Rudd and Garrett - Destroying Western Australia's Environment
West Australia has one of the worst extinction and endangered species rates in the world (this is why)
The Commonwealth Environment Minister Peter Garrett has approved this development on 8 Oct 2009
Unfortunately Garrett is responsible for the protection of endangered species, under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. His Department advised him that the proposed housing development to the forest above Bells Rapids was likely to have a significant impact on the listed endangered Carnaby's and Baudin's Black Cockatoo (only exist in the South West of WA)
Garrett wrote to the community groups fighting against this development in Feb 2009 and stated, If a project will have a significant impact on one or more of those matters and that impact cannot be effectively mitigated or offset, I will not hesitate to refuse approval.
The mitigation plan that Garrett has now accepted is impossible to be implemented, and clearly shows he, and his department are not interested in the survival of Western Australia's iconic endangered species, only the profit margins of the extremely wealthy developers.
A mitigation plan is required to offset the loss of breeding and feeding habitat required for the endangered Black Cockatoo's, and as Garrett stated, if it is not possible the development should have been refused. The following are just some examples of this disgraceful mitigation plan.
The mitigation plan requires 1000 extra trees (seedlings) to be planted on each lot (214 lots). This is impossible. As this forest is rated an extreme fire danger, it requires large amounts of fuel reduction on each lot. (It is not possible to reduce and increase fuel/habitat at the same time.)
The mitigation plan requires 100ha of extra vegetation to be planted on the Parks and Recreation Land. The Parks and Rec land is the extremely steep escarpment face, and like the escarpment face right along the Perth Hills it does not support large amounts of vegetation. Generally the steeper the slope the less vegetation. The reason for this is obvious, as steep slopes will have less top soil and are majority granite outcrops at or below the surface. The Parks and Rec land is in a natural condition, increasing it by 100ha of vegetation suitable for the Black Cockatoo's would be impossible.
The Parks and Recreation land should not be used as mitigation. This land was reserved and committed to Parks and Recreation under the Metropolitan Regional Scheme many years before the current developers purchased this site. Mitigation should be required from within the development site.
Our group have shown Garrett where the proponents have given completely wrong information regarding the mitigation plan and yet we have been ignored. We have shown where they state the amount of land to be cleared is completely wrong and yet we have been ignored. We requested a meeting to discuss these issues but where refused.
Peter Garrett. - Replacing between 30 to 100 year old feeding and breeding habitat trees for endangered species, with seedlings is not a mitigation plan, but an extinction plan.