Campaign to save Australia 'Galapagos' goes global
22 Jan 2007
The campaign to stop the construction of a giant gas plant on Western Australia's remote Barrow Island Nature Reserve will intensify with the launch of a global electronic petition at the WWF International headquarters in Switzerland.
The petition is targeted at the oil and gas companies, Chevron, Shell and ExxonMobil, which comprise the 'Gorgon' consortium. It calls on them to locate the gas plant on the Australian mainland.
WWF-Australia's Director of Conservation, Dr Ray Nias, said, "Barrow Island is a nature reserve of global importance and its protection deserves a global response."
"Barrow Island is a sanctuary for wildlife that has nowhere else to go. At a time when so much of the Earth's wildlife is under intense pressure from habitat loss, invasive species and climate change, we simply cannot stand by and watch Barrow Island threatened by development that could just as well be situated on the mainland," Dr Nias said.
The online petition, accessible at www.panda.org, will also be available in Italian, Chinese and other languages. It is addressed to the Gorgon project and to the Australian Federal Minister for the Environment, the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, and his Western Australian counterpart, Tony McRae.
"Barrow Island is well known for its marsupials, some of which are extinct or near-extinct on the mainland. It also has very important nesting grounds for the threatened flatback turtle, and is surrounded by tropical coral reefs earmarked for a marine park," Dr Nias said.
"Leading scientists warn that this project presents major threats to Barrow's wildlife. We believe we have a duty to protect Barrow Island Nature Reserve and we hope people across the world will spend a few minutes learning about this remarkable place and signing the petition."
For more information
Paul Gamblin, Senior Policy Advisor, WWF-Australia
Phone: 08 9387 6444
Mobile: 0410 221 508
Paula Schibeci, Communications Officer, WWF-Australia
Phone: 08 9387 6444
Mobile: 0406 381 137
