Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 18 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
BBC News's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Environment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
- Published
Rio Tinto is ploughing millions of dollars into stopping the poisonous cane toad reaching the Pilbara region of western Australia, where the mining giant has a vast iron ore operation
The firm, alongside Curtin University in Perth and others, will spend A$28m (£14.5m) building a "toad containment zone" to prevent the pest travelling south.
asserted
pest → publish → zone
While the cane toad is not a direct threat to Rio Tinto's business, it produces toxins lethal to native wildlife and poses a threat to Pilbara's ecosystem.
asserted
it → produce → ecosystem
Rio Tinto has previously faced criticism for destroying two sacred Aboriginal rock shelters in Pilbara which sat above tonnes of iron ore.
asserted
which → face → ore
The decision cost the former chief executive his job, provoked a widespread backlash and saw Rio Tinto commit to rebuilding trust with Indigenous communities.
asserted
Tinto → cost → communities
Commenting on the proposed containment zone, Roberta Hunter, a ranger in Australia's Nyangumarta Warrarn Indigenous Protected Area, said: "Cane toads destroy the water and animals.
asserted
toads → comment → water
"When toads come close to our country, we want to be there to stop them because we don't want the country to be destroyed."
asserted
country → come → them
The plan is to cut off the toad's water supply by building a barrier across 7,500 sq km (2,895 sq m) of land between the Great Sandy Desert and the Indian Ocean.
asserted
plan → cut → Desert
In drier months, the cane toad needs water every few days to survive.
asserted
toad → need → water
If there are no natural water sources, the toad relies on artificial water points normally used for cattle and irrigation.
asserted
toad → be → cattle
The funding will be used to stop the toad accessing dams, storage tanks or other ground-level water sources.
asserted
toad → use → dams
The five-year project will begin in 2027.
asserted
project → begin → 2027
A number of native species are at risk if the toad gets into Pilbara.
asserted
toad → get → Pilbara
These include the northern quoll, whose numbers have been decreasing, the goanna lizard and the ghost bat.
asserted
numbers → include → quoll
The toads were introduced into Australia in 1935 to control beetles within the sugar cane industry.
asserted
toads → introduce → industry
Since then, they have been on a slow march west across the country's northern landscape, according to the Australian government, travelling between 40 km and 60 km a year.
uncertain
they → accord → km
There are no predators or diseases that control the toads, which defend themselves using poison.
asserted
which → be → poison
Ben Phillips, a professor at Curtin University, said the toads would reach Pilbara within two decades without action.
asserted
toads → say → action
He said: "The toad containment zone is a once in a lifetime opportunity to stop one of the world's worst invasive species in its tracks and protect the region's unique wildlife."
asserted
zone → say → wildlife
The Aporia
