal mine on their ancestral lands in the Galilee Basin.
Felicity Wishart, AMCS Great Barrier Reef campaign director , said the decision of the Traditional Owners to say no to Indian mining company Adani and their plans for a massive mine on their traditional lands is a courageous one.
“ This mine proposal is one of many driving plans for megaport development at Abbot Point on the Reef coast, which will see dredging, dumping, increased shipping and further pressure on the nearby wetlands.
“If successful, this decision will leave thousands of hectares of their traditional homelands intact. It will protect the valuable bushland, its wildlife, and rivers in the upper catchment of the Burdekin, which flows into the Reef’s waters, a nd it will reduce the need for port expansion and hence reduce the industrial port threat facing the Great Barrier Reef, ” said Ms Wishart.
AMCS supports the Wangan & Jagalingou’s right to say no to destruction of their lands and urges the Queensland government to respect their decision.