Friends of Grasslands

supporting native grassy ecosystems

 

PO Box 987

Civic Square ACT 2608

Phone: 02 62.. ....

 

 

 

 

Referral Business Entry Point, EIA Policy Section (EPBC Act)
Approvals and Wildlife Division
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
email: epbc.referrals@environment.gov.au

 

 

Dear Sir/Madam

 

Development of future urban areas Jacka (North), Taylor and Kinlyside

Reference no: 2012/6350

 

Friends of Grasslands (FOG) is a community group dedicated to the conservation of indigenous grassy ecosystems in south-eastern Australia. FOG advocates, educates and advises on matters to do with the conservation of grassy ecosystems, and carries out surveys and other on-ground work. FOG is based in Canberra and its members include professional scientists, landowners, land managers and interested members of the public.

 

FOG is concerned about the proposed development as it will impact on critically endangered White Box – Yellow Box – Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodlands and Derived Native Grasslands and on the critically endangered Golden Sun Moth Synemon plana. In considering this referral, FOG appreciates that the potential impact of the proposed development has been reduced by exclusion of Kinlyside and parts of the northern areas of Jacka and Taylor from development. However, we note that no indication of their proposed long term status has been provided and thus their conservation status remains uncertain. As well as areas of higher value Box-Gum Grassy Woodland and Golden Sun Moth habitat that will be destroyed as a result of the proposed development, other areas of perhaps lower conservation status but of value in providing connectivity will be destroyed. The result will be a net loss of the endangered box-gum grassy woodland community.

 

This referral (like other recent Gungahlin referrals) makes reference to avoidance and mitigation of environmental impacts as part of the “Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation in Gungahlin: strategic measures to avoid, mitigate and offset impacts of development” prepared for the ACT’s Economic Development Directorate by Umwelt & SMEC (2012). As this document is still not available as part of the public consultation material, we do not have detailed information about what the avoidance, mitigation and offset proposals in it are. We believe that such a document requires public consultation and scrutiny by the scientific community before being implemented.

 

We reiterate views expressed in our February submission on the Development of the Future Urban Areas of Kenny and Throsby, Gungahlin (2012/6279) and other recent submissions in the Gungahlin area:

In this context, the Conservation Council (with the help of member groups such as FOG) is working to identify the areas we consider most important to conserve, from the point of view of both conservation status and connectivity of high value areas across the landscape. Our view is that consideration of any future development in Gungahlin is premature until this process is completed.

 

In conclusion, FOG again asks that:

Sincerely yours

 

 

 

John Fitz Gerald

President

 

29 April 2012