Recently, the NSW Department of Planning strongly recommended that the Coalpac open-cut coal mine proposed near Lithgow should be rejected because of its impacts on the natural and scenic values of the Gardens of Stone.
Ben Bullen State Forest is publicly owned land within the Gardens of Stone area so named for its rock formations. The area contains a complex of narrow canyons, upland swamps, rock arches and pagodas that provide habitat for many endangered plants and animals.
The recommendation by the Department of Planning to reject this damaging project is a victory for common sense, the community and the environment.
The O’Farrell government now has an historic opportunity to protect this unique part of the state’s environmental heritage once and for all by declaring Ben Bullen State Forest a state conservation area.
Call on Planning Minister Brad Hazzard and Environment Minister Robyn Parker to safeguard the Gardens of Stone by taking the necessary steps to reserve the area under the National Parks and Wildlife Act.
Help protect the Gardens of Stone here
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