Denniston fight not over, says Forest & Bird

Forest & Bird has vowed to continue fighting the Bathurst Resources proposal for a 150ha open-cast mine on the West Coast’s Denniston Plateau.

The Environment Court released an interim decision today finding that the case “is so finely balanced that while our current inclination is to grant consent much will ultimately turn on whether appropriate conditions can be worked out”.

Forest & Bird Top of the South Field Officer Debs Martin says the decision has both positives and negatives.

“As a positive, the court agrees that the values of the Denniston Plateau are very high and many of these values, including rare plants and wildlife, will be lost if the mining goes ahead. The court also agreed with our case that after mining has ceased, the forests, streams and sandstone pavements of the plateau will be much less rich and diverse than they are now.”

“On the negative side, the decision indicates an inclination to grant consent if appropriate conditions can be devised,” Debs Martin says.

However, the court makes it clear that consent will only be granted if appropriate and robust conditions can be imposed. Forest & Bird holds firm to the view expressed at the hearing that because the values of the plateau are so high, appropriate conditions cannot be devised.

“Forest and & Bird will continue to fight to protect the Denniston Plateau and convince the Court to decline the consents,” she says.

The Denniston Plateau has been the centre of a legal battle since 2011 when Australian mining company Bathurst Resources gained resource consents to turn it into an open-cast mine.

Forest & Bird’s campaign to save the plateau has generated about 10,000 petition signatures of support. Last year 150 volunteers, including top scientist Sir Alan Mark, took part in a species BioBlitz on the plateau, and hundreds more attended public meetings around the country.

Forest & Bird has proposed a 5900-hectare reserve on the plateau. In November, the West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board made a recommendation to the New Zealand Conservation Authority to protect the Denniston Plateau as a reserve.

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