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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/28/scott-reef-australia-drilling-plan-oil-gas-woodside-lng-north-west-shelf>
"Australia’s next wave of fossil fuel expansion is planned for environments far
from where most people will ever see it. Places like Scott Reef.
Once part of an interconnected coral ecosystem that rivalled the Great Barrier
Reef in scale, Scott Reef now sits in a remnant group of atolls near the edge
of the Australian continental shelf, nearly 300km from its sparsely populated
north-west coast.
Though little known by the public, the atolls are visually striking and
ecologically extraordinary. Scientists have documented more than 1,500 species
across its formations, many unique to the area. They include at least 300
reef-building corals, 720 types of fish, endangered turtles and sea snakes, and
an array of migratory whales.
“If you think of your idea of a stereotypical coral reef paradise, that’s what
it’s like,” says Dr Ben Fitzpatrick, a coral reef ecologist who has spent
decades working in the country’s north-west marine environment.
“It’s been so isolated that a lot of the critters – fish, corals,
invertebrates, giant clams, crustaceans and sea cucumbers – are quite
genetically distinct. You get a lot of krill and a lot of big large marine
animals – blue whales, manta rays, whale sharks. There’s an amazing turtle
nesting rookery where turtles lay eggs on a sandy cay. They’re ancient,
prehistoric animals that have been doing this for millions of years.”
That’s the story at the surface. But the ocean around Scott Reef is also prized
for what lies beneath it: Australia’s largest untapped conventional gas basin.
Woodside Energy, Australia’s biggest oil and gas producer, wants to drill into
the Browse basin – particularly, its Torosa gas field, where wells are planned
within 3km of the reef."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
