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Leard State Forest is 8000 hectares of bushland located between Narrabri and Boggabri in north west NSW. The nearest township is the farming community of Maules Creek, which sits at the foothills of the Nandewar Range. Much of it is now approved to be cleared for two open cut coal mines.
Leard State Forest 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.
Open-cut coal mining threatens to destroy more than half of the Leard State Forest. Two open-cut coal mines are already operating and have approval to expand further into Leard State Forest. A third open-cut coal mine is approved and expected to begin production in 2015. Together these mines will clear approximately 5000 hectares – that’s 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.
Front Line Action on Coal (FLAC) is the first blockade camp of a coal mine in Australia’s history. The camp has been in place for over a year now and is committed to team work and non-violent direct action to protect the forest and nearby farm land and water resources from coal mining. Since December 2013 there have been ongoing protest actions to halt mining operations and clearing of the forest and many people have now been arrested. You can find out more about Leard Forest and the campaign to protect it at the Leard State Forest and Front Line Action on Coal websites.
The Gomeroi people are the Traditional Owners of the country where Leard State Forest is located. Members of the Maules Creek community and environmentalists campaigning to stop open-cut coal mining in Leard State Forest are joining with Gomeroi Traditional Owners to advance the cultural and environmental protection of the Forest. On Friday 24 January, 2014 the groups marched in Gunnedah to call for an end to desecration of sacred sites in Leard State Forest by Whitehaven Coal, and for culture and heritage to be protected. On Sorry Day 2014, the Leard Forest Alliance and the Gomeroi Traditional Owners will gather in Gunnedah to sign a protection treaty. You can read more about this event and details of the protection treaty here.