Clearing of the Leard State Forest in New South Wales

Clearing and felling in the Leard State Forest marks the beginning of the development of the Maules Creek coal mine owned by Whitehaven coal. Despite widespread opposition by local community, indigenous landowners, environmental organisations and a spurious approval process, work has proceeded while the forest has been declared closed to the public.

Unique identifier: GP0STO7R5

Type: Image

Shoot date: 15/01/2014

Locations: Australia, Leard State Forest, New South Wales, Oceania

Credit line: © Tom Jefferson / Greenpeace

Ranking: ★★★★ (E)

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Clearing of the Leard State Forest in New South Wales

Leard State Forest in NW New South Wales includes the most extensive and intact stands of the nationally-listed and critically endangered Box-Gum Woodland remaining on the Australian continent. The forest is home to 396 species of plants and animals and includes habitat for 34 threatened species and several endangered ecological communities. Two open-cut coal mines are already operating and have approval to expand further into Leard State Forest. A third open-cut coal mine, Maules Creek Coal Mine owned by Whitehaven Coal, is approved and expected to begin production in 2015. Together these mines will clear approximately 5000 hectares, more than half of Leard State Forest, and produce 20 million tonnes of coal that will be railed to the Port of Newcastle for export. Maules Creek is the largest coal mine currently under construction in Australia. Farmers, Traditional Owners, national and local environment groups and local residents have been blockading Whitehaven’s construction efforts.

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