Foulden Maar was to be mined by Plaman Resources, but the foreign-owned company went into receivership in 2019.
Photo: University of Otago
RNZ understands Dunedin City Council has reached an agreement to save a nationally significant fossil site from commercial mining by buying the land.
Foulden Maar is the site of a crater lake from 23 million years ago with the diatomite of the lake preserving a fossil treasure trove and a climate record covering 100,000 years from that period.
Foulden Maar was to be mined by Plaman Resources, but the foreign-owned company went into receivership in 2019.
More than three years ago, the council signalled its intent to buy the 42 hectares owned by the company under the Public Works Act in November 2019.
RNZ understands the council has now reached an agreement with the receivers of Plaman Resources to buy Foulden Maar mining site.
The council has indicated it intends to preserve the site for science and research and not allow any future mining of the site.
It is believed the agreement relates only to the existing 42 hectare site of the mining permit, not the wider lake site, which sits under a neighbouring farm and which Plaman Resources was looking at buying.
Otago University palaeontologist Dr Nic Rawlence has been campaigning to save the site, and said it was fantastic news.
“It’s the right decision and it will ensure that one of the most important fossil sites in New Zealand, which has got great potential for new discoveries and discovering new pages of in the book of New Zealand’s biological heritage, is preserved and will be there for future generations of scientists.”
He did not rule out the potential for fossil tourism in the future.
“You can have fossil excavations there where volunteers can come and work with scientists. You could also have a pit where families could come and find fossils with their kids – very similar to what occurs at important fossil sites in Australia,” Rawlence said.
But for now, he was delighted to know the site was not going to be mined.
Story Credit: rnz.co.nz