23 April, 2012
Blue Mountains takes its message to the City
Environment and community groups in the Blue Mountains are amongst the many expected to turn out for next month’s rally to protect communities and natural areas from the threat of open-cut coal mining and coal seam gas [CSG] extraction.
Nature Conservation Council of NSW [NCC] Chief Executive Officer Pepe Clarke said Blue Mountains Conservation Society will be part of a broad alliance on this landmark day of action.
“The rally will see a broad section of the community come together to protect their local environment and to save their communities from fragmentation by mining,” Mr Clarke said.
“This issue unites people across all walks of life -from farmers to the CWA to environment groups and local community associations.”
The rally to be held on 1 May at Martin Place, aims to protect areas such as The Gardens of Stone and Ben Bullen State Forest from open-cut coal mining.
Blue Mountains Conservation Society campaigner Justin McKee, said local residents must rally to protect the iconic pagoda country of the Gardens of Stone.
“The pagodas are of international significance. Unfortunately the Government’s draft land use plans leave them vulnerable to development,” he said.
“Recently, we heard outrageous claims from Pine Dale Coal mine that their solution to rehabilitating the area after mining is to chop the tops off the pagodas and put them back when mining has finished.
“The Gardens of Stone area is a biodiversity hotspot with hundreds of plant species. Thirty two native animals have been recorded in a small pocket of forest alone and these include iconic animals such as the tiger quoll and the lyrebird.
Mr McKee said surface run off from both mining and coal seam gas mining also posed a credible risk to the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage area while ever there are no protective buffer zones around its boundaries.
Tags
Coal and gas
Let others know about this issue