Undermining the Forest

The film addresses the tension between industrial-scale bauxite mining and the survival of a globally unique forest ecosystem that exists nowhere else. It explores the long-term environmental burden of toxic red mud storage, the large volumes of water consumed by mining and refining in an increasingly arid climate, and the cumulative impacts of ongoing forest clearing and fragmentation. The documentary examines whether current rehabilitation practices can ever restore the complexity of the original jarrah forest, and questions the justification for further mine expansion when aluminium is not a scarce resource. It also considers the implications for Traditional Owners, local communities living with the residue and water risks, and the broader question of limits in a landscape already stressed by climate change.

Undermining the Forest aims to shift public and policy conversation in Western Australia from the assumption that bauxite mining can expand indefinitely to a more critical examination of its long-term costs. By clearly documenting the ecological uniqueness of the jarrah forest and the irreversible nature of many impacts, the film seeks to strengthen the case for placing firm limits on further clearing and expansion. It intends to give voice to Traditional Owners and affected communities while providing scientists with a platform to explain why rehabilitation cannot fully compensate for ongoing loss in a climate-stressed landscape.

The film hopes to contribute to a more honest public debate about the future of bauxite mining in the Darling Range by making visible the cumulative environmental pressures that are often downplayed. It aims to reframe the discussion around the question of limits rather than simply the pace of expansion, and to encourage greater scrutiny of rehabilitation claims, water consumption, and red mud management. Ultimately, Undermining the Forest aspires to help protect what remains of the jarrah forest by ensuring that decisions about its future are made with a clearer understanding of what is truly at stake.
It hopes to acheive:
An end to forest mining in Western Australia’s south west forests.
A greater awareness of the value and biodiversity of the jarrah forests of the south west.
A just transition out of bauxite mining in the south west forests.
No further mine expansions or new mines in the south west forests.

I live in the south west and have been involved in forest protection most of my life.
I am making Undermining the Forest because the jarrah forest is being steadily eroded for bauxite mining while almost no public conversation exists about whether this should continue. Having grown up in Western Australia and witnessed the transformation of the jarrah forest over decades, I believe this story is urgent. The film uses the power of contrast — between intact forest and mine pits, between official claims and ecological reality — to ask a clear question: why are we still mining one of the rarest forests on Earth for a metal that is not scarce? I want the film to give scientists, Traditional Owners, and affected communities a platform to speak before more of this unique ecosystem is lost.

Join the movement to end forest mining.
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