Press Releases

Cumulative impacts of habitat clearance for windfarms on the Atherton Tablelands may mean Koalas starve to death

Taking into account cumulative impacts from large-scale habitat clearance for Kaban Green Power Hub, the proposed Chalumbin windfarm, if approved, may spell doom for vulnerable FNQ Koala populations. Queensland Koalas require access to a wide range of Eucalypt forest to survive. If habitat is cleared, as it will be for the proposed large scale renewable wind development Chalumbin, Koalas may lose a select group of trees which provide food. Koalas will also  be impacted by newly cleared access roads cleared to transport turbines – some of which can be 125 metres wide. Roads can act as a barrier for Koalas and are responsible for countless Koala fatalities all over Australia.

Wind turbine sounds may impact Koala breeding

Koala biologist Roger Martin states “Koalas are solitary animals and occur in low abundance in this forest. In the breeding season the females locate distant males from their low frequency nocturnal bellowing. Wind turbines also emit a substantial amount of low frequency sound, and my fear is that this will mask the bellows of male koalas and disrupt the koala breeding season. Low frequency sound can be heard from a long distance away and these turbines are abutting the most biologically diverse forests in Australia. No consideration has been given to the impact of this noise pollution on koalas or on any of the other wildlife species living here.”

Critically endangered Koalas should not be sacrificed for the proposed Chalumbin windfarm

“Koalas are now an Endangered species and since it’s likely they inhabit Chalumbin, we think that warrants that the wind development be rejected outright. Already crucial Far North Queensland Koala populations are being impacted by the construction of Kaban Renewable Energy Hub.” states Emms.

“It’s even more vital now that cooler, high altitude forested regions such as Chalumbin remain intact to provide a refuge for wildlife such as Koalas that are experiencing the effects of a warming climate elsewhere.” argues Emms.

19.05.22

Just who is flying this plane? Queensland conservationists and nature betrayed

A study just released by Martin Taylor, an adjunct senior lecturer at the University of Queensland, alarmingly reveals that Queensland has been cleared at almost twice the rate reflected in national greenhouse emissions reporting.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360577362_Deforestation_in_Queensland_201819_nearly_double_what_Australian_Government_reports_to_the_UN

The study of data from Queensland’s statewide landcover and tree study (Slats) shows 455,756 hectares of forests were cleared across the state in 2018-19, almost double the 245,767 hectares reported to the national carbon accounting system at the time.

The Queensland Government cannot be trusted to properly oversee land-clearing, nor can we assume they will make decisions in the best interests of conservation. Land clearing is set to increase with the introduction of the QREZ policy, where, according to the QREZ map, (https://yoursayhpw.engagementhq.com/understand-qrez)  almost half of the state has been given over to “Renewable Energy Zones”.

In the bid to conserve high biodiversity, high altitude habitat of North Queensland, Rainforest Reserves Australia has been strongly campaigning against the proposed Chalumbin windfarm, Mount Fox, Upper Burdekin and Desailly windfarms.

“Half of Queensland can effectively be cleared for wind and solar developments. No consideration has been given to the cumulative impact of so much habitat loss.” Argues Carolyn Emms, President of Rainforest Reserves Australia.

“We are an international disgrace. At every level, Government has failed to protect the Queensland landscapes that offers safe haven to countless species of wildlife. Now we have the new threat of clear-felling for vast wind and solar developments all along the Western side of North Queensland’s Great Dividing Range, yet more land clearing. This is remnant habitat that is superior in storing carbon and must be conserved.” Stated Carolyn Emms, President of Rainforest Reserves Australia.

“I find it the height of hypocrisy that the Government lists 100 wildlife species that are to be the focus of conservation efforts (https://www.awe.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/threatened/publications/100-priority-species) , all the while allowing their homes to be bulldozed by foreign-owned industrial renewable energy corporations. This habitat must be protected.” argues Emms.

“Clearly the Government needs to put two and two together. Forests, woodlands and grasslands are natural carbon sinks, particularly old growth forest. In the bid to fight climate change, we need to leave these wild places in North Queensland alone and not clear them for wind and solar farms” argues Emms.

Atherton-based environmental scientist Pamela Jones has become a vocal ally in the bid to conserve habitat threatened by wind and solar developments. She states: “Forests are giant carbon and water storage batteries. Why discharge greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by land clearing and lose all the benefits forests provide in the mitigation of climate change? When they are gone, we lose all the carbon sequestration and cooling they do every day. Natural forests do this better than plantation forests.

By clearing forest to build wind farms, we lose a very substantial proportion of the carbon savings we would make by siting them elsewhere. Much of what we gain in lower carbon emissions from windpower, we lose by destroying forest.”

Rainforest Reserves Australia holds monthly meetings to inform the public about the threat to habitat from large-scale wind and solar developments proposed along the Great Dividing Range. Find out more at www.rainforestreserves.org.au

17.05.22

Proposed windfarms threaten the Great Barrier Reef and the World Heritage Wet Tropics Area

On Sunday May 15, Rainforest Reserves Australia welcomed community members to a public meeting titled “Rethinking Renewables and their ecological impacts”. Keynote speaker environmental scientist Pamela Jones explored the way numerous proposed windfarms along the western side of the Dividing Range in North Queensland may impact wildlife, water cycles, microclimates and more. So far, Chalumbin windfarm, Upper Burdekin windfarm, Mt Fox windfarm and Desailly Energy Park are all in the pipeline to be approved on areas of high ecological significance in North Queensland, in close proximity or adjacent to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

“Projects like Chalumbin lie on the head waters of the river catchments of the Wet Tropics Area. Hundreds of kms of unsealed 70 metre-wide roads that cross waterways have the potential to dump sediment and other pollutants down rivers through areas of World Heritage Rain Forest and cane farms out to the Great Barrier Reef.  Farmers fear they will be blamed. There is no provision under the EBPC Act to consider any type of off-site impact. Water quality is not considered.” states Pamela Jones, environmental scientist.

Old growth forests are not just beautiful, but natural storers of carbon

“Forests are giant carbon and water storage batteries. Why discharge greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by land clearing and lose all the benefits forests provide in the mitigation of climate change? When they are gone, we lose all the carbon sequestration and cooling they do every day. Natural forests do this better than plantation forests.” argues Jones.

“By clearing forest to build wind farms, we lose a very substantial proportion of the carbon savings we would make by siting them elsewhere. Much of what we gain in lower carbon emissions from wind power, we lose by destroying forest. We also lose our irreplaceable biodiversity, Aboriginal cultural heritage, and tourist jobs in areas of high importance. High quality patches of remnant forest are rare and precious, and some windfarm project areas were being planned for inclusion in National Parks.” states Jones.

Could we lose rainfall from windfarms?

“Loss of forest on mountain tops will lessen rainfall and lead to more droughts and flooding.  While one project may have almost negligible impact on weather, more and more wind farms are proposed. A major failing of the EBPC Act is the absence of assessment of cumulative impacts. The windfarm projects change the land use from forest to major industrial, permitting major extensions to each project being possible with much less assessment.  This will impact on both our World Heritage listed Wet Tropical Forests and Great Barrier Reef while drying our inland agricultural lands to the west.” states Jones.

28.04.22

Industrialising Queensland’s Great Dividing Range:  A dangerous precedent is set

There are very few legislative barriers to stop a multinational energy company gaining a foothold on our high biodiversity land. Once a renewable energy proposal is approved by council, State Code 23 is the only requirement a proposal needs to adhere to gain State approval.

What exactly is State Code 23?

Queensland Government’s State Code 23 is a flimsy piece of legislation that doesn’t lay out any specific requirements for proponents in terms of how a wind farm can impact a landscape. “No acceptable outcomes” are given for the siting of a wind development on landscape. Between the lines, this reads as “do your best not to destroy the nature, but if you do, oh well.” Such toothless State guidelines enable wind proponents to gain prompt approval for outright habitat destruction.

“Having worked in the building industry for many years, I know it takes at least 2 years to gain Material Change of Land Use approval to rezone a piece of land from Residential to Commercial. It’s a tough and rigorous process because the State needs to weigh up what is in the public interest. It’s wrong that wind developments can be fast-tracked to gain easy approvals to destroy our landscapes. Rezoning Pastoral landscape to Industrial for renewable energy developments is not in the public interest.” states Carolyn Emms.

Once a piece of land is rezoned to Industrial, it opens the floodgates for industry to come in and pillage. The protections afforded to flora and fauna under a Pastoral zoning are thrown out. Renewable energy proponents can trash our high biodiversity landscapes as all boxes have been ticked. Proponents can even apply to access water onsite, excavate, or transform the use of the site to mining and other heavy industrial extractive purposes.

“Changing a property’s zoning from Pastoral to Industrial heralds the demise of that landscape. You may as well kiss it goodbye. Once it’s rezoned, any corporation can come in and plunder it. The land will likely never be rezoned back to Pastoral again.” says Emms.