Gas hub footprint steps on dinosaur toes
A leading palaeontologist says the integrity of globally unique dinosaur track sites in the Kimberley is being threatened by a proposed gas plant.
Dr Steve Salisbury from the University of Queensland reveals discoveries of dinosaur footprints for the first time on ABC's Catalyst program tonight.
"It's a unique glimpse of an ancient ecosystem unmatched anywhere in the world," he said.
"This is our only window on Australia during the age of dinosaurs 130 million years ago."
Over the past year, Dr Salisbury has been working with the local Aboriginal community and Broome dinosaur enthusiasts to document the fossils near Woodside's proposed plant near James Price Point.
"Every time we come back there are new things emerging," he said.
"It would be very naive to believe that in a year we can figure it all out."
In July, WA's Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) recommended the State Government approve Woodside's gas hub on the condition that "if fossils are found, disturbance should be avoided wherever possible".
Dr Salisbury says his team has found "amazing" fossil sites recently exposed by storms which are within the development precinct but not included in the EPA's assessments.
"This coastline is so dynamic we can't second guess where track sites are going to be because the sand just exposes and covers them up all the time.
"I don't think government and industry should be making important decisions about the future of this area without really knowing what we've got."
Along a 200-kilometre stretch of coast north of Broome, fossil footprints from the cretaceous period occur in sandstone rock platforms only exposed at low tides.
Dr Salisbury says "many thousands of tracks" represent a "high diversity" of at least 16 types of dinosaurs.
"You can do dinosaur ecology here," he said.
"We can assess the abundance and distribution of these different types of dinosaur tracks along the coast within different environments.
"These are the only dinosaur footprints in Western Australia.
"This is the only place in Australia where you get tracks of sauropods (giant brachiosaurus-like herbivores), and some of those here are potentially the biggest in the world."
James Price Point is the proposed location for building Woodside's onshore gas processing plant and export terminal and dredging a new port and shipping channel for LNG tankers.
Dr Salisbury says Woodside's own modelling shows there will be a significant build-up of sediment several kilometres north and south of the breakwaters surrounding the port.
"Even if they can get through the construction stage without doing too much damage, nearly all the track sites in the area are likely to be buried forever under massive amounts of sand as a result of the breakwaters changing the currents," he said.
In a written statement, Woodside said: "If footprints or other fossils are discovered during construction, Woodside will ... identify how the footprints will be avoided, salvaged or scientifically documented."
But Dr Salisbury believes the entire coastline of track sites, listed as National Heritage, should be preserved in place and protected for their cultural significance to Aboriginal people as part of an ancient songline.
"There's a whole scientific story that we're only just beginning to understand that requires knowledge of all the track sites linked together," he said.
The UQ study documenting the full extent and scientific significance of dinosaur tracks at James Price Point will be published in a peer-reviewed journal shortly.