Cassowary up-date

[Lawrie Conole <>]

Phil Gregory wrote:

traffic that it will  generate through a core Cassowary breeding area. We have lodged objections with the Wet Tropics Management Authority, which has to approve this project, plus the council and the two local MP's. We'd like to see the causeway raised, if this access thing is really such a big deal, rather than degradation of a core habitat of an endangered species. Watch this space.

Phil

You didn't mention the Commonwealth Environment Protection &
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) in your e-mail, and I don't
know if the road project has been referred to the federal minister under
that Act, but I suspect it would be regarded as a 'controlled action' (requiring
detailed assessment and approval - possibly redesign or re-routing).  

Whilst the WTMA might have to approve it; it will also have to go through
EPBC hoops covering world heritage, endangered species, and possibly threatened
communities too.

• The guidelines for assessing matters of national environmental significance (ie. issues that may trigger the EPBC) are online at http://www.ea.gov.au/epbc/assessmentsapprovals/referrals/significanceguide.html
• Lists of threatened fauna, flora and communities can be accessed from here  http://www.ea.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/index.html
• An interactive map produces ultra-broad brush modelled distributions of threatened species and communities, plus Ramsar sites, World Heritage areas, etc.  Have a play here:  http://www.ea.gov.au/epbc/interactivemap/index.html

Third parties (eg. you) cannot refer the issue, but they can contact
Environment Australia and raise the issues there.  If it seems likely that
the proposal might contain one or more EPBC triggers, EA will write to the
proponent and request that they refer their project for approval.

Regards


-- 
=================================
Lawrie Conole
Senior Ecologist
Ornithology & Terrestrial Ecology
 
Ecology Australia Pty. Ltd.
Flora and Fauna Consultants
88B Station Street
FAIRFIELD VIC 3078 Australia
E-mail: m("ecologyaustralia.com.au","lconole");">
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