Mining banned as new national park announced in Western Australia

Kimberley National Park. Image by Jon Connell / CC BY 2.0

The Western Australian government has announced an historic deal banning mining in the iconic Mitchell Plateau in The Kimberley region, paving the way for Australia’s largest national park to be established. No further mining or exploration will be permitted in the 175,000 hectare area, which will be included in the new five million hectare Kimberley National Park. The Premier said that the establishment of the park’s boundaries would begin soon and he praised Rio Tinto for forgoing its mining opportunity for environmental and cultural heritage conservation. Read more: abc.net.au