The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) settled a legal battle in a war against untrammeled mining expansion on the West Coast recently and now the clock is ticking for Australian mining company Mineral Commodities to fulfil its obligations to reduce the harm it wreaks on the biodiverse hotspot.

The company, which has massively expanded operations in the region, on which fishing communities depend, has a month left to prepare and submit a Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) and motivation for a Strategic Environmental Assessment (Sea) for the environment minister in terms of the high court order.

But the company, whose SA subsidiary on the West Coast is Mineral Sands Resources (MSR), has requested an extension and is negotiating with the centre on this...