The speaker at our September meeting will be Scott Burnett, Forest and Bird Regional Conservation Manager for Te Tauihu/Top of the South, who is leading the campaign to save one of New Zealand's most significant conservation battles: the fight to save the Denniston Plateau from mining.
This iconic 'lost world', a biodiversity hotspot rated by DOC as one of the most ecologically valuable sites on the mainland, is facing an imminent threat. Bathurst Resources is proposing a massive 25-year open-cast coal mine, planning to use the government's controversial Fast-Track legislation to push it through with minimal public oversight.
You will learn about the irreversible damage caused by open-cast mining and acid mine drainage, and why the economic arguments don't stack up against the permanent environmental and climate costs.
Read more about the Forest and Bird campaign here: Denniston: too precious to mine | Forest and Bird.
You can also see more on the branch Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ForestBirdNelson
All are welcome to join us. Tea and coffee will be available before the meeting.