Western Australia

Location: Ludlow-Wonnerup Forest and Wetlands Bussleton, WA

Threat:     Destruction by sand mining

The Ludlow tuart forest is one of the only substantial tuart forests left in the world. This area incorporates both the Ludlow State Forest and the Ludlow National Park. It is believed that under 10% of the pre-European tuart forest - the only open savannah woodland native to the southern part of Western Australia – remains in the South-West. This forest, along with the Vasse-Wonnerup estuary,

supports a rich diversity of flora and fauna populations.

Overall the eco health of the tuart forests is extremely poor. The biosystem is threatened by inappropriate activities as well as serious neglect by existing management authorities. The Trust’s current position is that Government Regulators may need to take a more proactive approach on such activities. The Trust reminds these Regulators to focus on the objectives of their legislation and not on enforcing isolated rules. This very issue was recently highlighted by the Commissioner of Public Sector Standards in a presentation to senior government officers.

The National Trust is fully aware of the risks in the Cable Sands proposal for mineral sand extraction in a portion of the Ludlow State Forest. This proposal is currently being examined by a number of Government regulatory agencies including the Water and Rivers Commission, the Department for Environmental Protection, The Department of Conservation and Land Management and the

Environmental Protection Agency.

The National Trust acknowledges the concerted efforts of all parties in addressing the key heritage issues in both a timely and transparent manner. The Trust now calls upon the Government regulatory agencies to assess all proposals in a similar manner.

UPDATE

Cable Sands sought an urgent meeting with the National Trust of Australia (WA) as they felt both their company and the mining sector had been unfairly singled out as the threat to the tuart forests. The Trust facilitated a number of meetings with Cable Sands and other key stakeholders associated with the Ludlow-Wonnerup Tuart Forest. The Trust outlined its concern in great detail to the Company and highlighted the various heritage issues and significance of this heritage listed area. The National Trust wishes to acknowledge the concerted efforts of all parties in addressing the key heritage issues in both a timely and transparent manner. The Trust now calls upon the Government regulatory agencies to assess all proposals in a similar manner.