Developer fined almost $15k for clearing Huon Valley land home to endangered butterfly

A developer has copped a hefty fine after clearing five hectares of land, home to a rare butterfly only found in Tasmania.

A male Chaostola skipper, listed as endangered and found only in Tasmania. Picture: supplied

A property developer has been fined $14,625 after clearing over five hectares of vegetation on their Huon Valley property that included habitat for an endangered butterfly, with a conservation trust calling private clearing a serious threat to biodiversity in Tasmania.

At the latest Huon Valley Council meeting, councillors battled with the prospect of a retrospective application for vegetation clearance at an 18-hectare vacant Snowy View Heights block in Huonville where 5.19ha, or 51,900m2, of vegetation had been removed between 2021 and 2023.

Lot 50 Snowy View Heights, Huonville before clearing. Picture: supplied.

Lot 50 Snowy View Heights after 5.19 hectares of vegetation was cleared. Picture: supplied.

The landowner Investlin Pty Ltd lodged the application following a council enforcement notice issued in August 2023.

The clearing began to provide bushfire hazard management and building areas in preparation for the sale of nine lots in the final stage of a subdivision.

However, the subdivision permit, granted in 2007, only approved the clearance of roads related to construction, not any extra clearance of land.

Aerial images show the vast loss of vegetation on the property, most of which is eucalyptus obliqua forest.

The block is also subject to several planning overlays, including Landslide Hazard, Scenic Landscape, Waterway and Coastal Protection and Biodiversity Protection.

The biodiversity protection covers the habitat for the endangered Chaostola skipper, a medium-sized butterfly found only in Tasmania.

A male Chaostola skipper, listed as endangered and found only in Tasmania. Picture: supplied

Huon Valley councillor Mark Jessop said that while the subdivision permit was granted some time ago, there is still some concern regarding the process of retrospective approvals.

“As a principle, I think it’s very dangerous to do retrospective approvals of any sort of development, but I note with this it’s an old approval,” he said.

“Obviously, someone has gone beyond what they should have and they will now need to fix it.”

All councillors voted unanimously to approve the retrospective application under the condition the landowner submits a plan with the proposed building areas and bushfire management areas for the lots in the next three months.

The landowner is also required to submit a revegetation plan one month after the new building and bushfire plan, setting aside specific restoration of the Chaostola skipper’s habitat.

The clearing also attracted a $14,625 fine payable to the council as well as twice the costs of the application fee.

Tasmanian Conservation trust Peter McGlone. Picture: Chris Kidd

Tasmanian Conservation Trust (TCT) CEO Peter McGlone said illegal clearing of private land was occuring more frequently, becoming a bigger threat to biodiversity in the state.

“It is definitely coming up more in more in reports on the state’s forests,” he said.

“It is also a difficult situation as councils have to abide by local government legislation and every case is dependent on the specifics.

“It isn’t the case that every landholder clearing is bad.”

Mr McGlone said the TCT has a large focus on maintaining and protecting vegetation on private land, with the TCT campaigning to put better protections in place for illegally clearing land.

“We need better protections, especially against larger-scale developers who aren’t deterred by fees they attract for clearing land,” he said.

“For smaller scale clearing, we want to see people educated about the ways they can protect the biodiversity on their land and taught the benefit, both financial and environmentally, in keeping the plant life.

Originally published as Developer fined almost $15k for clearing Huon Valley land home to endangered butterfly