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More than 1,000 hectares of koala habitat may be wiped out as a new coal mine opens in the Australian state of Queensland, according to reports. guardian.
Although koalas and giant marsupials were recently declared endangered due to habitat loss, the proposed mine, which is currently being investigated by the state government, does not require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIS).
The project called “Vulcan South,” proposed by mining company Vitrinite, is expected to produce 1.95 million tons of coal annually. Since extraction will not reach the two million tons threshold, the company will not have to prepare an environmental impact study. Vitrinite already holds a license to a neighboring mine, “Vulcan,” which will also produce 1.95 million tons per year. This mine destroyed more than 200 hectares of koala habitat.
Addressing concerns, the company said habitats affected by the Vulcan South site would be “conservatively compensated” in an “area with a particular focus on koala habitat conservation.” They claim that the mine project will only have a limited, long-term impact on the koala population. According to their request to the Queensland Department of Environment, the Vulcan South mine will destroy 10,23.6 hectares of habitat.
“Koalas are rare in the Boyne Basin, so the proposed project activities are expected to affect a small number of individuals,” a spokeswoman for the miner said. He added that Vulcan and Vulcan South are “two separate small, short-range mines” separated by a distance of 10 km. He also said that “the goals of post-mining rehabilitation include restoring the koala habitat” and that “koalas are known to rebuild rehabilitated areas in less than six years” – although he acknowledged that in this case this would likely take longer.
Professor David Lindenmeier, an ecologist at the Australian National University, says habitat destruction for endangered species is a “mockery” of environmental protection. “What is the point of declaring a species endangered if we then allow it to destroy more and more habitats?” – Tell.
Environmental compensation is ineffective, says Deborah Tabart, president of the Australian Koala Foundation. “It’s like the emperor’s new clothes. How can anything survive if we destroy his homeland?” – he told.
According to a recent report, Australia has lost more mammal species than any other continent and has one of the highest rates of extinction in the developed world. Habitat destruction, logging, and introduction of non-native species have been cited as major causes of extinction.
