Endangered Black Cockatoo Faces Extinction Amid Bauxite Mining Expansion

According to a recent article, the endangered Baudin's black cockatoo is facing a dire threat to its survival due to the planned expansion of bauxite mining in Western Australia's northern jarrah forests. As of October 5th, 2025, conservationists have warned that the species could be "pushed to and beyond the brink of extinction" if the mining operations are allowed to continue.

The article states that the Baudin's black cockatoo, a dark-feathered, white-cheeked bird endemic to the state's southwest, has seen its population decline by a staggering 90% over the past 40 years. Conservationists have been advocating for better protection of this "forgotten" species, but their efforts have faced setbacks. In 2023, a proposal to have the Baudin's uplisted to "critically endangered" under state laws was rejected due to insufficient data.

Now, the situation has become even more dire, as major mining companies like Alcoa and South32 have been granted approval to expand their bauxite mining operations in the northern jarrah forests. These expansions would clear more than 11,000 hectares of the heavily mined forest, an area roughly equivalent to bulldozing Perth's Kings Park 27.5 times over. This habitat destruction threatens to deal a devastating blow to the Baudin's black cockatoo, which relies on the old-growth trees and hollows in the northern jarrah forest as its primary winter foraging grounds.

Conservationists are now sounding the alarm, urging the government to take immediate action to protect this iconic species before it's too late. As one volunteer with BirdLife Western Australia put it, "Baudin's or bauxite - we can't have both." The fate of the Baudin's black cockatoo hangs in the balance, and the decisions made in the coming months and years will determine whether this unique bird survives or succumbs to the relentless march of mining expansion.