11 Jul 2011

Greenpeace calls for more information on proposed Fiji mine

6:40 am on 11 July 2011

An environment watchdog says there needs to be more transparency and consultation with the community as an Australian company prepares to mine iron from sands in Fiji.

Amex Resources Limited is about to apply for a mining lease to extract iron for use in steel making from sands in a shallow lagoon at the Ba River mouth on Viti Levu.

Greenpeace's political advisor for Australia Pacific, Seni Nabou says there's a huge gap of information about how the mining company, is going to manage risks at the Ba River.

"The fact that it's a river mouth, there's just so many unknowns. I mean how are they going to process this commodity, I understand that there's possibly going to be port infrastructure upgraded, the transportation of it, detail about what is going to happen is just missing. So there must be development without environmental destruction."

Seni Nabou says while economic carrots are encouraging there are always going to be costs and she is hoping the environmental impact report will be made public.