WWF-Australia has called on the Australian Government to permanently protect bushland at Jandakot Airport, Perth, which contains habitat for dozens of native species and is a Priority 1 water source protection area.
A proposal by Jandakot Airport Holdings has been put forward to clear 220 ha of remnant bushland.
In March 2008, the Australian Government’s Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts recommended a similar proposal on the same site be rejected on the basis of its unacceptable environmental impact.
"It may sound surprising that an airport has important environmental values, but the Jandakot Airport site is one of the last remaining large and healthy areas of bushland in Perth," says Katherine Howard, WWF-Australia's Southwest Australia policy officer.
"The bulk of the land to be cleared in this proposal is for non-aviation commercial development such as shops and showrooms."
Jandakot Airport's draft Master Plan 2009 proposes to clear 167ha of banksia woodland for a large commercial development and also internal roads and infrastructure, runway extensions and a fourth runway. A further 53ha, currently classified as a 'Conservation Precinct', is already slated for development in the future.
"This land is actually owned and controlled by the Federal Government. We are calling on the Australian Ministers for the Environment and Infrastructure to show leadership by permanently protecting this important bushland for the sake of the environment and the local community."
The bush at Jandakot Airport has been identified as regionally significant under the WA Bush Forever policy and described as one of the best remaining examples of banksia woodland on the Swan Coastal Plain by the Register of the National Estate.
The draft Master Plan is currently being assessed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) 1999.
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