Kimberley corals offer hope for reefs

Flip Prior, The West AustralianNovember 21, 2012, 5:30 am
Marine scientist Ali McCarthy popped out of the turquoise water at Shell Island, grinning around her snorkel and holding a purple-tipped staghorn coral - one of many colourful reef specimens turning the shallows near Cygnet Bay into an underwater wonderland.

Despite being bombarded daily by the biggest tides of any tropical reef system in the world, early studies suggest the Kimberley corals survive big fluctuations in temperature, water flow and light intensity to grow at a phenomenal rate.

"The ranges in parameters that they cope with on a daily basis are beyond the thresholds for most other coral reefs throughout the world," Ms McCarthy said.

"Learning what's different and what makes these corals able to adapt and cope with the environment up here may well hold part of the key to helping other reefs elsewhere to be able to survive in a changing climate."

The corals are one reason scientists are flocking to the Kimberley Marine Research Station, on the tip of the Dampier Peninsula at Cygnet Bay, to dive into its pristine waters.

James Brown, a third-generation pearler and marine biologist, established KMRS in 2009 to give students low-cost and easy access to three marine bioregions - King Sound, Canning Basin and the Kimberley.

The area is highly biodiverse and scientists suspect many species are yet to be discovered or understood.

Mr Brown said now that the State Government's investment of millions of dollars into the Kimberley Science and Conservation Strategy was starting to hit the ground, interest in the region was growing.

In the past year, more than 20 teams of scientists have visited to begin projects - some of which will last years.

As research officer, Ms McCarthy co-ordinates a busy schedule of scientists studying everything from cetacean distribution and abundance to coral bleaching and sedimentation in what she says is a "remarkable environment"."Because it is so isolated, there is a huge amount of diversity up here and relatively very little human impact," she said.

Camden Sound Marine Park announced

Portfolio: Premier, Environment

• Premier and Environment Minister announce major marine sanctuary
• Camden Sound Marine Park to be one of WA’s biggest
• Park will protect State’s most important humpback whale calving area

Thousands of humpback whales that annually migrate along the west coast will have increased protection within a new Kimberley marine park to be created by the State Government.

Premier Colin Barnett and Environment Minister Bill Marmion today announced the Government’s decision to create Camden Sound Marine Park, about 300km north-east of Broome.

“Camden Sound, covering nearly 7,000 square kilometres, is the first of four new marine parks to be created under the $63million Kimberley Science and Conservation Strategy.  Other parks will be created at Eighty Mile Beach, Roebuck Bay and the North Kimberley,” Mr Barnett said.

“Creating this marine park reaffirms our election commitment to protect this significant and biologically important region.

“Camden Sound is internationally recognised as the biggest calving area for humpback whales in the southern hemisphere with more than 1,000 humpbacks found there during the calving season.

“They are part of the biggest population of humpback whales in the world - numbering almost 30,000 - that migrate from Antarctica each year to give birth in the waters off the north of our State.”

Mr Marmion said a special purpose zone would be created covering about 1,670 square kilometres to enhance protection of the humpback whale calving grounds.

“This zone will require vessels to remain at least 500m from humpback mothers and calves,” Mr Marmion said.

“There will also be two sanctuary zones comprising about 20 per cent of the marine park area - more than 1,300 square kilometres - around Champagny Islands and Montgomery Reef, which is exposed on the outgoing tide to reveal a series of awe-inspiring waterfalls.

“Montgomery Reef sanctuary zone, at 761 square kilometres, will become the biggest sanctuary zone in the WA marine park system.

“We have also included a small general use zone covering the frequently visited area known as ‘The River’ at Montgomery Reef.  This will allow some fishing and other activities to continue in this area.

“The marine park’s zoning scheme will help protect a unique marine environment, while allowing recreational and commercial fishing as well as aquaculture and pearling to occur.”

For the first time ever in Western Australia, there will be a zone which provides for a ‘wilderness’ fishing experience where recreational fishers (including charter boats) must either catch and release or eat their catch before leaving the zone.  Commercial fishing and other commercial activities will not be permitted nor will spearfishing.

Pearling operations will be recognised in a designated zone and some commercial fishing operations will phased out, with 48 per cent of the marine park closed to commercial trawl fishing and 23 per cent closed to all forms of commercial fishing.  If appropriate, compensation will be paid to affected fishing operations.

Camden Sound Marine Park will contain a range of coral reef communities at Wildcat Reef and in the vicinity of Champagny and Augustus islands.

The marine park will also be home to seagrass and macroalgal communities, extensive mangrove forests of the St George Basin and lower Prince Regent River, tidal flats, and a habitat for dugong, sawfish and dolphins.

The marine park will be jointly managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation and the traditional owners, including the Dambimangari and Uunguu people.

The Government has committed $10million over four years to protecting and managing Camden Sound Marine Park, with ongoing funding of $2.3million a year from 2015-16.

The marine park will be created by mid-2012 followed by gazettal of the zone boundaries later in the year.

      Fact File

• Camden Sound marine park will have 2 sanctuary zones, 3 special purpose zones and 4 general use zones
• The marine park is one of 4 being created in WA’s Kimberley region under the Kimberley Science and Conservation Strategy
• Final management plan for Camden Sound Marine Park to be released later this year

Premier’s office - 6552 5000

Environment Minister’s office - 6552 6800

Pearl diver dies off WA coast

By Erin Parke

Monday, 16/04/2012

The pearl industry is in shock after the death of a 22-year-old diver who was working off the Western Australian coast, south of Broome, over the weekend.

The Victorian man was in a team of six diving for pearl shells off the 80 Mile Beach.

Police say he surfaced in a distressed state and died not long after.

Executive officer of the Pearl Producers Association, Brett McCallum, says it's not yet known what caused the death, the first of an Australian pearl diver in 24 years.

"We haven't had any incident since 1988, so we would argue that our diving is very safe," he said.

"It's early days yet as to exactly what the cause of this loss of life is and we'll be doing everything we can to find out what happened, and hopefully if there's anything we can implement and improve, we will certainly do so."

Kimberley Wet Season images – March 2012

Wet Season - March 2012 - Images by Annabelle Sandes

Secret Life of Kimberley Corals

GRAHAM LLOYD 

From:

The Australian 

March 24, 2012 12:00AM

THE remote Kimberley coast, widely considered to be the planet's last great tropical marine frontier, is slowly beginning to yield its secrets.

At the height of tropical cyclone Lua, which this week hammered the region with winds of up to 160km/h, marine scientist Ali McCarthy, 24, became the first person to witness the spawning of Kimberley onshore corals.

The event took place nine days after the full moon and after two wet, windy nights of monitoring aquariums at Cygnet Bay, about 200km north of Broome.

The captive spawning mirrored exactly what was happening on reefs a few hundred metres away, where the waters were awash with slicks of bright blue and pink secretions as corals released their gametes into the water for fertilisation.

The event, which can be accurately predicted, is remarkable for more than the way in which it will help explain the lifecycle of one of the world's least understood coral regions. The Kimberley coast is recognised as the most coral diverse area in Western Australia and may rival the Red Sea with 280 species of hard coral from 55 genera, many new to science. The research will help unlock the secrets of why Kimberley corals are thriving where contemporary marine science says they should not even exist.

"The environment in which the corals exist is almost beyond the normal parameters for coral survival, let alone growth," said Ms McCarthy.The onshore reefs of Cygnet Bay experience water temperatures of up to 40C without bleaching. They also withstand 12m tides, extreme turbidity and ocean acidification that would be devastating to other coral systems.

Croc Spotting

STEPHEN SCOURFIELD, TRAVEL EDITOR, The West Australian

March 23, 2012, 1:09 pm

DE MG Ranger Andy Reid at the helm on the Ord River. Picture: Stephen Scourfield/The West Australian

The Ord River snakes behind, flat and steel-grey in the darkening afternoon - slashed by the white wake of the boat.

Beside it, red bluffs pass, fired by the late sun.

This part of the East Kimberley's upper Ord, between Lake Kununurra and Argyle Dam, is naturally inhabited by Johnson freshwater crocodiles. Johnson's crocodile - Crocodylus johnsoni, the freshwater crocodile, the humble freshie - is not aggressive but not completely harmless.

But there has been a report that there may be a saltie here - the bitey estuarine crocodylus.

Department of Environment and Conservation wildlife officer Len Terry and DEC Miriuwung Gajerrong (MG) ranger Andy Reid are here to check, though Len does admit it's rather like looking for a needle in a haystack, on this long, wide stretch of silty river.

And particularly as tourists who see a big croc might think it's a saltie, and report it, when, in fact, it's not.

With Andy at the boat's controls and Len up on the bow, inside a big frame, the river is gently scoured. If they were to spot a saltie, they might come back with a trap (Len says it generally takes between two and seven weeks for a crocodile to be caught), might noose the snout, or harpoon him with small hooks and haul him in. "We use a lot of duct tape," Len says.

We end up not far from the dam as the light dies and then come back slowly, with Len spotlighting for croc eyes and giving instructions to Andy, who's driving in the dark now, with the beam of his torch.

I, of course, am sightseeing, the other chaps are working.

I'm pleased to have spotted three, maybe four, freshwater crocs and ask Len how many he reckons he saw. "A couple of hundred," he says. Of course, once you've got your eye in …

Back at the office the next day, DEC Kimberley regional manager Daryl Moncrieff asks how we went and I tell him about the interesting and enjoyable evening.

Yes, he says, and he can see potential for DEC croc-spotting trips for the public. "We could have the MG trainees and rangers telling people about the crocs and the country." And maybe another idea is born …

But there has been a report that there may be a saltie here.

The Final Frontier

STEPHEN SCOURFIELD, TRAVEL EDITOR, The West Australian

Updated March 23, 2012, 8:49 pm

Some of the Kimberley's wild places can be reached only by air or sea. You wheel in a great arc in a light aircraft over the high red, rocky plateau ranges and drop down to a scallop in the coast with a small retreat, set against a turquoise sea.

Kimberley special:
BEEHIVE YOURSELF
CROC SPOTTING

RICH REWARDS

Or you pull up on a beach knowing that, even if the Kimberley coast didn't have an extraordinary tidal range to wipe them away, there would be very few footprints in the sand before yours.

But it's not all like that - not by any means.

To get to many of the Kimberley's wild places, travellers have only to pull off the road and stroll a few metres from the carpark.

With some, visitors can camp in the heart of wilderness, or stay in comfortable accommodation.

And yet these are still wild places.

Indeed, the central Kimberley bioregion was recognised as one of the world's last true wilderness areas by Conservation International.

I have met earth scientists, biologists and naturalists who speak of the 424,500sqkm of the Kimberley in the same breath as Antarctica. Wild places. Last frontiers.

Its seasonality is part of the picture - part of its drama and charm and crucial to the environment. It has a tropical monsoonal climate, the wet season, November to March, and dry season, April to October.

In this guide, we pay special attention to the Kimberley's national parks, conservation areas and nature reserves - and to how they are managed, and their future.

We travel to wild places.

$700K to target tidal movements research

Updated March 15, 2012 14:26:36

• Map: Ningaloo

A new study of tidal movements along the north-west Western Australian coast is underway to help protect reef systems in the area.

The Australian Research Council has allocated $700,000 to the project, which will focus on the interaction of tides and reef systems between Ningaloo Reef and Camden Sound.

A marine scientist at the University of Western Australia, Ryan Lowe, will head the five-year study.

He says the work is long overdue.

"I'd say the Kimberley, and critically the inshore areas of the Kimberley, are some of the most poorly understood areas in the world," he said.

"There's very little scientific research that's been conducted and I think even globally, the area experiences the largest tides of any tropical area of the world, so a lot [of] the questions and research conditions are unique."

Professor Lowe says the findings will feed into management plans for newly created marine parks along the north-west coast.

"There's such a lack of just basic knowledge at this point," he said.

"The first priority is really to develop numerical models that can actually predict tidal movements over these very extreme, complex reef systems."

Kuri Bay: True luxury on a remote Australian coast

MERCEDEH SANATI

From Saturday’s Globe and Mail

Published Friday, Mar. 09, 2012 12:03PM EST

Kimberley Coast – With only three rooms and a completely off-the-beaten path location in northwestern Australia, Kuri Bay is set to become one of the most exclusive wilderness lodges on the Kimberley Coast. An almost two-hour seaplane ride from Broome delivers guests to a pristine outpost that was once home to the country’s oldest pearling company. Excursions to see hump-back whales, ancient cave art, and the horizontal waterfalls of Montgomery Reef trump any extraneous five-star frills (rooms don’t have TVs, telephones or air conditioning). Meals feature freshly caught fish, pearl meat and fine Australian wines. At $4,799 (Aus.) a person for a four-night all-inclusive package, staying at this remote hideaway doesn’t come cheaply. kuribay.com.au

Top End cyclone danger moved to Tuesday

THERE is a moderate risk of a cyclone forming late on Tuesday.

A weak tropical low has formed more than 100km north of the Arnhem coast in the Arafura Sea.

The low is expected to move west or southwest towards the Timor Sea and slowly deepen.

A cyclone could affect the Kimberley coast by this Wednesday.

Weather Bureau senior forecaster Rebecca Patrick said that the path of the low-pressure system was unpredictable.

"It may well move over land or water," Ms Patrick told the Sunday Territorian.

RELATED COVERAGE

• Cyclone risk increased to moderate
• Wet week ahead for Top End

YOUR SAY

"Look up the BOM 4 day forecast map, that always tells the most probable outcome. unlike the current media sensationalism."
Kenny

"There will still be a lot of rain," she said.

There is a low chance of a cyclone occurring today and tomorrow.

Ms Patrick said there will certainly be strong north-westerly winds if the trough moves to the west.

That will please Darwin surfers.

The low is in a weak monsoon trough over the Arafura Sea and is threatening to become more active as it moves closer to the Top End coast.

The Weather Bureau is warning of flooding today in the Top End.

Thunderstorms and isolated showers of up to 80mm may lead to localised flooding and higher water levels in creeks.

Darwin was hit by a few millimetres of rain yesterday, while Alice Springs is getting sunny conditions with temperatures in the mid-30s.

Adelaide River had the most rainfall in the 24 hours to the time of writing, with 51mm of rain.

Byrnec@ ntnews.com.au

New Wellness Retreat Launches on Kimberley Coast

The far North Kimberley’s iconic Kimberley Coastal Camp is set to launch its first yoga and wellness retreat this June.

Hosted by Ryoho yoga therapist and host of Australia’s Yoga TV – Kris McIntyre, the 3 day all inclusive package will feature meditation, nutrition, yoga, massage and reflexology at one of the world’s most secluded destinations. Guests are invited to experience intimate encounters with ancient cultures and rock art so old its origins are lost in time, native wildlife, pristine isolated beaches, bush walking, gourmet meals including fresh locally caught seafood, and luxurious beach front accommodation.

This unique opportunity to reconnect with nature includes a complimentary helicopter access only yoga session! Early birds can take advantage of the special EARLY BIRD OFFER – 10% off if booked before 10 April 2012.

Kimberley Coastal Camp is a small luxury wilderness lodge located on country know to traditional owners as Yalrundair, overlooking the Timor Sea. Open from late March to October each year, Kimberley Coastal Camp limits guests to just 12 and with access restricted to helicopter and float plane it is one of the world’s most secluded and unspoiled destinations.

The first Kimberley Coastal Camp wellness retreat will be held from the 9th to the 12th of June 2012. All inclusive packages departing Broome are $4936 per person or $4685 from Kununurra.

Telephone: 0417 902 006 Email: info@kimberleycoastalcamp.com.au

Web: www.kimberleycoastalcamp.com.au

Indigenous vision for Kimberley irks Greens

Andrew Burrell   The Australian
February 11, 2012 12:00AM

Derby Shire president Elsia Archer says the town is desperate for a developer to build a port to service export industries. Picture: Colin Murty Source: The Australian

FORMER ALP national president Warren Mundine and wealthy Perth dealmaker John Poynton are behind a plan to promote indigenous investment by building a $600 million port near the Kimberley town of Derby to service the massive offshore oil and gas industry.

But the plan could spark a fresh stoush with green groups over the industrialisation of the Kimberley, which boasts vast unexplored deposits of coal, bauxite, uranium and iron ore that could one day be shipped out through a new port.

A supply base at Point Torment, 30km north of Derby, would be aimed initially at servicing Woodside Petroleum's planned $40 billion Browse liquefied natural gas project near Broome, which has attracted opposition from environmentalists who say the Kimberley should remain undeveloped.

West Australian Greens MP Robin Chapple said any development at Point Torment, which he described as a pristine piece of coastline, would be "another nail in the coffin for the Kimberley".

Mr Chapple called on West Australian Premier Colin Barnett to reject the plan. "It flies in the face of what the Premier has said -- that we wouldn't have any further industrialisation of the Kimberley," he said.

Mr Barnett has expressed support for a supply port to service the LNG industry at Point Torment, saying it should not be built at Broome because of the need to preserve the town's tourism industry.

He told The Weekend Australian the government had held talks with firms with petroleum interests in the Browse Basin, off the Kimberley coast, to determine their interest in using Point Torment, but "in reality it will be a commercial decision which drives future development".

Leading Perth-based investment bank Azure Capital, which is run by Mr Poynton, is behind the Point Torment plan. It is understood a Malaysian investment consortium has expressed an interest in helping to develop such a project.

The plan is being driven by an Azure director, indigenous leader Clinton Wolf, and forms part of the bank's efforts to identify investment opportunities that would benefit Aborigines and involve them as shareholders.

A company called Point Torment Supply Base has been set up to examine the viability of building the facility. The directors are listed as Mr Mundine, Mr Poynton, Mr Wolf and fellow Azure Capital director Simon Price.

Mr Wolf said the plan was at a preliminary stage and would only go ahead if it was economically viable and was supported by traditional owners and other stakeholders.

But he said talks would be held soon to outline the proposal and get feedback from key players.

Mr Mundine, who chairs the Australian Indigenous Chamber of Commerce, said he believed a new supply base and port facility at Point Torment could help the development of the Kimberley's huge mineral reserves.

He became a director because he wanted to ensure that any development benefited Aborigines. "This is about closing the gap, it's about Aboriginal people having skin in the game," he said. "This type of project needs to go ahead otherwise you will keep people in poverty."

He said the Kimberley was bigger than most European countries and that Australia's environmental laws were strong enough to ensure responsible development.

Shire of Derby president Elsia Archer said the town was desperate for a developer to build a port, which could also be used for the region's live cattle exports.

A WA government report in 2005 identified Point Torment as a suitable site for heavy industry, suggesting it could be home to an alumina refinery, which would be underpinned by bauxite mining on the Mitchell Plateau in the northern Kimberley. It said the West Kimberley had deposits of diamonds, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, silver, nickel, uranium, coal, tin, mineral sands and onshore petroleum.

Oil company Buru Energy recently announced a major discovery in the Canning Basin area of the Kimberley, prompting WA Resources Minister Norman Moore to say last month he expected an exploration surge. But the viability of a supply base at Point Torment will be linked to whether Woodside and other LNG companies, including Shell and Japan's Inpex, support it.

There is speculation that Shell plans to use ports in Broome and Darwin to support its Prelude LNG project, while Inpex is said to have settled on Darwin.

Mining Boom Takes Its Toll on Australian Wilderness

Holly Alsop
London based writer and Science Editor
The Huffington Post

Pristine regions of Australia are under threat as mining companies push to expand, once again creating uproar from environmentalists. The area now under fire is theCape York Peninsula in far North Queensland, a region well-known for its vast, untouched wilderness and a popular tourist destination among travellers.

Prominent environment group, The Wilderness Societyhas lodged an application for an emergency heritage listing to be placed on the region in a bid to slow mining permit approval. The Cape York Peninsula has been under threat from destructive expansion for years as a result of its rich resources and the discovery of bauxite, coal, kaolin and sand which have made the region a premier target for mining corporations. There are now six new mining permits under application for the peninsula and there is growing concern about the future of the environment.

The Wilderness Society is urging the federal government to take action as the new mines would result in the destruction of over 45,000 hectares of native forest and grassland.

Despite the lobby group's attempt to gain emergency heritage listing, Australia's Environment Minister Tony Burke claims the title is rare and even if it is approved there is little that can be done to shut down mining in the region altogether. Concerns from Queensland residents however are prevalent with a moratorium being passed in January this year that prevents coal seam gas mining in other parts of the state. The boom in mining in Australia has increased significantly over the years with an unprecedented level of development in the Cape York Peninsula.

The new permit applications are merely an addition to the numerous mines under construction throughout the resource-rich nation. Regardless of attempts to be environmentally conscious, and with aims to protect the unique flora and fauna, the Australian economy relies heavily on mining productivity. There is no denying that governments are torn between the immediate profitability of mining and the long-term benefits of investing in eco-tourism. In 2010 the Western Australian government proposed the development of a new marine park in Camden Sound, a premier humpback whale calving ground and resource rich coastline. The guidelines in the proposal however, still allowed the transfer of machinery and tankers through the park along with extensive deep-sea drilling resulting in massive financial gain but huge environmental loss.

The Wilderness Society have been consistent in their use of lobbying tactics to enforce protection for Australia's unique environment yet with legislation differing across state governments it is difficult to predict the future of the Cape York Peninsula in the North and Camden Sound in the West.

Shelley Gare - A whale of a dream

Adelaide Now

IMAGINE what I could do with Bill Gates' millions...

----------

HUMANS are endearing. We insist we're all so different; then we discover matching frailties. Micheline and Curt Jenner are pioneering marine biologists who have lived on boats for almost 20 years as they follow their passion, tracking whales, dolphins and porpoises off Australia's coastline and helping protect one of the world's most valuable resources, the ocean.

And here am I, a journalist who lives safely, cautiously and drily on land, and I mostly track human-beings.

But one recent afternoon we discover a mutual foible. All three of us buy tickets in those monster multimillion-dollar lotteries. Then we don't look up the results for days, preferring to live on in our fantasies. "Dreamers!" says Curt, laughing.

There is still a big difference between us. A win for me might bring respite from the demands of daily life. For the Jenners, a winning ticket could end forever constant worries about funding their research - and their new boat.

Let me tell you about this boat, Whale Song. It is 28m long, weighs 200 tons, is steel-hulled and purpose-built for whale research. It looks like a tug-boat but it has specially sound-dampened machinery which means it can slip through the water like a sylph. The whales are oblivious. There's no other boat like it.

"We almost wet ourselves when we first saw it," says Micheline as she took me on a quick tour. That's not surprising given their research vessel back in 1990 was an inflatable rubber duckie. When I saw the staterooms below deck, with their ensuite bathrooms, the Jenners almost got themselves a stowaway.

In fact, given the massive monthly payments on the boat and what the global financial crisis has done to paid research work, they're looking for paying volunteers - rich paying volunteers - for trips far out to sea that offer an experience so unique the next closest thing might be space travel.

Right now, the Jenners and Whale Song are steaming back to WA under Australia's belly, and looking longingly towards the deep waters of the Great Australian Bight Marine Park, where southern right whales go to breed. Last year, the Federal Government gave BP a permit to look for oil and gas in the Bight and in parts of the park. The area, southwest of Ceduna, may become one of Australia's major gas and oil reserves.

What will this mean for the whales?

The Jenners, who discovered the main humpback whale breeding ground on the Kimberley coast and run the Centre for Whale Research (WA), work regularly with the big energy companies. They hope they may get involved in BP's research too. "Whales are the window to the health of the oceans," says Curt. Healthy whales, healthy seas. Healthy us.

Already, internationally, there's a program - Seakeepers - aimed at the world's wealthy who own huge yachts. If you're a Steven Spielberg, you can install sensors on board your mega-boat and help marine scientists capture essential data.

Recently, I heard a BBC interview with American oceanographer Sylvia Earle. Now 76, she is dubbed "Her Deepness" by The New Yorker. Earle is stunned by what humans have done to the oceans, "the great blue engine that keeps us alive".

My biggest regret is that I don't have Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates's number, as he holidays in Australia, to let him know about the berths going on Whale Song.

That might beat a lottery ticket.

* The Centre for Whale Research is at cwr.org.au

Inpex confirms $33bn Top End gas project

ABC News


Japanese gas company Inpex and its French partner Total have confirmed they will proceed with their planned $33 billion Ichthys gas project in Darwin and off the coast of Western Australia.

Inpex chairman Naoki Kuroda made the announcement in Darwin today.

The company says about 8.4 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be produced each year once the project is up and running.

Preliminary works on the Blaydin Point gas processing plant in Darwin Harbour and a worker's camp in the city's rural area are expected to begin within weeks.

The camp will be able to house up to 2,800 workers.

The Northern Territory Government estimates several thousand workers will be needed to build the Darwin plant, which will process natural gas piped about 800 kilometres from the Browse Basin off WA's Kimberley coast.

Inpex and Total have already signed long-term sale and purchase agreements for the gas with Japanese and Taiwanese utility companies.

These cover the total projected LNG production from Ichthys for 15 years from 2017.

The first gas from the plant is expected to be produced in 2016.

Mr Kuroda says it will be one of the world's largest LNG facilities and that gas and condensate reserves in the Browse Basin would last around 40 years.

"Ichthys production volumes represent more than 10 per cent of Japan's (gas) imports at current levels," Mr Kuroda said.

In addition, the liquids-rich gas stream will also generate about 100,000 barrels of condensate a day at the peak of production.

AUDIO: $33 billion gas deal gets green light (PM)

Mr Kuroda says about 3,000 workers will be needed for the onshore construction phase, with a further 1,000 offshore.

"Once the project is in operation, we will require approximately 700 permanent positions," Mr Kuroda said.

Historic day

Chief Minister Paul Henderson says the signing of the deal marks an historic day for the Territory.

"The Territory has secured its economic future and is on the way to becoming the oil and gas capital of Australia," he said.

The Federal Government says the Inpex project in Darwin will be the "making" of the Territory for this century.

Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says the nation's combined LNG output is set to soar.

"Energy demand is growing, particularly from the powering economies of Japan and Taiwan, China and India, and this demand will continue into the foreseeable future," he said.

"It potentially means we will quadruple LNG production out of Australia within a decade."

Mr Ferguson says the Ichthys deal marks the beginning of a new era for northern Australia.

"The Ichthys project... is the second-biggest investment in a single project in the history of Australia."

Meanwhile during today's formal signing ceremony, a Japanese government minister apologised for the bombing of Darwin.

Senior vice-minister for trade Tadahiro Matsushita acknowledged the history between Japan and Darwin.

"During a certain period in the not-too-distant past, Japan caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries," he said.

"Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my feelings of deep remorse and state my heartfelt apology."

Topics: business-economics-and-finance, industry, oil-and-gas, darwin-0800, perth-6000, broome-6725

First posted January 13, 2012 07:48:05

Recovery of corals at Ashmore Reef

Written by Geoff Vivian Thursday, 22 December 2011 12:00

Science Network, Western Australia

RESEARCHERS at Ashmore Reef found shifts in coral diversity after recovery from bleaching events of 1998 and 2003.

Marine ecology consultant Dr Daniela Ceccarelli says, “The scientific consensus is that the causes of severe coral bleaching at Ashmore Reef and on other coral reefs in the region were caused by abnormally high sea surface temperatures associated with an El Nino event”.

Surveys commissioned by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities found the percent cover of hard corals tripled and the percent cover of soft corals doubled over a four-year period from 2005 to 2009.

Dr Ceccarelli, who participated in one of the surveys, attributes the rapid regeneration to two factors: the reef’s relative freedom from human activity, and the success of fast-growing coral species.

“The corals that became dominant over the recovery period were a combination of species that can colonise the reef and grow quickly and species that weren't as heavily affected in the first place, whereas species that were less abundant included slow-growing species that suffered high mortality from the bleaching.

“The fast-growing corals that became abundant in the shallow zone were from the genera Acropora and Pocillopora, and the slower-growing corals that did well in the deep reef zones were from the family Faviidae.”

She said the overall composition of the reef had changed.

“There didn't seem to be any biodiversity loss, and certainly no extinctions, just a shift in species dominance,” she said.

The researchers expect the success of branching corals to promote future biodiversity of other reef species.

“Habitat complexity is a measure of how convoluted the structure of the reef is - corals with branches provide greater habitat complexity than, say, encrusting coral species which grow flat against the substrate.”

Ashmore Reef is a nature reserve with an area of 583 square kilometres on Australia’s Northwest Shelf.

It is located 610km north of Broome and 110km south of Roti in Indonesia, and includes three small islands, sand cays, lagoons and a large flat reef.

Dr Ceccarelli said the last coral survey at Ashore Reef was conducted in 2009.

“Theoretically the monitoring should be repeated every two to three years, but it depends on how much funding is available,” she said.

Dr Ceccarelli is first author of the CSIRO article Ceccarelli et al Rapid increase in coral cover on an isolated coral reef, the Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve, north-western Australia Marine and Freshwater Research, 2011, 62, 1214–1220

Cyclone risk in lead-up to Christmas

CONOR BYRNE   |  December 18th, 2011  NT News

A CYCLONE has been predicted to skirt the NT coast before Christmas.

And today Darwin weather bureau forecasters will discuss increasing the cyclone risk outlook.

Brisbane stormchaser Ben Quinn takes data from an American weather model and extrapolates it eight days ahead on his website to show this cyclone forming on December 23.

SEE: Reader photos of the storm season kick-off for 2011

Both Mr Quinn and weather bureau senior forecaster Ashley Patterson said forecasting tropical weather - especially cyclones - so far in advance could be inaccurate and that other models were not yet predicting a cyclone.

But Mr Patterson said it was not to be ruled out, and predicts a low pressure system forming in a monsoon trough off the coast."There is an increased chance of a cyclone forming," he said.

"It's still uncertain so far out, but looking at the current block of models. It's possible."

The Darwin weather bureau looks at about four or five weather models when predicting cyclones.

"They all go for a monsoon trough to build over the next three to six days, and they indicate a weak low (pressure system) in the trough," he said.

"But that could be anywhere between Timor and the Gulf of Carpentaria.

"The models haven't come into agreement so there's a lot of uncertainty.

"I can't say for sure there's going to be a cyclone; there will be a developing low off the coast later in the week."

Mr Quinn's website predicts that the cyclone would smash the Kimberley coast at about 6.30am on Christmas Eve.

His data, from the US Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is updated every six hours based on current data.

"You can't accurately put a category on it. I'm not even going to have a guess," Mr Quinn said.

Disagreement over impact of Supreme Court decision on James Price Point traditional owner gas deal

By Ben Collins

ABC News online

Disagreement over impact of Supreme Court decision on James Price Point traditional owner gas deal
The West Australian Supreme Court has ruled notices of compulsory acquisition at James Price Point invalid. 
Lawyers representing James Price Point traditional owners opposed to gas processing are at odds with the 
State Government and Woodside on how this impacts the billion dollar deal with native title claimants.

Lawyer Andrew Chalk representing traditional owners Phillip Roe and Neil Mckenzie, says that the agreement between the Goolarabooloo/Jabirr Jabirr native title claimants, the State Government and Woodside that relinquishes any claims to native title at James Price Point in return for a benefits package worth over a billion dollars has been nullified by the Supreme Court decision.

"That agreement...under the native title act depended on those notices being valid. If the notices are invalid then the surrender of the native title...falls away." he said.

But Premier Barnett has dismissed the impact of the Supreme Court decision on the plans to develop the James Price Point gas processing precinct. He told the ABC that the State Government will simply reissue the notice of intent on the specific area that has now been identified. He points out that compulsory acquisition has never actually taken place.

"The land was not compulsorily acquired. We have acquired it through negotiation with the Aboriginal representatives, and that is according to the Native Title Act, and that stands." Mr Barnett said.

Woodside have released a statement saying that their current site investigation work will be able to continue, and that the agreement they struck with native title claimants allows for changes to be made to the compulsory acquisition notices which were the subject of the Supreme Court decision. The oil and gas company also emphasise that "This legal action by Roe and McKenzie is not supported by the registered native title claim group, who are party to the Native Title Agreement."

The Kimberley Land Council (KLC) says that the Goolarabooloo/Jabirr Jabirr native title claimant group continue to support the agreement signed with the State Government and Woodside. In a statement the KLC say that they want "...the State Government to provide certainty that the proposed development of James Price Point will go ahead, following a Supreme Court decision that questions the development's progress."

The Court decided that moves to compulsorily acquire the land at James Price Point were invalid based on the requirements to specify precisely which areas of land were to be acquired. ABC Kimberley reported the discrepancies over the areas of land the State Government were saying they needed for the gas processing precinct and the area stated in the notices at the time compulsory acquisition was first initiated in September 2010.

The Premier confirmed to parliament later that month that he was pushing ahead with compulsory acquisition before the site work had been done to establish exactly which bit of land would be used for the gas precinct. Premier Barnett told parliament that over 7,000 hectares would be compulsorily acquired for what would ultimately be a 3,500 hectare precinct.

"This is to allow sufficient flexibility to identify final locations for each component of the Browse LNG Precinct and associated infrastructure taking into account Aboriginal cultural heritage concerns, as well as environmental and geotechnical considerations." the Premier said.

But today the Supreme Court ruled that the Land Administration Act does not allow the Government to make a broad compulsory acquisition, then choose the portions required and then return the remainder to its original title.

Andrew Chalk says the basic point from this decision is that "...if the government is going to forcefully take people's land they should be required to state precisely what it is that they're intending to take."

There may be further ramifications for the State Government which is said to have used this strategy to compulsorily acquire land in other cases. But the real impact for Kimberley gas processing at James Price Point will be felt if Mr Chalk's claim that the native title compensation deal has been voided, is borne out.

If this is the case then the Government may have to start the longwinded compulsory acquisition process again, and the Kimberley Land Council would have to reconvene native title claimants and take them through the painstaking process of coming to a new agreement with Woodside and the State Government.

This would be another stumbling block for the controversial plans for gas processing at James Price Point. The decision comes after Premier Barnett urged Woodside to hold their nerve amidst reports of increasing economic reasons not to proceed with the project. And there is ongoing uncertainty about environmental and heritage impacts. If the Environmental Protection Authority raises concerns in their report on James Price Point, due at the end of next month, then the gas precinct will be fighting for survival on multiple fronts.

No doubt lawyers from both sides will be preparing for the next court battle over whether this decision affects the billion dollar deal with native title claimants.

The Minister for Lands has 28 days in which to appeal the decision. The ABC has contacted the Minister for Lands, Brendon Grylls, for a response.