Bauxite mining operations in Weipa could extinct newly found venomous snake, study says

The latest Australian-led research disclosed on Monday, July 16, that bauxite mining could threaten a new species of venomous snake, named Vermicella Parscauda, recently found in Weipa with extinction.

Weipa is a reputed mining town on the Gulf of Carpentaria coast of the Cape York Peninsula, where multinational giant Rio Tinto has bauxite mining operations. As per the estimation done in April 2018, about 53 per cent of Australia’s vast bauxite resources come from this mining belt. Moreover, this region’s bauxite is known for high-quality ore; determined not just by the aluminium content but by other minerals such as iron oxides and titanium oxides. It is also known for containing low amount of reactive silica that lowers the processing costs.

By 2019, Weipa is expected to become more bauxite-rich region with almost 30 million tonnes of more production capacity, buoyed by growing aluminium ore demand in China.

However, a team of biologists led by Professor Bryan Fry, whose work on this new species was published in scientific journal Zootaxa, expressed concern over the protection of the reptile.

"Bauxite mining is a major economic activity in the region, and it may be reshaping the environment to the detriment of native plants and animals," said Fry.

According to the team of biologists, it was important to protect the newly found species because snake venoms are rich sources of compounds that could be used to develop new medications.