When indigenous Kalkadoon elder James Taylor learned that big mining his Australian http://www.care2.com/causes/victory-australia-says-no-to-lion-hunting-trophies.html ancestral land, he knew he had to protect it. Today, the fight to protect ancestral lands is increasingly happening in the courtroom with science as the sharpest tool. Over three years, the indigenous leader fought mining entrepreneur “Diamond” Joe Gutnick in a Queensland court over the Mount Isa phosphate mine, and he eventually won his case. However, Taylor also accumulated approximately $70,000 in legal debt that he couldn't repay because the court said it couldn't award costs to either side in challenges to mining permits.

"It is an Affront to My Culture and My Very Being” …show more content…
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/30/indigenous-elder-who-took-on-miner-and-won-left-with-70000-in-legal-costs You see, in 1884, the police massacred the indigenous Australian tribe living in the Mount Isa region of Queensland. In a court affidavit, Taylor describes why he's so passionate about his cause: "It will destroy the very country that by my ancestors I am obligated to protect. It is an affront to my culture and my very being.”

Fortunately, the court agreed with Taylor because of the costly

expert reports by a hydrologist and ecologist supporting his cause. As part of the elder's initiative, the Kalkadoon now have representation on a committee that can alert environmental authorities if Battle Creek shows any signs of deteriorating water flows. As Taylor reflects on his victory, he hopes his experience won't stop other indigenous leaders from protecting their ancestral rights. Like he tells “I’m not disappointed because we won. We won, except for the legal …show more content…
The lawyer's firm initially agreed to write off the $70,000 expert reports because it "believed there was a reasonable prospect of recovering the cost of those reports until last week’s ruling," explains The Guardian. Andthe Hardie admits that it will challenging for the "little fella" to take on big business without these scientific expert reports, especially now that "you can’t even say to the experts, ‘You produce this report and if we get a costs order, you’ll get paid,'" says Hardie.

The lawyer fears that this will further marginalize aboriginal Australians with a legitimate case from pursuing legal recourse. If they don't have the funds to pay thousands for expert reports, how can they validate their concerns. And in true David versus Goliath fashion, big mining does have the means "to make life tough for" anyone that stands in their way.

Silenced Activists Hurts All of Us

This is just another ploy to silence indigenous activists. Like the recent assassination of Berta Cáceres,