Bimblebox Nature Refuge

The Bimblebox Team wishes to send out a big warm thank you to everyone who took the time to send a submission to the Coordinator General in support of Bimblebox Nature Refuge.

On September 26, 2011, Waratah Coal finally released the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for its ‘China First’ mine (otherwise known as the ‘Galilee Coal Project’). The EIS details a plan of destruction that would see an open-cut mine destroy more than half of Bimblebox Nature Refuge, and long-wall mining under the other half, resulting in subsidence and major interference with hydrology.

After years of silence and uncertainty, Waratah Coal has finally made it clear its ‘China First’ mine would entirely destroy the ecological integrity of Bimblebox Nature Refuge. The EIS claims that the mine “will not be viable without coal reserves under the [Nature Refuge]” (Executive Summary, p20). That means that either the ‘China First’ mine goes ahead or Bimblebox remains intact.

This is a significant case because it will set a precedent for other nature refuges subject to mining. In their support for mining on nature refuges, the State Government is shamefully abandoning conservation covenants they signed with landowners designed to protect the conservation values on these properties ‘in perpetuity’.

We call on everyone who supports the preservation of nature (and especially this isolated patch of intact arid ecology in a vast area of cleared grazing land) to make a submission to the government commenting on Waratah Coal’s EIS. Submissions must be in by the 19th December 2011 (the original deadline of 7th November has been extended for 6 weeks due to Waratah Coal failing to provide a complete EIS on their website).

We, the caretakers and friends of Bimblebox are endlessly busy fighting this coal mine proposal. But on the ground there is still plenty of work to provide basic care for the Nature Refuge.

At the moment we are getting ready for a potentially bad bushfire season. The extended wet season has left us with wall to wall long, dry, grass and a rare mass germination of tree seedlings. So now we have the important job of burning wide breaks to prevent large hot fires that could destroy the precious flora and fauna. We burn the breaks at night when conditions permit, and we are looking for volunteers to help!

We are also preparing for a series of trial burns for the Queensland Herbarium to see if we can establish just how the mix of fire, weather and grazing has shaped the mix of grasses, shrubs and trees we see today. These trials will provide vital information about the best way to manage our important rangeland environments.

The shortfall in all of this is a rag-tag fire brigade. A couple of enthusiastic volunteers for a couple of months, or the piecemeal equivalent, would make our fire protection strategy a reality. It would also deliver bonus points in arguing the case against turning Bimblebox into a coal mine. This is interesting if arduous work, with plenty of opportunity to learn about fire and ecology, and to gain bush skills. Please don’t delay if you have half a mind to join us.

Travel costs, food and accommodation will be provided. The days that we work depend entirely on the weather (wind). There is ample quiet time and space for study during the day, so you could bring your uni work with you.

Please help spread the word and get in touch if you are interested to find out more.

Other events throughout the year to help out on Bimblebox (like weeding out the introduced grasses after the rains) will be advertised on the Bimblebox Nature Refuge Facebook page or on this website or just give us a call.

Visitors Counter
as from Oct 2011

To make things confusing, the name of Waratah’s “China First” proposal has been changed on the Department of Infrastructure and Planning website. It is now apparently also called “Galilee Coal”. For anyone interested in commenting on Waratah’s Environmental Impact Statement, due out at the end of May 2011, they will need to keep their ears out for either, or both, names. Strangely, the Waratah Coal website still uses “China First”. You’d really have to wonder what’s going on behind the scenes.

Whatever the name is, the stunning sounds of Bimblebox will not be the same if Waratah’s proposed mine goes ahead.

Help spread the word and visit Bimblebox on Facebook.

Simply search ‘Bimblebox Nature Refuge’ and click ‘like’

Clive Palmer, chairman of Waratah Coal, has claimed that he intends to have ‘another crack’ at listing his parent company – Resourcehouse – on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (see article). Mr Palmer is seeking to raise finance to pursue his ambitions to dig up and export 40 mega tonnes of coal from the Galilee Basin in central-western Queensland each year. His proposed development would probably destroy Bimblebox Nature Refuge and the surrounding land. It would also seriously degrade the quantity and quality of the area’s biodiversity and water in the process of adding significantly to global carbon emissions. Like everything else about the proposed ‘China First’ coal mine, it is clear that Mr Palmer and his company are more interested in their potential international investors, buyers and their own profits than the situation on the ground. As we have pointed out in previous blogs, all potential investors need to understand that the ‘China First’ project has not received any government approvals, and the company has repeatedly failed to meet their own deadlines to produce the Environmental Impact Assessment for this project. Their tardiness has only added their disrepute in the region and community where they intend to operate.

The owners and managers of Bimblebox Nature Refuge are inviting other nature refuge landholders to sign an open petition to protect nature refuges threatened by mineral interests.

Queensland has a woeful record when it comes to biodiversity and conservation, and the current mining boom could make it a lot worse. The World Commission on Protected Areas has stated that increasing the size of national parks in Queensland will not be enough to save the states’ biodiversity. Private conservation areas are obviously going to play crucial role.

Because so much land of high conservation value is privately managed, landholders are encouraged and assisted in the hard work of protecting our natural assets as a matter of public interest. But despite being acknowledged for its high conservation value, much of this land is vulnerable to massive disruption. If extractable minerals are found these sanctuaries along with the time, trust and knowledge of the people involved, may be sacrificed for the temporary gain of an industry that has a sorry record and a dubious future.

For more information please email the Bimblebox team.