the site. At , the mine is the largest of its kind in Europe. An area within the forest was occupied by those opposing the clearance for lignite extraction. They sought to close the mine and save the remaining sections of the forest which are under threat of being cut down to allow the expansion of the mine. The first occupation lasted from April to November 2012. A second occupation started in September 2013 and lasted until March 2014, followed by a third occupation from April to October 2014. Fourth occupation (2015–2018) The fourth occupation period started in 2015 and lasted until 2018. It involved a settlement with around two dozen tree houses and numerous road barricades. The barricades were erected to prevent mining company and police vehicles from entering. BUND lawsuit and court order Cutting seasons last from 1 October until the end of February and usually 70–80 hectares are cleared in each period. The tree cutting operations in the 2017/2018 cutting season ended after just two days in November 2017, after the in Münster ordered a halt. According to BUND, the environmental protection association that filed the corresponding lawsuit, Hambach Forest, with its common oak, hornbeam and lily of the valley populations, is a habitat of type 9160 of annex I of the European Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992). Of special interest in this lawsuit was the Bechstein's bat, which is strictly protected according to annex II and annex IV of the European Habitats Directive. 2018 arrests of activists On 22 January 2018, nine Hambach Forest activists were arrested for resisting a barricade eviction. All of the arrested refused to give any details about their identities and remained unknown in pretrial detention and also in the courtroom. One activist, who was freed from a lock-on on a tripod, was sentenced to six months on parole after a pretrial detention of 67 days in . Two activists were released after 52 days in pretrial detention in Cologne-Ossendorf jail after a medical examination revealed that they were likely under 21 years old and should therefore be processed under juvenile law. A 22-year-old activist from Australia joined the occupation in March 2018 and planned to stay for two weeks in order to take part in a treehouse-building workshop. She was arrested on 19 March, one week after her arrival, after she was identified as being part of