13 February, 2015
Watermark mine approval deals northwest koalas another body blow
Development of the Watermark Coal mine in the Gunnedah Basin will deal a serious blow to the region’s struggling koala populations, according to the NSW Nature Conservation Council.
NCC CEO Kate Smolski is in Tamworth today to highlight concerns about the environmental impacts of Shenhua’s coal project.
“This massive coal mine is not only a danger to some Australia’s best farmland and water resources, it is also a threat to an Australian iconic species in the state’s northwest.” NCC CEO Kate Smolski said.
“Recent surveys in the massive Pilliga forest found the koala population had crashed by 75 per cent in 10 years as a result of major droughts and bushfires. [1]
“The Pilliga was once a stronghold for the species, but that population is now considered ‘highly endangered’. The Pilliga experience shows how vulnerable koala populations are is to massive crashes and local extinctions.
“The Watermark Coal project approval is another body blow to this species in this part of the state because it will destroy large areas of high-quality habitat. The company has developed an environmental offsets package, but we have no faith this will prevent serious losses.”
Ms Smolski said mapping of the mine site by the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) found the highest quality koala habitat was at the centre of the development – which is destined to be the bottom of the mine – while the lowest quality habitat was at the offset and release sites.
AKF’s findings directly contradicted the mapping provided by Shenhua. AKF has remarked in its submission to the NSW Planning Assessment Commission that this discrepancy was “puzzling”.
“We have no faith in the company’s mapping, and we believe the koala management plan it has developed relies excessively on offset areas that lack sufficient mature habitat trees,” she said.
“The company says it will plant habitat trees, but they will take at least 10 years to mature. What are the koalas supposed to do in the meantime? They can’t rent a room at the Imperial Hotel Gunnedah.
“The Shenhua mine approval is another example of how the Baird government is failing communities in NSW by putting the interests of coal mining companies ahead of water, health and native wildlife.
“It’s time the government put the interests of the community and our environment first by creating legally enforceable no-go zones that protect farmland, water resources and our wildlife.”
[1] Koala populations in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and national environment law, www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/factsheet-koala-populations-queensland-nsw-act-national
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Coal and gasPlanning and Development
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