The Greens have joined the calls for urgent intervention from the NSW Planning Secretary Michael Cassel to prevent the clearing of 40 hectares of Leard State Forest in the state's northwest by Whitehaven Coal's Maules Creek Open Cut Coal Mine.
This clearing includes the Whitebox Critically Endangered Ecological Community as mapped in the current Mining Operations Plan. Thirty six hectares is the equivalent of 72 football fields; one football field per day over the 10 weeks. There is a real concern that there is no possibility of offsetting the Critically Endangered Ecological Community. It is a woodland that is on the brink of extinction because it has been over cleared and is not persisting in the environment elsewhere. The stand of woodland in the Leard State Forest set to be cleared is of high quality.
Clearing is expected to commence from today, despite conditional approval of the clearing being contingent on biodiversity offsets being secured and the recommendation of a Critically Endangered Ecological Community recovery plan which at this time have not fully occurred. Whitehaven have sought multiple extensions to secure the offsets but have not been able to secure the offsets.
Greens spokesperson for the environment, mining coal and gas Sue Higginson said: "Enough is enough. Whitehaven Coal has already cleared so much of this rare woodland for its enormous coal mine. We are now looking at wanton destruction and extinction for pure profit and greed. This woodland community is critically endangered, it's not possible to offset. Whitehaven Coal has done enough environmental harm to the Leard forest, which is on public land. Whitehaven Coal is a corporation facing successive charges from the EPA and ongoing legal challenges in the Criminal and Land and Environment Courts for non compliance in their operations,
"I am calling on the Secretary of Planning to exercise his powers to protect this fragile ecosystem and show that the Department of Planning and Environment isn't just a tool for mining companies to use as they exploit our natural assets and warm the planet.
"Report after report has shown the NSW Biodiversity Offset system is not working and that it is fuelling the extinction crisis upon us. We need the Planning Department to now stand up to this enormous corporation, say enough and protect this important irreplaceable woodland which is on public land." Ms Higginson said.
Pat Schultz, WANDO Conservation and Cultural Centre said: "Whitehaven Coal has been excavating and destroying the Leard State Forest for 10 years on the condition that they secured biodiversity offsets we always knew did not exist. The Commonwealth has given Whitehaven many extensions to secure the offsets and now it is the end of the line. Clearing of this endangered woodland must now cease."
