Mining giant joins fight to stop killer toad march across Australia

What the report says

Rio Tinto is joining a multi-partner effort to keep cane toads out of the Pilbara region in western Australia, where the company operates a major iron ore business. According to BBC World News, the mining group will help fund an A$28 million “toad containment zone” with Curtin University and other partners to slow the spread of the invasive species before it reaches the area.

The project is designed to block access to water sources the toads need to survive in dry conditions. The plan covers about 7,500 square kilometres between the Great Sandy Desert and the Indian Ocean, and is intended to protect dams, storage tanks and other low-lying water points used by cattle and irrigation. The five-year effort is due to begin in 2027.

BBC World News said the initiative matters because cane toads are toxic to many native animals and could affect wildlife in the Pilbara, including northern quolls, goannas and ghost bats. The species was introduced to Australia in 1935 and has since moved steadily across the north of the country. A Curtin University scientist involved in the project said the containment effort could be a rare chance to stop one of the world’s most damaging invasive species before it reaches the region. The report also noted Rio Tinto’s past tensions with Indigenous communities after the destruction of sacred rock shelters in Pilbara.