Rio Tinto Invests A$28 Million to Block Cane Toads

Rio Tinto and its Rhodes Ridge Joint Venture partners are investing A$28 million to prevent poisonous cane toads from invading the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Scheduled to begin in 2027, the five-year project will establish a 7,500-square-kilometer Toad Containment Zone situated between the Indian Ocean and the Great Sandy Desert.

The initiative aims to protect 25 native species, including the ghost bat and northern quoll, across approximately 27 million hectares of habitat. To achieve this, the partners will modify 685 water infrastructure items to create a dry corridor, rendering the environment uninhabitable for the amphibians.

While the invasion does not directly threaten iron ore production, the project allows mining companies to avoid potential increases in environmental compliance costs and complexities regarding development approvals. The effort is a collaboration between industry, government, Indigenous landowners, and researchers from Deakin University and Curtin University.