# Mining giant joins fight to stop killer toad march across Australia

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/mining-giant-joins-fight-to-stop-killer-toad-march-across-australia/
- Published: 2026-11-03T15:05:01+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-03T23:05:26+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Business (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3dxw8p99ervo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Business, Environment, Science

## Key points

- Rio Tinto is helping fund a A$28m cane toad barrier.
- The project aims to protect wildlife across 7,500 sq km.
- Without action, cane toads could reach the Pilbara within 20 years.

## Summary

Rio Tinto and Curtin University are backing a five-year, A$28m plan to stop poisonous cane toads reaching the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The project aims to protect native wildlife and the area’s ecosystem, while also involving Indigenous rangers in efforts to care for Country.

The proposed containment zone would cover 7,500 sq km between the Great Sandy Desert and the Indian Ocean, restricting the toads’ access to artificial water sources. Cane toads, introduced to Australia in 1935, have spread west by about 40 to 60 km a year; a Curtin University professor says they could reach the Pilbara within two decades without intervention. Species at risk include the northern quoll, goanna and ghost bat, and work is due to begin in 2027.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.