A United Nations delegation has begun investigating whether a uranium mine should be built in one of Australia's biggest and most popular national parks,

Environmental groups, which have been blockading the proposed site in the Kakadu National Park, near Darwin, for most of the past year, want the UN to include the park on the list of endangered world heritage sites.

An existing uranium mine in Kakadu National Park - environmentalists say another would threaten the park

They claim that uranium mining would threaten the cultural and environmental credentials of Kakadu, which covers nearly 20,000 km² of spectacular sandstone escarpment and flood plains.

The Australian government say that the inspection is unnecessary but have agreed to co-operate, while the company that wants to build the mine welcomed the investigation.

Energy Resources of Australia Ltd, which has been operating another uranium mine nearby for the past 18 years, says that the UN probe will be an opportunity to put the company's environmental record on show for the world.

The UN team, headed by Francesco Francioni, an Italian lawyer, says it will talk to everyone involved, particularly the aborigines, who archaeologists believe have lived there for at least 40,000 years.

The value of Kakadu concerns the whole of humanity, Mr Francioni said.

The park is dotted with ancient cave paintings and rock carvings and thousands of tourists visit every year to see the landscape and hundreds of rare and endangered animal species.

The UN team is to make its recommendation in December.