Major miner Rio Tinto has withdrawn its plan to mine near the town of Dwellingup in Western Australia.
The news comes just days after Alcoa announced it would establish an 8,344-hectare (ha) mining avoidance area around the town.
Rio planned to mine lithium and nickel in the area but will no longer move forward with this after local communities contested the plans.
“Rio Tinto is in the process of withdrawing its applications for exploration licences in the South-West of Western Australia,” a Rio spokesperson told the ABC.
“This decision has been made for a number of reasons including in response to concerns raised by local communities.”
Chief among the concerns was the protection of the nearby Northern Jarrah Forest.
Shire of Waroona President Mike Walmsley told the ABC that he was happy with the decision.
“It’s a good outcome that the companies listen to community concern and they’ve decided to withdraw,” he said.
“I’m sure there are other areas where some of these minerals might exist, but this one’s pretty special being the one and only one.
“It’s important that we protect those spots now. Going forward we need to say to some of these companies: ‘You really, really got to put up a pretty good case if you want to go into those spots.’”
Alcoa Australia president Matt Reed said the Alcoa’s similar decision to establish the Dwellingup no mining zone followed extensive studies and consultation, and respected feedback about the area’s growing importance.
“We hope this decision provides greater certainty about our intentions in a prospective mineral area and demonstrates our willingness to protect important environmental and social values,” he said.
“We respect the Dwellingup area has immense lifestyle, ecotourism and forest recreational values that people want to continue to enjoy now and into the future.
“We have worked closely with the Shire of Murray and other stakeholders in reaching this decision, and we believe this commitment will provide certainty to the community for the future.”
