The Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association (BNAA) has issued a stark warning over Alcoa’s proposed expansion of bauxite mining in Western Australia’s jarrah forests, raising alarm over environmental degradation, cultural loss, and threats to drinking water in the Mundaring Weir catchment.
“Our forest is the only jarrah forest in the world,” BNAA said in a statement in the National Indigenous Times. “We have lost over 50 per cent of it in less than 200 years, and the remainder is under enormous pressure from a drying climate, low rainfall, dieback and disease, polyphagous shot-hole borer, tree canopy death, increased bushfire risk, feral species, and land clearing for development.”
According to BNAA, Alcoa has cleared 280 square kilometres of forest over the past six decades and now seeks approval for an additional 110 square kilometres. “Not one single hectare of rehabilitated land has been accepted back by the WA government as restored to our state’s rehabilitation criteria,” the group said. “Worse, clearing is outpacing rehabilitation, meaning there is a growing backlog.”
The Association also questioned the economic justification for continued mining. “We know that in 2023–2024, Alcoa contributed 0.4 per cent of WA’s government revenue and 0.3 per cent of WA jobs,” it said. “However, we cannot find any independent cost-benefit analysis that properly considers all of the environmental, cultural and social losses.”
BNAA Chairperson and Noongar Elder Walter McGuire said the damage to water sources and cultural heritage is already severe. “Now in 2025, no one can drink safely from our rivers without treatment,” he said. “Western Australian government reports highlight that less than one per cent of waterways are now pristine. “It is our role and responsibility to care for the waterways and forests as the First People of this land,” McGuire added. “Since colonisation, we’ve been denied this role, but now we are bringing it back… Working together is the only way to get the best outcomes for the Country.”
Senior Elder May McGuire warned that Alcoa’s operations “will spoil the streams and kill the land, the bush itself, the jarrah trees, the birds, the fish, the quokkas, all the animals.” She added, “All Alcoa want is the minerals… they don’t care about our country.” She also criticised the lack of consultation with Traditional Owners. “The whole community is upset and they want to fight. That is wrong. They should be talking to us… before it happens, not after.”
BNAA said many cultural heritage sites in Alcoa’s proposed expansion zone remain unregistered due to limited formal surveys. “We know there is a high density of heritage sites… especially around waterways and granite outcrops,” Walter McGuire said. “It is shocking to know that the likes of Alcoa and others have had open mining rights to our forests and access to our water sources for many years.”
It also condemned the WA government’s for granting Alcoa a special exemption from parts of the Environmental Protection Act 1986. “Unaware to most of us, this allowed Alcoa to get started on their 2023–2027 Mining and Management Plan before the EPA review could even begin. For everyone else, this would be illegal.”
In response, an Alcoa spokesperson told National Indigenous Times the company “acknowledges the cultural significance of Noongar and historic heritage in the areas where we operate” and is “committed to protecting cultural heritage across all our operations.” Alcoa said it works closely with Traditional Owners and has rehabilitated more than 75 per cent of areas cleared since 1963. “Through our Forest Research Centre, we have a focus on Indigenous-led two-way science to assist in our ongoing focus on continuous improvement and adaptive management in rehabilitation practices and forest health.”
The concerns follow recent reporting by Wood Central, which revealed that two new mining proposals from Alcoa are currently under review by Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). If approved, the plans would significantly expand bauxite extraction across the jarrah forest region—opening new areas of native forest to industrial activity, intensifying operations in existing zones, and increasing alumina refining capacity.
“Any proposal to mine would involve rigorous consultation, assessment and in fact approval before we could do so,” said Kane Moyle, Alcoa’s director of regulatory approvals. However, environmental groups argue that the scale of the expansion demands far greater scrutiny, warning that cumulative impacts could push the jarrah ecosystem past a tipping point.
Scrutiny of Alcoa’s rehabilitation record is intensifying.
Last year, a peer-reviewed study published in Restoration Ecology found Alcoa’s forest restoration efforts to be “substandard” and on a “poor to declining trajectory.” Already, local governments are also demanding stronger accountability. The Shire of Waroona, which no longer hosts active Alcoa mining, has called for financial guarantees to ensure rehabilitation is completed. “One of our submissions was very similar to what we do with an extractive industries license,” said Shire President Mike Walmsley, told ABC Perth earlier this month. “So if someone walks away from a sandpit or similar site in our shire, there’s still money available to ensure it’s properly rehabilitated.”
The EPA is currently accepting public submissions on Alcoa’s proposals. Once the consultation period concludes, the authority will assess the plans and deliver its recommendation to the WA Minister for State and Industry Development, who will determine whether the projects proceed.
