The Wilderness Society releases this statement on February 20.
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More than 100 people protested against Whitehaven鈥檚 proposed Maules Creek coalmine outside the company鈥檚 Sydney office on February 20.
About 50 people protested outside Whitehaven鈥檚 Brisbane office while Greenpeace鈥檚 threatened species protection unit entered the Leard State Forest in north-west NSW to document endangered species at the proposed site for the coalmine.
Wilderness Society Climate Campaigner Jess Lerch said: 鈥淭he proposed Maules Creek coalmine will wipe out more than half of the Leard State Forest, the last major forest on the almost entirely cleared Liverpool Plains.
鈥淲e should not be tearing up our precious forests to build coalmines when the world is hurtling towards catastrophic climate change.鈥
The Leard State Forest contains one of the largest, most intact box-gum woodlands left in Australia, home to about 30 threatened species, including koalas, feathertail gliders, barking owls, regent honeyeaters and swift parrots.
Simon Copland from 350.org said: 鈥淭he Climate Council says 80% of our fossil fuel reserves must stay in the ground if we are to avoid dangerous climate change. Australia will be badly hit by climate change but we can do more to stop catastrophic climate change than most other nations.鈥
Lerch said: 鈥淭he Maules Creek mine will turn the Leard Forest into an open coal pit and spread 18,000 tonnes of coal dust a year over 67,000 hectares of the highly productive Liverpool Plains farm land. The infrastructure will attract yet more coalmines and turn the Liverpool Plains into another Hunter Valley coal precinct.
鈥淐oal dust causes major health problems especially on the respiratory system, and the local community will breathe it in and drink it in their rainwater. We are here to let the local community who are bravely fighting this mine know that they have support around Australia.鈥
