Westport aims to deliver a sustainable port, underpinned by a robust environmental impact assessment, driving nature focused design and building long-term ecosystem resilience in Cockburn Sound. We are aligning the design of the proposed container terminal to work with natural processes, to work ‘with nature’ rather than ‘on nature’. An independent review examining how this approach has been applied across the Westport Program has now been released.
What is Working with Nature?
Working with Nature (WwN) is an integrative design philosophy developed by the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) that seeks to plan and deliver navigation and maritime infrastructure with natural processes, rather than imposing solutions on them.
About the review
Westport commissioned the National Transport Research Association (NTRO) to provide an independent review of Stages 1, 2 and 3 of the Westport Program (2017 to 2024), testing the work undertaken in the Program to date against the recognised WwN principles. The review acted as a checkpoint to confirm whether Westport’s approach to WwN aligns with best‑practice thinking and to identify opportunities for improvement before decisions are progressed in Stage 4.
The WwN steps adopted by Westport are:
- Meaningfully engage stakeholders (at each step)
- Define the project need and objectives early
- Understand the natural and community environment
- Design to benefit both navigation and nature
- Deliver and sustain outcomes
- Monitor, evaluate and adapt: track progress and adapt over time.
Key findings
NTRO found that Westport has demonstrated a robust and continuous commitment to WwN objectives during stages 1-3 of the Program, and that Westport has consistently embedded WwN principles into its project methodology, planning and design evolution.
As designs for the Container Terminal mature in Stage 4, environmental social and economic opportunities need to be considered in light of engineering, operational, safety and commercial considerations. Westport will continue to evaluate WwN opportunities and make decisions aligned to Westport’s goals, maximising benefits of the project for all Western Australians.
