The Wilderness Society WA

29/05/2026

Photographer Matt Deakin spent the summer observing and photographing the forest red-tailed black cockatoos of Kalamunda, WA.

Like the name suggests, these black cockatoos are forest dwellers, and need trees to survive. Whether it is tree hollows for breeding or seeds to snack on from jarrah, marri and sheoaks.

It was once fairly common to hear the calls of the karrak (Noongar language), but now it is becoming more and more unusual as their forest homes are destroyed. Birds are increasingly seen in urban areas as competition for food and shelter increases.

Thank you to .miles.away for sharing these stunning photographs of these beautiful birds 💚 If you’d like to be featured next, don’t forget to tag your images with

27/04/2026

A lot has unfolded in recent months in the campaign to protect WA’s Northern Jarrah Forest from destructive bauxite mining.

As Alcoa continues to face scrutiny for its mining operations, something bigger is building—people coming together to speak up for this irreplaceable forest and the species that depend on it. ✊🌳

From challenging greenwashing claims to tens of thousands of submissions, this people-powered movement is growing, and we’re having an impact.

In this update, WA Campaigns Manager Alyx Douglas shares where things stand and what’s at stake.

👉 Want to join the growing movement to protect the Northern Jarrah Forest? Add your name today:
www.wilderness.org.au/jarrah-forests-protected

19/03/2026

Finally an honest government ad about Alcoa's destruction of WA's Northern Jarrah Forest! 💁‍♀️

WA Forest Alliance The Wilderness Society End Forest Mining

The Australien Government has made an ad about Alcoa, and it's surprsingly honest and informative.👉 March in Perth on Sunday 22 March: https://marchforfores...

20/02/2026

Alcoa has been given a slap on the wrist for destroying WA’s Northern Jarrah Forest without federal approval for six years. Now the mining company is allowed to continue strip-mining the only jarrah forest in the world. 🚨🌳

Between 2019 and 2025, Alcoa destroyed critical habitat for nationally listed threatened species without the required federal approvals. The company will now pay $55 million for “remediation”, but has been granted an 18-month exemption to keep mining while a full assessment is carried out.

For 60 years, Alcoa has left a trail of environmental breaches and failed rehabilitation. Not a single hectare of land meets state government requirements for successful rehabilitation. Yet time and time again, Alcoa is handed these ‘get out of jail free cards’ while irreversible damage to Australia’s biodiversity continues.

Paying $55 million is chump change for Alcoa, but will do nothing to actually restore what has been destroyed. The truth is clear: strip mining removes the very foundations of this ancient ecosystem. Ongoing destruction is pushing species closer to extinction, and putting communities and Perth’s drinking water at risk.

Enough is enough. It’s time the federal government held Alcoa to account.

17/02/2026

Over 8000 appeals have been received regarding the WA EPA's recommendation to approve a fracking proposal in the Kimberley. This makes Black Mountain's Valhalla project the most contested project in WA history!

Thanks to all those who made an appeal and to Environs Kimberley for running their submission portal. The Kimberley is an ancient cultural landscape of global significance—fracking has no place here.

💥Thanks so much to the 8,000 people who contributed to the record-smashing appeals that filled the news.

🙅🏾‍♀️ WA voters do not want fracking in the Kimberley.

❌ Environment Minister Swinbourn must listen and reject the project.

🚫Premier Cook must ban fracking in the Kimberley.

🗳️ WA is watching.

👉🏾Sign the petition to ban fracking in the Kimberley: www.environskimberley.org.au/ban_fracking_v2

📸: The Kimberley’s Martuwarra Fitzroy River threatened by fracking. Photo: Gary Annett.

04/02/2026

STATEMENT IN SOLIDARITY FOLLOWING ATTEMPTED BOMBING AT BOORLOO INVASION DAY RALLY

On January 26, a rally in Boorloo/Perth to commemorate Invasion Day was targeted by an act of hate and terror.

A homemade bomb was thrown into the crowd from the concourse above Forrest Place, and whilst it did not detonate, there was the potential for mass casualties of First Nations people and their allies.

The bomb, which contained ball bearings, screws and an explosive liquid, was designed to explode upon impact.

As was noted by The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Katie Kiss, "if this happened at any other event, we'd call it terrorism." It took 3 days for WA Police to label it a “potential terrorist attack.”

We echo the calls of event organiser Fabian Yarran, who said “The incident must be fully investigated as an act of terrorism and a hate crime against First Nations people and protestors, and appropriately charged as such.”

We are deeply concerned that the seriousness of this threat was downplayed by the media and police on the day and in subsequent days. Reports from media and attendees show there was no clear, timely or transparent communication to rally organisers or attendees leading to confusion.

The right to protest safely is fundamental to Australian society, and to our organisation.

A comprehensive response must come from all levels of government. The Royal Commission into anti-semitism should be expanded to facilitate a thorough and significant investigation into all forms of racism and far-right extremism.

We support the calls of WA First Nations leaders for a full investigation of this incident as an act of terrorism and a hate crime. Any failures in the police response must also be independently investigated. There must be greater accountability and oversight from senior leadership in WA Police for Invasion Day - January 26 - and other major protests, and more First Nations liaison officers within WA Police to ensure threats like these are handled seriously and sensitively.

The nation-wide increase in violence against First Nations peoples is abhorrent and must be urgently acted upon. The rise of all forms of hate, including far-right hate, affects every one of us. First Nations people, and all Australians, should be able to gather peacefully without fearing for their safety.

Frack Free WA
WA Forest Alliance
Conservation Council of WA
The Wilderness Society
Solutions for Climate Western Australia
Australian Youth Climate Coalition WA

22/01/2026

This week the WA Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has recommended approving Texas company Black Mountain Energy’s plans to frack the Kimberley.

The WA EPA’s support of the Valhalla gas project flies in the face of vast and strong community opposition. It also comes just one month after an alarming report identified Black Mountain’s environmental risk assessment as "limited and disjointed" and reached "largely unsupported" conclusions.

Together, we’ve been calling for a complete fracking ban across the Kimberley, including the culturally significant flows of Martuwarra / Fitzroy River. The Kimberley is an ancient cultural landscape of global significance—fracking has no place here.

The Wilderness Society supports the rights and aspirations of First Nations people to protect their ancient cultural connections to Country. Concerns remain from Traditional Owners over the irreversible damage this proposal could have on the sacred Martuwarra—a living ancestral being.

Wildlife would also be at risk, including the critically endangered sawfish, whose populations could be drastically impacted if this project proceeds.

Ultimately, the decision to approve Valhalla lies with the WA Labor state government. Even the government knows fracking isn’t good—the gas drilling process is already banned in 98% of WA. Only two months ago in November 2025 at the WA Labor State Conference, WA Labor delegates voted to support a motion calling for a total ban on fracking in Western Australia, including the Kimberley.

We’re calling on the WA Labor government to reject the Valhalla project, and enact conditions to protect the remarkable biodiversity and cultural flows of Martuwarra and the Kimberley.

20/01/2026

🚨 : The WA EPA has approved plans by US-owned company Black Mountain Energy to frack the Kimberley.

There's a snap rally this afternoon by Frack Free WA to speak up against this decision—join us today at 3pm at Dumas House, Boorloo / Perth!

Join us this afternoon outside Dumas house to call on and enviro minister Matt Swinbourn to reject Valhalla and ban Kimberley fracking

15/01/2026

🚨 : Shocking new revelations suggest mining giant Alcoa could be in breach of its mining exemption conditions in WA’s Northern Jarrah Forest, after a significant endangered black cockatoo nesting tree was found to have been impacted by mining activity.

In December 2025, Greens MP Jess Beckerling identified a large jarrah tree used for black cockatoo breeding and nesting that appeared to be impacted by mining operations—in breach of Alcoa’s exemption order conditions.

Alcoa’s exemption order—which was issued in late 2023 to allow the US miner to continue its operations despite the proposal being before the WA Environmental Protection Authority—prohibits mining activities within 10 metres of trees with nesting hollows used by Baudin’s, forest red-tailed, and Carnaby’s black cockatoos.

Yet, MP Beckerling documented blasting disturbance inside this protected buffer, with the tree in question having now died. The potential breach has been referred to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) and the Minister for Environment.

The discovery raises serious concerns that retaining isolated trees is being treated as compliance while stripping away entire surrounding ecosystems. This is at best a token gesture, at worst a deliberate attempt to skirt the most basic environmental obligations.

The Wilderness Society, as part of the End Forest Mining alliance, is backing the MP’s call for the state government to immediately withdraw Alcoa’s mining exemption if a breach is confirmed.

We must stop the ongoing destruction of the Northern Jarrah Forest by mining companies, and protect the centuries old trees critical to endangered black cockatoos.

👉 Read more—link in the comments

13/12/2025

Nothing like an afternoon stroll in the sun! ☀️😍 This baby numbat, also known as a banded anteater, is a small marsupial found in the South West region of Western Australia.

Emerging during the day, numbats use their long, sticky tongues to reach into narrow spaces and grab a delicious termite meal!

Numbats used to be found across much of Southern Australia, but are now restricted to the South West region due to habitat destruction and introduced predators. This endangered species has less than 1,000 individuals left in the wild.

👉 Learn more about one of the places numbats call home, WA’s jarrah forests: www.wilderness.org.au/jarrah-WA

Photo: Samara Achermann
Location: Dryandra Woodlands, WA's jarrah forests