So... what on earth is up with the Black Throated Finch and the Adani Mine

[Tiaris]

My initial point is that the whole of the Galilee basin's habitat is not being levelled by the mine. Like it or not coal is Australia's biggest export by $ so its continued mining and export is vital to the health of our economy at least for the foreseeable future.

[Rod_L]

The endangered finches threatening the Adani mine and the opening up of Queensland’s newest coal province are being bred in suburban homes and traded over the internet for as little as $30. Southern black-throated finches existed in large numbers.
This is not an endorsement of Aviculture. It is a cop out by suggesting there are so many in captivity that those in the wild do not matter. Beware forked tounges that speak sneaky. Here in the West people are advertising for mates for their lone or single sex birds because they are so hard to get. So I would really like to know where all these captive birds are?
LML

I thought the finches were a subspecies of the Parson finch, and the main species is fine in captivity but the subspecies is rare in captivity?

I am in WA and haven't seen any Parson finches (original or subspecies) for sale at bird shops for years.


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Isn't coal mining fueling climate change? I mean, the pacific island leaders and NZ are pressuring ScoMo to cut back on coal mining but instead we are going the opposite way. I'm not trying to be racist towards Indian people (I am half Fijian-Indian and a quarter Sri Lankan) just to the companies that want to destroy wildlife and nature just for 150 jobs in coal mining. Mining really isn't the only job in rural areas is it?

Yes, burning coal is releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere and that is causing climate change.

Internal combustion engines in cars, trucks, buses, motor bikes, lawn mowers, chainsaws, whipper snippers, etc, are another major contributing factor because they release CO2, carbon monoxide (CO) and produce huge amounts of heat.

A lot of big companies and governments don't give a crap about the future. As long as they get their name in the history books and make a heap of money now, they really don't care about anyone or anything else.

No, mining isn't the only job in rural areas and coal, oil and uranium mining should be outlawed across the world.
Wheat, sheep and cattle exports are just as big as coal exports and are a lot better for the planet and are renewable and don't destroy vast areas of habitat.


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My initial point is that the whole of the Galilee basin's habitat is not being levelled by the mine. Like it or not coal is Australia's biggest export by $ so its continued mining and export is vital to the health of our economy at least for the foreseeable future.

The problem with the mine is it destroys natural habitat that is needed by the birds to survive. Wild birds don't just live in one area their entire lives. Most birds travel vast distances looking for food and water. They are nomadic and might travel hundreds of kilometers during the course of the year in search of suitable habitat. If people cut a big chunk of land out, the birds could lose feeding grounds, safe drinking water or nesting habitats.

Even after the mine has finished and the land has been "rehabilitated", it will never be the same again. I have seen areas of land that have been rehabilitated after mining and quite frankly, it is crap and has no biodiversity. The animals and birds take years to come back into the area and during that time, the finches could become extinct due to lack of food, water or nesting sites. A lot of native plants don't come back either and areas that were once covered in small inconspicuous plants lose those species forever due to the mining.

Rehabilitating land after mining usually consists of putting some big conspicuous species back in the area and saying, "it looks the same as it did before we bulldozed it".

Half the plants in this country spend 6 months of the year dormant underground. There are lots of small insects, arachnids, reptiles and animals that live underground and only get seen at night if you look closely. Mining companies and governments don't go bush walking at night and don't look at the ground. If it isn't 100 foot tall and in their face, they don't care about it.

Even land clearing for housing wipes out species. 20 years ago I managed to collect some native plants from an area of land that was being cleared for housing. They were spring flowering plants that died back over summer. Several of the species I collected were new to science. This happens everywhere you go. Unidentified species are being wiped out due to mining, land clearing, whatever, just for a few people to get richer. It needs to stop.

We can't keep destroying habitat and its associated species just for a few dollars. And when the stuff we're digging out is destroying the planet by poisoning the air we breathe, that makes it even worse.

Mining might provide a lot of income from exports, but what's the point of making money now if the planet dies in 50 years time, and we die along with it?

[E Orix]

This is not on topic but I would like to comment.
I listen to people complaining and wanting to do this and that for the environment, quite admiral
and we as a nation should do our bit.
Australia is not the major problem, I have travelled extensively and what we contribute is a fraction of a fraction
compared to Indonesia,and other major countries and cities. I have never seen the blue sky in Bangkok just a dirty yellow
colour. In Sth Africa their power stations belch black smoke so much so that it creates a dirty cloud on the horizon.
I have been to Indonesia including Bali some 40 times and they either do not care or do not know the problem.
Bali hands out possibly millions of plastic bags per year.
I haven't even mentioned China and other massive cities.
To be honest I can't see any of those countries really doing anything about the massive problem yet they are the main ones.