Kangaroo Island: Fears SA’s wild places will be ‘chipped away’ by private threats
Accommodation in the state’s conservation areas will “chip away” at the state’s already diminished habitat, an Adelaide University ecology expert says.
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A push to make way for accommodation in conservation parks will compromise the state’s already diminished habitat for little benefit, an Adelaide University ecology expert says.
“You’re chipping away at conservation space, the public perception of what conservation is, and a natural resource that’s limited,” Associate Professor David Paton says.
Australian Walking Company is planning a $4.8 million accommodation project at Flinders Chase National Park.
Kangaroo Island Eco-Action has lodged plans to battle the development’s approval in the Supreme Court.
The company’s project at Sandy Creek and Sanderson Bay follows a State Government call for expressions of interest from those keen to develop accommodation near the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail.
The Government wants private investment in a range of parks to increase nature-based tourism. It has also resulted in proposals including glamping tents in Lincoln National Park and a “tourism village” in Innes National Park.
Assoc-Prof Paton said there was “no sign of what the (conservation) benefit will be” to allowing projects such as the Flinders Chase development to go ahead. A better way to connect people with nature would be through accommodation outside parks, he said.
“We can’t keep clearing and clearing and clearing and expect people to come to this state and go to Kangaroo Island and visit wildlife,” he said.
Kangaroo Island Eco-Action wants a judicial review of the State Commission Assessment Panel’s decision to approve the plans and the Native Vegetation Council’s green light for the vegetation clearance.
Flinders University’s senior lecturer in law Brendan Grigg said while he could not estimate the group’s chances of winning, a successful outcome “won’t be the end of the story”.
“A court might put it on hold pending the outcome of an appeal,” Mr Grigg said.
If the group won the case, it would not stop the development, but could mean the planning process was repeated and locals were given the chance to lodge submissions on the project – an opportunity they were denied this time around under the project’s development classification.
Mr Grigg’s colleague, Flinders University’s Associate Professor Hossein Esmaeili, said the group’s chances came down to how its case was presented, including whether it could prove “this project is endangering native vegetation or the biodiversity of the environment”.
Kangaroo Island Eco-Action’s Fraser Vickery said under plans for private development in SA’s parks “un-impacted wild places may be destroyed”.
Meantime, Kangaroo Island Commissioner Wendy Campana said Australian Walking Company’s plans would be a “great thing” for the island’s economy – particularly the 30 jobs it would create.
“We’re always interested in increasing our tourism numbers,” Ms Campana said. “This is another tourism product that’s unique to the island.”
Environment Minister David Speirs said the Government was committed to improving visitors’ experiences in its parks.
“Importantly, these visitor experiences must be ecologically sustainable, appropriate to the setting within the landscape, and economically viable in the long term,” Mr Speirs said.
“This project was started under the former Labor government and this government has worked to reduce its environmental impact. We believe that this project will be great for Kangaroo Island creating jobs, while being environmentally sensitive.”
michelle.etheridge@news.com.au