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Published: 22 May 2011
Draft plan for Barrow Island open for comment
Western Australia’s Environment Minister, Bill Marmion, has released the Barrow Group Nature Reserves Draft Management Plan for a two-month public comment period.
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The remoteness of Barrow Island, a 202 sq km island located 50 kilometres northwest of Western Australia, has allowed threatened and endangered species to flourish. Credit: NASA
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The draft plan covers about 24 070 ha of land down to the low water mark on Barrow Island and three nearby smaller islands – Boodie, Middle and Double islands – off the coast of Dampier.
The remoteness of Barrow Island, a 202 sq km island located 50 kilometres northwest of Western Australia, has allowed threatened and endangered species to flourish. Island wildlife includes perentie, Barrow Island euro, spectacled hare-wallaby, bettong, golden bandicoot, osprey, and the Barrow Island mouse. Marine species include green turtle and dugong.
‘Barrow Island is especially valued for its 22 threatened fauna species, extensive cave ecosystems and nesting beaches for marine turtles and migratory shorebirds,’ Mr Marmion said.
‘The diversity of Barrow Island’s fauna can be attributed to the range of habitats available, the island’s relative isolation, and the petroleum industry’s stringent quarantine system.
‘This has led to Barrow Island being the largest land mass in Australia that does not contain any introduced vertebrates.
‘Looking after the island’s natural values is very much a collaborative process, which is why I’m pleased that throughout the planning process the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) has consulted extensively with key stakeholders.
In December 2009, a consortium between the Australian subsidiaries of Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell received environmental approvals from the Western Australian Government to develop natural gas reserves 60 km north of the island.
The Gorgon gas project is set to become Australia's largest resource project, producing 1100 cubic kilometres of gas annually.
The WA Minister said the draft management plan would be implemented alongside existing environmental management documents produced by industry that provide guidance for the operator of each joint venture.
The draft management plan can be viewed at http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/haveyoursay.
