The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, announced the decision to permanently ban uranium mining in the Aboriginal territory of Jabiluka, which will be integrated into the Kakadu National Park. This statement was made at the Labor Party conference in New South Wales, underlining the end of the mining concession on August 11.
During his remarks, Albanese stressed his government’s commitment to collaborate with traditional owners to ensure the permanent protection of Jabiluka, stating that the land will never be subject to mining activities. This move comes after more than six decades of stewardship and respect by the Mirarr people for this land, marking a significant step towards the preservation of their cultural and natural heritage.
Uranium in Kabyluka has been a source of conflict
The Jabiluka deposit has been at the center of legal disputes for decades, involving indigenous communities and large mining corporations such as Energy Resources of Australia (ERA), a subsidiary of Rio Tinto. The situation intensified after the destruction of the destruction of Juukan Gorge Cave by the use of explosives by through the use of explosives by ERA in 2020, a sacred site that housed ancestral artifacts, according to information from the DW web portal. Such actions sparked a national uproar and legislative revisions on mining in indigenous areas.
Despite Rio Tinto’s requests to extend its mining concession mining concessionThe company has recognized the traditional owners’ right of veto over the exploitation of the territory. A Rio Tinto spokesperson expressed satisfaction with the respect for the rights of the Mirarr people, reflecting a change in the management of mining resources in culturally significant areas.
About Kakadu National Park
This National Park is located in northern Australia and stands out as an exceptional archaeological and ethnological reserve, continuously inhabited for over 40,000 years. Ancient artworks in the park chronicle the cultural and subsistence evolutions of its inhabitants, from Neolithic hunter-gatherers to present-day Aborigines.
In addition, the park is home to a diversity of ecosystems, such as sandy coasts, plateaus and lowlands, which support numerous species of endemic flora and fauna.
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Source: Infobae
Photos: shutterstock
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