Wikimedia Commons "> The King Jarrah tree is located just outside of Manjimup. Credit: Tam/ Wikimedia Commons In February, mining company Alcoa was hit with a $55 million penalty for illegally clearing about 2,000 hectares of WA's Northern Jarrah Forest. About $40 million was earmarked for so-called "permanent ecological offsets," for Alcoa to repair the damage in terms of ecology lost. In the same breath as imposing the fine, Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt also granted Alcoa an exemption. This exemption allows Alcoa to continue mining for at least 18 months as Watt mulls a proposal to extend the company's mining operations until 2045. This decision may rest on a critical minerals deal struck between Australia and the US last year. A unique bioregion The Northern Jarrah Forest is a subregion in the sprawling jarrah forest bioregion , located south and east of Perth.…