Rio Tinto funds A$28m project to stop cane toads spreading in Australia

Rio Tinto is contributing to a A$28 million (about £14.5 million) initiative to build a 'toad containment zone' aimed at preventing poisonous cane toads from spreading into the Pilbara region of western Australia, the BBC reported.

The mining company is working alongside Curtin University and other partners on the project, which will cover 7,500 square kilometers between the Great Sandy Desert and the Indian Ocean. The goal is to cut off the toads' access to water, which they need every few days to survive, especially during drier months.

While cane toads do not directly threaten Rio Tinto's iron ore operations, their toxins are lethal to native wildlife and pose a significant risk to the Pilbara ecosystem. The toads often rely on artificial water sources such as those used for cattle and irrigation, which the containment zone aims to control.

Roberta Hunter, a ranger in the Nyangumarta Warrarn Indigenous Protected Area, highlighted the ecological damage caused by cane toads and expressed support for efforts to stop their advance to protect the land.

Rio Tinto has previously faced criticism for destroying two sacred Aboriginal rock shelters in Pilbara which sat above tonnes of iron ore. The decision cost the former chief executive his job and provoked a widespread backlash.