WA Environment Minister Bill Marmion has announced funding of more than $23million over the next seven years for four conservation projects as part of a $60 million Gorgon Joint Venture conservation package over the next 30 years.

 

The money will come from a fund set up through the Gorgon Project State approval process to support conservation projects for the next 25 to 30 years. It was the result of negotiations between the State Government and the Gorgon Joint Venture, before approval of the Gorgon Project on Barrow Island.


The four projects are:

  • $8.5million over seven years for the Dirk Hartog Island National Park ecological restoration project - Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC). DEC will contribute another $4.8million
  • $5.7million over five years for conservation systematics of western Pilbara fauna - WA Museum. The museum will contribute another $1.2million
  • $7.19million over five years for managing the conservation significance of coral reef ecosystems in the Pilbara/ Ningaloo region: Pilbara Marine Conservation Partnership -  University of Western Australia (UWA) and CSIRO’s Wealth from Oceans Flagship. UWA and CSIRO will contribute another $4.22million
  • $2.04million over five years for a decision support system for prioritising and implementing biosecurity on Western Australia’s islands - DEC and James Cook University. DEC and the university will contribute another $1.94million.

 

The Gorgon Project involves the development of a liquefied natural gas plant and domestic gas plant on a section of Barrow Island Nature Reserve about 1,500km north of Perth.