Dear Sir/Madam,

I hereby submit my concerns over the health and survival of the Great Desert Skink (Liopholis kintorei) within the area of the proposed Lake Wells Sulphate of Potash Project (EPBC 2023/09449)

The Great Desert Skink is a Threatened Species.

The Great Desert Skink is an important cultural species for families of the Mantjintjarra Ngalia peoples, which they call Nampu.  

Mantjintiarra people hold knowledge of sacred sites and dreaming tracks associated with Nampu and monitor places where Nampu lives.

Australia Potash Company recorded in their Fauna survey what Mantjintjarra people know: Nampu lives in the area of the proposed mine site. This location is the southwestern-most recorded Nampu habitat.

Furthermore, the proposed mine site lies adjacent to a sacred Nampu site.

I ask the EPBC and the Western Australian government to ensure the Lake Wells Sulphate of Potash Project (EPBC 2023/09449) mining activity is assessed as a controlled action under the EPBC Act due to:

1. The project is in the Great Victoria desert and very little is known about the ecology of this region, unlike heavily mined places like the Pilbara and the Goldfields with over 50 years of biological surveys and other information.
   
   
2. The Great Desert Skink is a threatened and endangered species, it is listed as a Matter of National Environmental Significance and is of cultural significance to the Mantjintjarra Ngalia peoples:
   
   
   1. There are already many activities that threaten the lives, habitat, and surroundings of the Great Desert Skink.
      
   2. Very little is known about this species in this location, and we need to have more studies of this species - this area is the most southern and western location ever found and so each management action needs to be considered in relation to these particular circumstances.
      
   3. It is an important cultural and spiritual species to Aboriginal people and traditional owners must be included in all decision-making about all matters affecting the species and the country or environment in which they occur.
      
   4. The very small amount of science suggests that each community of the Great Desert Skink population may have unique genetic lines.
      
   5. We have no idea how the development of mining activities and the higher level of activities like vehicle movements, noise, lights, and waste disposal will impact these populations.
      
   6. Increased human activities will increase feral cats and this alone presents the greatest possible risk to the Great Desert Skink population.

Yours Sincerely