Protestors at the Maules Creek mine site won’t be backing down from their campaign to stop clearing in the Leard State Forest, as they enter another day of action.
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Today, a 37-year-old man locked himself onto a bulldozer, and yesterday new tree-climbing activists hindered bulldozing for the fourth day in a row by setting up a sky-high camp in trees in the forest.
They replaced the Greenpeace ‘spider team’ that was arrested on Sunday.
The team, which included three professional arborists, climbed several gum trees on Friday morning and built a rope web that extends over 40 square metres. The ‘spider web’ stopped bulldozers clearing the last part of the forest.
Greenpeace activists Raoni Hammer (32) and Rocco Acolecca (27) were arrested and taken to Narrabri police station after spending 48 hours in the treetops.
They are calling on the NSW Government to urgently stop forest clearing in the Leard State Forest during the winter hibernating months.
The new forest rescue team continues the stand-off with Whitehaven Coal after five Greenpeace activists were arrested on the weekend and removed from a giant rope web.
This brings the total number of arrests in ongoing community protests against Whitehaven Coal’s mine to over 160.
Nic Clyde, a Greenpeace senior campaigner, said from his tree sit, 10 metres off the ground, “The NSW Government, including Environment Minister Rob Stokes and Planning Minister Pru Goward must intervene”.
“Whitehaven Coal’s bulldozers are destroying the homes of animals while they sleep. Their coal mine at Maules Creek, the largest coal mine currently under construction in Australia, has been given permission to break the most basic of mining rules – to stop clearing during the winter months – when many threatened species are hibernating.
“The new ministers have the chance to do the right thing on an important issue.”
Mr Clyde told the Namoi Valley Independent 70 species are either hibernating or close to hibernation.
“Some of the species in hibernation are threatened and nationally listed under the Environmental Protection and Biodoversity Conservation Act,” he said.
“We are only asking for a three month delay and want them [Whitehaven Coal] to follow the rules.”
Freya, a 23-year-old woman from Melbourne, was perched in a tree on Friday.
“I don’t think we need another open cut coal mine, particularly in an area so important to food production,” she told the NVI from the top of the tree.
“Whitehaven shouldn’t be clearing in winter.”
