> >John has been called in as an advisor in an attempt to break a deadlock
> >between a major bypass road and housing developement and its impact on
> >Masked Owl
> >and other critters. LMCC is in the Lower Hunter Region of NSW. The DA's
> are
> >in the Charlestown area. Some innovative ideas will need to be
> implimented
> >to secure the survival of the resident Masked Owls.
>
A huge challenge indeed! IMHO the compromises made in these kinds of cases
nearly always favour development over conservation; even if unintentionally.
One major problem is insufficient knowledge of the ecological processes of
the affected area, and the type of long term impacts which developments
bring. My experience is that Masked Owls have something of a tendency to
get run over by motor vehicles if a busy road bisects their territory - the
road easement will probably attract them as they favour edges for hunting.
I'm sure John knows more about this than I do, and I wish him all the best
in his efforts to negotiate a positive deal for the Masked Owls and their
faunal/floral co-tenants.
Cheers, Lawrie
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