US aluminium company Alcoa will pay A$55 million ($38.9 million) to remediate native forest it illegally cleared in Western Australia in order to mine bauxite, Australia's environment ministry said on Wednesday. The payment relates to nearly 2,100 hectares (5,190 acres) of land cleared between 2019 and 2025 in the Northern Jarrah Forest, south of Perth, without seeking government approvals. Alcoa said it operated in accordance with Australia's laws while agreeing to the payment to acknowledge its historical clearing. The company has mined bauxite, the raw material for aluminium, in Western Australia since the 1960s and has cleared around 28,000 hectares (69,000 acres) of the state's native jarrah forest. The government is undertaking a strategic assessment to gauge the cumulative environmental impact of Alcoa's current and potential future mining operations through to 2045, the environment ministry said.

Source: The Telegraph February 18, 2026 08:50 UTC