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Microscopic Australian prawn-like creature foils major mining project

Xinhua, August 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

Plans to build one of the biggest uranium mines in Australia have been thwarted by a species of desert-dwelling crustaceans.

The proposed Yeelirrie uranium mine in Western Australia (WA), 650 km northeast of Perth, was blocked by WA's Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) because of the threat it posed proposed to 11 species of the prawn-like creatures, stygofauna.

The stygofauna, which live in caves deep below the WA desert, lack eyes and pigmentation and measure between 0.3 and 10 mm.

Greens' Senator Scott Ludlam, who made a submission to the EPA's review of the project, said the stygofauna should be added to the protected species list.

"(The) decision by the EPA should be the final nail in a proposal that should never have seen the light of day," Ludlam told News Limited on Thursday.

Tom Hatton, chairman of the EPA, said that allowing the project to advance any further would be too risky for the region's ecosystem.

"The stygofauna habitat at Yeelirrie is particularly rich with 73 species recorded - more than anywhere else in the northern Goldfields," Hatton told News Limited.

"Despite the proponent's well-considered management strategies, based on current scientific understanding, the EPA concluded that there was too great a chance of loss of species that are restricted to the impact area."

Canadian company Cameco bought the Yeelirrie site from BHP Billiton for 326 million U.S. dollars and were planning to turn it into a 22-year mine which would create hundreds of jobs.

Cameco Australia Managing Director Brian Reilly told News Limited that the company still believes there is a "path forward" for the project with special conditions in place to protect the flora and fauna.

Mike Young, managing director of a fellow uranium-mining company, said that while the result was disappointing he expected that the stygofauna would prove a significant object for the project.

"It's disappointing but I'm not surprised because everyone following it knew it was a pretty unique ecosystem," he said. Endit