Australiangreen activists expressed outrage at a government decision to allow energygiant Shell to drill for gas at a pristine reef that was listed as a WorldHeritage site just two weeks ago.
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| Shell has been given permission to drill for gas at an Australian reef that has been listed as a World Heritage site |
NingalooReef is considered a natural wonder, sprawling some 260 kilometres (155 miles)along Australia's west coast and teeming with hundreds of tropical fish andcoral species.
The UN'scultural body UNESCO listed the remote Ningaloo coast as a World Heritage sitelate last month due to its reef, sea turtles and white whales.
Butenvironmentalists say it could be under threat after the Australian governmentgreen-lighted a proposal from Shell to explore for gas nearby.
"Weare very concerned that the Australian government is even allowing the oil andgas sector to operate so close to the World Heritage-listed NingalooReef," WWF's Paul Gamblin told ABC Radio
"Itreally beggars belief that they aren't requiring a full environmental estimateof Shell's latest drilling proposal."
Gamblinsaid the Shell operations would run along the side of the reef itself, a"new frontier" for drilling, which has previously been confined toits northern corner.
Shellissued a statement saying it was "mindful of the significant biodiversityand heritage values of the Ningaloo region and we continue to plan ouroperations accordingly," noting its long safety record in the region.
"Theproposed exploration well is targeting gas and would be around 70km from theNingaloo Reef and 50km from the boundary of the Ningaloo Marine Park and WorldHeritage Area," the energy firm said.
EnvironmentMinister Tony Burke said Australia had beefed up its regulatory processes sincethe Montara oil spill in the Timor Sea two years ago, which saw thousands ofbarrels of crude spew into west coast waters over 10 weeks.
"Sincethe Montara incident, the department has adopted a more rigorous process forthe assessment of offshore petroleum activities and the approvalconditions," Burke told AFP in a statement.
"Shell'sproposal to undertake exploration drilling west of Ningaloo Reef was consideredon its merits in accordance with national environment law," he added.
Burke saidAustralia was "committed to protecting Australia's unique environmentincluding our oceans" and the Shell approval was consistent with similarprojects.
AFP
