Protect Ningaloo launches billboard ads in Germany in a bid to prevent industrialisation at Exmouth Gulf

Billboards opposing a saltworks development at the Exmouth Gulf have popped up in the German city of Kassel in a bid to change the company’s mind about industrialising the area. Protect Ningaloo is campaigning to protect the Exmouth Gulf by circulating a billboard advertisement in Kassel that reads: “Dear K+S, Greetings from the unique Exmouth Gulf, Ningaloo. “Please stop your plans for a massive saltworks here before you damage this special place forever.” K+S is an international industrial corporation which plans to build a major salt production facility on the eastern side of Exmouth Gulf, which would produce 4.7 million tonnes of salt per year. But the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s Protect Ningaloo says the project, which is 52 times the size of Kings Park, would damage the nationally listed wetland’s ecosystem. Campaign director Paul Gamblin said the billboard aimed to persuade K+S to be responsible global citizens and reconsider the project. He said the Exmouth Gulf was a vital part of the nearby Ningaloo Reef ecosystem, with UNESCO recommending Exmouth Gulf be considered for inclusion in the World Heritage Listed Ningaloo coast area. “K+S needs to understand that Ningaloo-Exmouth Gulf is loved by people all over the world including many German tourists who have been visiting it for decades,” he said. “We call on K+S executives to do the right thing and show what it means to be a responsible global citizen in 2024. “We want the executive and employees of K+S in Kassel to understand the deep concern in Australia for this massive industrial project and for them to choose to not proceed any further with it.” For more information about the saltworks proposal visit marineconservation.org.au/protect-ningaloo/.