Reece Whitby: Massive Pilbara wetland home to many birds saved in a unique collaboration

Uncle Stanley Watson strikes an impressive pose under a battered old stockman’s hat.

The nor-wester is a respected elder of the Nyiyaparli people, who have called the Fortescue River Valley home for tens of thousands of years.

His desire to protect this breathtaking expanse of Pilbara between the Chichester and Hamersley ranges is in his DNA.

Last week, Uncle Stanley stood beside me, proudly holding a certificate marking the creation of the Fortescue Marsh Nature Reserve — adding an additional 107,000 hectares of land to WA’s conservation estate under the Cook Labor Government’s ambitious Plan for Our Parks.

The creation of this A-Class reserve means our Government has now created more than four million hectares of new conservation estate on the way to an impressive five million target.

Fortescue Marsh is a rare oasis in the dry spareness of the Pilbara.

It is a 100km-long seasonal wetland that sustains up to one million migratory water birds, or 20 per cent of Australia’s total water bird population.

The marsh also provides a unique and welcome sanctuary for some of our country’s most threatened native species, providing habitat for endangered night parrots, northern quolls, greater bilbies, and olive pythons.

It has deep cultural significance for the Nyiyaparli people, who still observe ancient ceremonial and mythological sites throughout the floodplain and continue to use the area for hunting and camping.

What makes this addition to the conservation estate different is the extraordinary co-operation and support of WA’s biggest mining companies.

Fortescue Marsh is surrounded by massive multibillion-dollar mining operations, including Fortescue Metal’s Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek, Mindy Mindy, and Nyidinghu projects, as well as Mineral Resources’ Iron Valley, BHP’s Yandi, and Rio Tinto’s Koodaideri mines.

In some cases, mining companies are operating just 2km from the reserve’s boundary.

This collaboration between miners, traditional owners and the State is historic.

It involves the surrender of exploration licences, including areas held under State Agreements, so environmentally critical areas can be protected for future generations.

Fortescue Metals Group, BHP, Rio Tinto, and Roy Hill are also monitoring water quality to ensure the continued health of this incredibly significant wetland.

I am extremely grateful to these companies for the way they worked not only together but alongside traditional owners to secure this amazing outcome for our State.

This reserve’s creation marks a significant step forward for WA, as well as a future guide for how the resources sector, indigenous communities and the State Government can strike a balance that allows mining to coexist with conservation.

An Indigenous Land Use Agreement establishes the creation, joint vesting and joint management of Fortescue Marsh Nature Reserve between the Nyiyaparli people and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

The agreement reached after years of careful consultation and cooperation to ensure traditional knowledge and customary practices are at the centre of decision-making, governance and management of country.

Uncle Stanley and his fellow community members will have a direct say in the management of the biggest wetland in the Pilbara an area 50 times the size of Rottnest Island.

Economic benefits will also flow with the agreement resulting in jobs for Aboriginal rangers, new infrastructure and opportunities for Indigenous businesses to help manage and protect the land.

Meanwhile, the Cook Labor Government continues to work towards our commitment of adding five million additional hectares to WA’s conservation estate.

It’s a remarkable target that will increase WA’s conservation estate by 20 per cent in just five years.

Hearing Uncle Stanley talk passionately about the significance of Fortescue Marsh to his people makes it all worthwhile.

Reece Whitby is the Environment Minister