Bob Brown Foundation say masked owl recordings back its tailings fight
Environmentalists say the recording of masked owls at the site of a proposed mine waste facility in the Tarkine provides another reason to fight the project. LATEST >>
Tasmania
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ENVIRONMENTALISTS say recordings of masked owls taken where a mining company wants to build a new waste storage facility will back their fight to stop the project going ahead.
The Bob Brown Foundation will release the wildlife surveys it has taken in the rainforest on Wednesday.
Campaign manager Jenny Weber said the discovery of the endangered birds - the world’s biggest barn owls - was further proof an alternative site needed to be found to dump 25 million cubic metres of mine waste.
“MMG surveys of threatened species were grossly insufficient. It’s high time this project was ruled out,” Ms Weber said.
She said protesters would continue their front line action if MMG, which owns the nearby Rosebery mine, returned to continue track-clearing works.
Minister the Environment, Sussan Ley, recently released a statement of reasons for declaring the waste dump proposal as a controlled action.
LISTEN TO MASKED OWL RECORDING >>
A decision which saw MMG stop work until Canberra hands down its decision on the project.
The statement said the proposed action would have a disturbance footprint of at least 140ha and up to 285ha and the department’s ERT report conducted in May identified 16 listed threatened species and two threatened ecological communities that may occur within 10 km of the proposed action.
The proposed tailings storage dam would cover 75ha while a polishing pond would be built on 25ha.
There would also be several pits, a tailings delivery pipeline network for material transport between Rosebery Mine and the proposed dam, a bridge across Lake Pieman for the pipeline, pedestrians, power and light vehicles, new access tracks and access track improvements.
The BBF said it was not going to leave the assessment of impacts to the mining company . “The BBF has engaged scientists who will lead expert assessments of the flora and wildlife in these world heritage value forests, while also hosting citizen science trips into the ancient forest landscape,” Ms Weber said.
“The Federal Department of Environment noted that the company referral did not included analysis of potential impacts to listed threatened species and ecological communities as a result of a major dam failure. Our requests to MMG to give us their flood mapping and analysis in the case of a major dam failure went unanswered.”
The release of the recordings comes a week after Canberra rejected the foundation's latest bid to give the Tarkine heritage listing.
Environment Minister Sussan Ley said that because the proposed South Marionoak Tailings Storage Facility had been referred under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and determined to be a controlled action, it must undergo a robust environmental impact assessment before a decision is made.
Canberra rejects Tarkine emergency bid
CANBERRA’S rejection of an environmental group’s emergency bid to give the Tarkine national heritage listing has been lauded as a sign “militants” will not be allowed to play judge, jury and executioner of Tasmanian livelihoods.
The Bob Brown Foundation applied for the extra protection for the North West area in line with its protest over a proposal by the owners of the Rosebery Mine to build a new waste facility near Tullah.
National heritage listing would complicate those plans and other fresh mining and logging activity.
BBF protesters have been in the forest for months and more than 70 have been arrested for trespass. MMG, which wants to build the tailings facility to hold waste so its mine can keep producing post 2024, stopped work on tracks to support its tailings project last month after the BBF threatened to launch legal action.
The BBF said Environment Minister Sussan Ley was now the sixth Minister to ignore Australian Heritage Advice that the Tarkine - which spans from Tasmania’s North West to West Coast - should be heritage listed.
Braddon MP Gavin Pearce said it was common sense to reject the “emergency lock up request.”
“Tasmania has some of the most rigorous, robust environmental laws seen anywhere on the planet,’ Mr Pearce said.
“We won’t be allowing this militant activitst group to play judge, jury and executioner of so many livelihoods.
“This mine has been operating since 1936 and third generation miners want to go about their business.
“I am not saying for one minute we shouldn't have political activism but once you cross the line and invade people’s workplace, chaining yourself to machines it compromises both safety and people’s right to make a living. It also diverts police away for life-threatening emergencies.”
The Tasmanian Forest Products Association said environmentalists like the BBF ignored the science which has once again been proven.
“A balance of reserved native forests, working native forests and plantation forests is the environmental outcome the world needs to slow climate change,” TFPA’s Stuart Harriss said.
“This rejection should act as a reminder to the BBF that continually claiming heritage values
for political opportunism does not simply make it true.”
The BBF condemned Minister Ley’s decision to “abandon takayna/Tarkine heritage listing to the mining and logging industries.”
“Minister Ley is now the sixth successive Federal Environment Minister to ignore Australian Heritage Council advice that 439 000ha of takayna/Tarkine should be national heritage listed. All of these six Ministers have failed in their primary duty to protect and preserve one of Australia’s national heirlooms,” Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.
“Our foundation wrote to Ley nominating takayna for Emergency National Heritage listing on May 20. It came as Chinese state-owned mining company MMG turned to takayna for a proposed toxic heavy metals waste dump in the south eastern corner of takayna/Tarkine. “National heritage listing would mean that as well as the usual environmental assessments, effects upon heritage values would be considered, essentially raising the bar.”
‘Asleep at the wheel’: Government blamed for deer scourge
By Kenji Sato
ENVIRONMENTALISTS are blaming the government for the “explosion” in the feral deer population, which they say spells disaster for Tasmania’s native ecosystems.
On Wednesday the Bob Brown Foundation released a report laying out the state’s wild deer numbers, which are estimated to be around 100,000 strong.
The report estimates Tasmanian deer wreak about $100 million worth of damages every year to farms, forestries, property, and hapless drivers.
Former Greens leader Christine Milne claimed the government was willingly turning a blind eye to the problem in order to prop up the trophy hunting lobby.
“The Tasmanian government is asleep at the wheel, has done absolutely nothing because they regard deer in the context of trophy hunting,” Ms Milne said.
“The pleasure and recreation of a few, antlers over the fireplace, is the perspective Guy Barnett and Peter Gutwein bring to this critical ecological issue in Tasmania.”
Currently the government classifies fallow deer as a game resource and a partly protected species, limiting the scope of culling activity.
If left unchecked, the report warns the deer population could swell to one million by 2050, potentially spreading throughout Cradle Mountain if left to their own devices.
The report recommends removing the “partly protected” classification and setting up air and land culling squads in order to tamp down on the numbers.
However, environmentalist Bob Brown said the government was not terribly keen on their report’s recommendations.
“We sent a copy of this to Premier Gutwein this morning. He immediately said ‘what about the recreational shooters’?,” Dr Brown said.
“They don’t have a clue on the environment. There’s not a member of government who has lifted a finger to protect any of Tasmania that gives us our world fame. All they’re interested in is working out how to make money off it.”
The government said work on the Wild Fallow Deer Management Plan is well underway and a draft is expected to be released for public comment soon.
“We have committed $250,000 as part of our recent election policy commitments to support implementation of the plan.” said a government spokesperson.
“Our clear focus is on maintaining a sensible balance between managing the impact of wild fallow deer on our important primary industries and natural environment and maintaining a deer herd as a traditional hunting resource.”
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