Whitehaven’s proposed Maules Creek coal mine expansion in north-west NSW would have a devastating impact on highly significant habitat for the critically endangered Swift Parrot if governments give it the go ahead, according to the findings of a new expert report.
Lock the Gate has provided the report to NSW Government decision makers as part of the environmental impact statement process, with public submissions closing today (Monday August 4).
The Maules Creek coal mine expansion would clear an additional 676.5 hectares of Leard State Forest, a high conservation remnant forest, near Boggabri.
The existing mine was the site of major protests due to the risks it posed to endangered ecosystems, the local community, and water resources.
The report reveals that:
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Leard State Forest is a highly significant site for the critically endangered Swift Parrot, with records across four years over an 11 year period indicating a “high fidelity” to the site when flowering resources are available.
- 3,800 ha or approximately 40 percent of Leard State Forest’s original size has now been cleared for three coal mines - Maules Creek, Tarawonga, and Boggabri. Whitehaven’s Maules Creek expansion would clear a further 12 percent of the forest’s remaining area. Time lapse footage available here.
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Mining companies have detected large numbers of the species on several occasions in Leard State Forest - Idemitsu recorded 20 individuals feeding at its Boggabri mine in 2022 (about 4% of the entire population) - but repeatedly failed to upload data to the threatened species database in a timely manner as required by their Scientific Licences.
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Expert modelling predicts that the proposed Maules Creek Coal Mine expansion will result in the removal of approximately 50,000 Swift Parrot feed trees including more than 19,000 large White Box.
Whitehaven’s own EIS indicates the expansion would clear 548 hectares of foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot (see p401 of the Biodiversity Development Assessment Report, Appendix C) which is considered “critical to the survival of the species”.
An adjacent expansion of the Boggabri mine (Boggabri modification 10) is also seeking to clear a further 84 hectares of Swift parrot habitat.
Lock the Gate Alliance National Coordinator Carmel Flint said, “The history of the Maules Creek coal mine is one of abject failure of state and federal environment laws to protect the environment - and it feels like little has changed and history is set to repeat itself.
“Swift Parrot populations have declined rapidly. There is a national recovery plan in place that’s meant to save this critically endangered species from disappearing forever, yet governments are still allowing destructive projects like the Maules Creek coal mine expansion to be considered and progressed through the planning system.
“Whitehaven Coal has a long history of environmental breaches, including taking water unlawfully during the worst drought on record.
“Both state and federal governments should finally say enough is enough, and protect the mighty Swift Parrot from this serial environmental offender by rejecting the Maules Creek coal mine expansion."
ENDS
Background:
If approved, the proposed Maules Creek coal mine expansion wouldn’t actually start until 2034, and would operate until 2044, suggesting Whitehaven wants to bank an approval before climate laws and regulations are strengthened.
Both state and federal environmental assessments are currently underway. The NSW assessment page is here, while the federal EPBC assessment page is here.