Clive Palmer has again come out in the media trying to diminish the conservation values of Bimblebox Nature Refuge (you can listen to his interview on the Steve Austin show here). He has a clear vested interest in casting these aspersions given that he intends to destroy the property through open cut and underground mining as part of his proposed China First thermal coal mine. You can hear a response to Clive Palmer’s comments on the Steve Austin show here.

The problem for Clive is that he appears to have little idea about the nature refuge, which he has never set foot on. Below are a few simple facts to set the record straight:         

• The property was bought in 2000 by a small group of concerned landholders and residents to save it from being cleared. The previous landholders continue to be well respected graziers in the region
• In recognition of its high conservation values, the National Reserve System program (at the time of the Howard Liberal Federal Government) contributed around $300,000 towards the purchase – see the documentation here
• A ‘perpetual’ Nature Refuge Agreement was signed with the State Government in 2003 which is the highest level of protection that can be afforded to private land in Queensland. Bimblebox also forms part of the National Reserve System of Protected Areas
• Bimblebox is situated in the Desert Uplands bioregion, considered a biodiversity hotspot, but where less than 5% of the area is held is conservation reserves
• Bimblebox Nature Refuge consists of over 95% remnant woodland (woodland that has never been cleared) with an understory made up predominantly of native grasses and shrubs
• There is abundant wildlife on the property, with around 150 bird species counted so far
• Bimblebox is widely regarded as supporting one of the highest levels of native plant diversity in the region. Qualified botanists who recently visited the property made a list of at least 220 plant species
• Bimblebox currently serves as an outstanding example of the coexistence of cattle production and biodiversity conservation. Private productive lands are increasingly recognised for their important role in contributing to landscape scale conservation in Australia and form a major part of the National Reserve System 
• A number of long term research projects are conducted on Bimblebox that will contribute towards better land management outcomes in the region

This isn’t the first time that Clive has tried to peddle the same lies about Bimblebox, which we responded to with this simple youtube clip.