Why Australia has banned mining in one of the world’s largest uranium deposits

Sub: Geo

Sec: Eco geo

Ban on Mining at Jabiluka Site:

Australia announced plans to ban mining at the Jabiluka site, which is surrounded by Kakadu National Park and contains one of the world’s largest high-grade uranium deposits.
The park would be extended to include the Jabiluka site, aligning with the wishes of the Mirarr people, the Indigenous custodians of the land.

Indigenous and Archaeological Significance:

The Mirarr people have long opposed mining at Jabiluka, and in 2017, archaeologists discovered ancient stone tools near the site, dating back tens of thousands of years.

Jabiluka mine:

Jabiluka is a pair of uranium deposits and mine development in the Northern Territory of Australia that was to have been built on land belonging to the Mirarr clan of Aboriginal people.
The mine site is surrounded by, but not part of, the World Heritage–listed Kakadu National Park.

Political Context and Legal History:

The ban comes amid the opposition conservative Coalition‘s proposal to build nuclear power plants, challenging Australia’s 26-year nuclear ban.
The Jabiluka site has been a contentious issue since the discovery of uranium in the early 1970s, with significant protests, including a blockade by the Mirarr people and the band Midnight Oil in the late 1990s.
The decision follows international condemnation of Rio Tinto’s destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in 2020.

Source: IE