Juukan Gorge traditional owners sign agreement with Rio Tinto to co-manage WA mining land

PKKP traditional owners say new co-management agreement acknowledges that Rio Tinto accepts its destruction of rock shelters at Juukan Gorge should not have happened. Photograph: Supplied by PKKP

The traditional owners of Juukan Gorge have signed a preliminary agreement with Rio Tinto to co-manage land that is still being mined for iron ore.

The Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people said the mining giant broke their trust with the destruction of the 46,000-year-old Aboriginal heritage site, which was blown up by Rio Tinto in May 2020 in an effort to access more high-grade iron ore at its Brockman 4 mine.