Ecosystem goods and services in Leard State Forest found to be worth $490,000 per annum. Leard State Forest is a Grassy Box Woodland at the southern edge of Mt Kaputar National Park. Unfortunately up to 60% of this EPBC listed critically endangered community is being clear-felled for an open cut coal mine.

Apparently the NSW State Govt has completely ignored the protected status of this forest and the native vegetation clearing laws, to allow a number of majority foreign owned companies to exploit the coal reserves under it in the most surficially destructive way. They could have saved the forest by going underground, but wait, THAT option was going to cost them more money.

As Chris Hartcher, NSW Minister for Mines and Energy, says: “The O’Farrell Govt wants the mining companies to know that NSW IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS”.

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