Ann: Galaxy Completes Review of Ponton Rare Earth, page-22

re: Ann: Galaxy Completes Review of Ponton Ra... With regards to Native Title:

Native Title will be involved in the process in one way or another. Its the way it works in WA (not sure about the rest of Oz).

These will primarily involve field surveys with several reps from the company (usually an enviro if there is no heritage personnel), several archeologists, usually 1 or 2 elders from the relative native title group, and 4 or so children from the title group who get paid very well to walk around the bush all day and who, in a number of cases, know little about what they are looking for or have any care.

It is very expensive and generally misses a large proportion of potential artifacts (due to inexperienced people), but it is required in some form or another.


With regards to the A class nature reserve:

Yes it may be a million miles away from human civilisation, but how does that retract from its beauty as a nature reserve? Not everything has to exist for our use. It is a place where the flora and fauna of western australia (many of which are endemic to the region - think the marsupial mole) can flourish without detrimental anthropogenic effects.

I am in this to make money like us all however not at the expense of another A class nature reserve (think Barrow Island). The economy isnt the only thing in the world, and its far from the most important.


With regards to the supposed barren:

The reserve may look barren to the untrained / ignorant eye however remember back to the rio project that was nearly brought to a halt due to the discovery of a new species short range endemic stygofauna (i.e. tiny and lives underground).