Mining giant joins fight to stop killer toad march across Australia

Rio Tinto is ploughing millions of dollars into stopping the poisonous cane toad reaching the Pilbara region of western Australia, where the mining giant has a vast iron ore operation.

The firm, alongside Curtin University in Perth and others, will spend A$28m (£14.5m) building a "toad containment zone" to prevent the pest travelling south.

While the cane toad is not a direct threat to Rio Tinto's business, it produces toxins lethal to native wildlife and poses a threat to Pilbara's ecosystem.

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, provoked a widespread backlash and saw Rio Tinto commit to rebuilding trust with Indigenous communities.

Commenting on the proposed containment zone, Roberta Hunter, a ranger in Australia's Nyangumarta Warrarn Indigenous Protected Area, said: "Cane toads destroy the water and animals.

"When toads come close to our country, we want to be there to stop them because we don't want the country to be destroyed."

The plan is to cut off the toad's water supply by building a barrier across 7,500 sq km (2,895 sq m) of land between the Great Sandy Desert and the Indian Ocean.

In drier months, the cane toad needs water every few days to survive.

If there are no natural water sources, the toad relies on artificial water points normally used for cattle and irrigation.

The funding will be used to stop the toad accessing dams, storage tanks or other ground-level water sources. The five-year project will begin in 2027.

A number of native species are at risk if the toad gets into Pilbara. These include the northern quoll, whose numbers have been decreasing, the goanna lizard and the ghost bat.

The toads were introduced into Australia in 1935 to control beetles within the sugar cane industry.

Since then, they have been on a slow march west across the country's northern landscape, according to the Australian government, travelling between 40 km and 60 km a year.

There are no predators or diseases that control the toads, which defend themselves using poison.

Ben Phillips, a professor at Curtin University, said the toads would reach Pilbara within two decades without action.

He said: "The toad containment zone is a once in a lifetime opportunity to stop one of the world's worst invasive species in its tracks and protect the region's unique wildlife."