Murray Watt urged to intervene after accusations proposed Queensland coalmine clearing land in greater glider habitat | Endangered species

Conservationists have called on the environment minister, Murray Watt, to intervene after satellite images appear to show clearing in threatened species habitat at the site of a proposed coalmine in Queensland.

Images and drone footage obtained by the Queensland Conservation Council over the past two months appear to show large areas of bushland cleared at the site of Magnetic South’s proposed Gemini coalmine near Dingo in central Queensland.

Public documents released under freedom of information laws show the environment department told the company in 2022 it strongly recommended referral of the project to consider whether it required an assessment for potentially significant impacts on the Brigalow ecological community, and species including the greater glider, koala and bridled nail-tail wallaby.

The council wrote to Watt last month alerting him and the federal environment department’s compliance unit to what it claimed was the removal of “approximately 200 hectares of greater glider habitat” since late May in an area earmarked for an open coal pit.

The council wrote it had “urgent concerns” that construction of the mine might have commenced without referral of the project for an assessment under Australia’s environmental laws.

The proposed metallurgical coal project, which would produce up to 1.9m tonnes of coal a year, has attracted concerns in the past due to a Queensland government decision not to require an environmental impact statement and opposition from graziers.

In its letter to Watt, the Queensland Conservation Council asked whether the alleged clearing had been approved by the federal government and whether the government needed to take enforcement action.

The council wrote it believed the clearing could be unlawful and that it expected Watt’s department “to take urgent action accordingly to protect this culturally and ecologically significant place”.

The council’s coal and gas campaigner, Charlie Cox, said Watt needed to urgently step in.

“There is now drone footage, satellite imagery, and traditional owners on the ground all suggesting that yet another coal corporation has taken it upon themselves to start building their mine without the relevant federal approvals,” she said.

Cox called on the minister to use enforcement powers to stop the alleged clearing and to call the project in for a federal assessment.

“Murray Watt is committed to reforming our environment laws that are woefully failing nature, he needs to actually enforce the existing laws too,” she said.

Zhanae Dodd is a Ghungalu woman and founder of Guyala Yimba, an Indigenous human rights consultancy. Ghungalu custodians have a camp at the proposed mine site, where they have been conducting cultural ceremony since early this month.

“We’re out there engaging in ceremony and keeping a fire burning,” Dodd said. “We need to preserve these sites because on our country already there are that many mines destroying country, why do we need one more?”

In a letter the council received on Friday, the federal environment department said it was “aware of the alleged actions and potential impacts to threatened species and ecological communities protected by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act”. The department said it was engaging with Magnetic South “regarding their obligations under the act”.

A spokesperson for the federal environment department said “the department is in receipt of the allegations”.

“As the investigation is ongoing the department will not provide further comment.”

A spokesperson for Magnetic South said the company took its environmental obligations seriously and was committed to ensuring its operations were carried out in line with federal and state laws. He said the company had a “stringent environmental management program for the Gemini Project”.

“Magnetic South works constructively with regulatory authorities and prides itself on an uncompromising approach to project delivery within the conditions of its EA [state environmental authority] and mining lease,” they said.

Guardian Australia sought comment from Watt.