Chris Biddulph shuffles backward and forwards on the forest floor.
The local farmer holds one end of a 15-metre window-washing pole, guiding a camera clipped to the other.
He and Rosemary Jasper – who directs him a little to the right, a little to the left, using a live stream from the camera to her phone – are trying to film nesting Carnaby's black cockatoos.
The pair have spent years monitoring the endangered species in the Cocanarup Timber Reserve, about 10 kilometres west of Ravensthorpe in West Australia's south, home to mature salmon gums with hollows big enough for the parrots to raise chicks.
The area is critical for the species, as widespread clearing across the Wheatbelt and Swan Coastal Plain has wiped out most of the birds' breeding habitat and left it on the brink of extinction.
But Mr Biddulph and Ms Jasper believe more threats are coming.
The ASX-listed Bulletin Resources has applied to clear up to 6 hectares of vegetation in the Cocanarup Timber Reserve so it can drill for lithium.
"[It's] a bit of a controversial thing because they want to produce green energy for batteries," Mr Biddulph said.
"But they want to flatten trees to do it."
Approvals needed
In a statement, Bulletin Resources chairperson Paul Poli said it had "gone to great lengths to ensure they don't materially impact any heritage features or flora and fauna, particularly Carnaby's black cockatoos".
"Our company's board has allocated substantial funding to assist breeding and environmental protection of our native flora and fauna and our strong desire is to work with all special interest groups in producing a good result," Mr Poli said.
The company's federal application said the temporary disturbance of potential foraging habitat "will not result in a long-term decrease in the Carnaby's black cockatoo population".
The company also said it will avoid clearing the large trees the cockatoos use for nesting.
But it needs a range of approvals before it can move forward.
The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) is currently assessing Bulletin Resources' application for a native vegetation clearing permit at its Ravensthorpe Lithium Project.
But this cannot happen until the WA Environmental Protection Authority has resolved a referral, made by an unknown third party, about the project.
The federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is also reviewing a Bulletin Resources application to see if it needs further assessment under national environment law.
A state government spokesperson said it "recognises the importance of striking a balance between protecting the environment and allowing projects that support the economic and social needs of the Western Australian community".
"Clearing of native vegetation that is assessed as having a significant residual impact on habitat for black cockatoos will not be approved — if these impacts are considered irreversible and unable to be counterbalanced through management conditions, including environmental offsets," the spokesperson said.
The Cocanarup Conservation Alliance remains worried.
"The only reason companies do exploration is because they reckon that there's the potential for a mine," Ms Jasper said.
"We need to stop the whole process before it even gets going."
Calls to protect the area
Five clearing permits related to mining have previously been granted by the state government within the Cocanarup Timber Reserve, which have all since expired.
Enforcement action was taken against one of those permit holders in 2017 when it breached clearing conditions.
A spokesperson noted the status of Carnaby’s black cockatoo has changed since the previous clearing permits were issued.
But Ms Jasper is aghast the state government has continued to keep the door open to mining.
The Cocanarup Conservation Alliance chairperson said it has spent years calling on the state government to protect the area by declaring it a 'class A nature reserve'.
She believes the state government is aware of its ecological importance, particularly given a South Coast Regional Management Plan it wrote in 1992 put forward a very similar recommendation — that the southern part of the Cocanarup Timber Reserve become a nature reserve.
The state government's 2012 Fitzgerald Biosphere Recovery Plan also listed the Cocanarup Timber Reserve among five priority areas for management and recovery because of its high density of critical habitat and threatened species.
A DMIRS spokesperson said although the Minister for Mines gave consent for Bulletin Resources to explore for minerals on the reserve, the company must still get written approval prior to starting any "ground disturbing activities" — which includes the native vegetation clearing permit DMIRS is currently assessing.
The Ravensthorpe Council also wants the area protected.
Last month, it wrote to the premier and key ministers to ask the area be set aside as a "class A nature reserve" and that no clearing take place or be approved prior to the finalisation of the classification.
"We're certainly dead against any clearing timber in that area," Shire President Keith Dunlop said.
Noongar Land Estate may impact project
But negotiations around the Noongar Land Estate — 320,000 hectares to be set aside as part of the South West Native Title Settlement, for creating "economic, social and cultural" opportunities for the Noongar community — could also impact the area.
Land in the Cocanarup-Kundip region could be included, and some already has been, including area covered by Bulletin Resources' exploration licence.
Further approvals will now be needed before exploration or eventual mining can occur in those parts.
A DMIRS spokesperson said the state would need to balance the interests of the resource company in its discussions about the estate.
Bulletin Resources has said there are no registered Aboriginal heritage sites within its Ravensthorpe Lithium Project area.
In a statement, Wagyl Kaip Southern Noongar Aboriginal Corporation said Bulletin Resources has "adhered to the required legislation and undertaken an Aboriginal heritage survey with [the group] in September last year".
A spokesperson from the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage said it intends to work closely with the traditional owners to ensure any land tenure outcome is progressed "in accordance with their aspirations for those areas of cultural significance".
But the Noongar Land Estate is not due to be finalised until 2026.
On its website, Bulletin Resources said it intends to begin drilling "immediately" after receiving environmental approvals.
