Eagles ‘risk’ to Malbena bid

FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2019 themercury.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS 1300 696 397 WEDGE- TAILED e a g l e s could attack helicopters accessing a proposed standing camp at Lake Malbena, an expert on the endangered species says.

Eagle biologist Jason Wiersma and wildlife biologist Nick Mooney both gave evidence at the appeal against the Central Highlands Council’s decision to block the Lake Malbena development, which resumed yesterday. Mr Wiersma — appearing as a witness for the council — told the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal he was often met in the air by eagles during flights around Tasmania.

A cluster of three wedgetailed eagles’ nests has been identified about 4km from Halls Island, within the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, where a standing camp of four demountable huts to be accessed by helicopter has been proposed. Wild Drake coowner Daniel Hackett, with the backing of the state’s Parks and Wildlife Service, has appealed to the planning tribunal against the council’s decision in February to reject the proposal.

Mr Hackett sat behind his lawyer in the public gallery for all of yesterday’s proceedings.

The debate between Mr Wiersma and Mr Mooney centred on the distance required to minimise disturbance on eagles and their breeding season, which runs from July to February. Mr Mooney said restricting flights to a distance of more than 1km from known nesting sites was “adequate”, but Mr Wiersma argued it should be a minimum of 2km.

“Eagles do approach helicopters at some distance and they do attack helicopters from some distance,” Mr Wiersma said. “I believe we have a duty to provide mitigation measures to reduce the risk on threatened species.”

He said the impact of the proposal could range from very little to catastrophic, but not enough study had been done on nesting sites in the area.

Mr Mooney said there would never be no risk and flights, such as crop dusting, occurred across Tasmania every day without any regard to eagles.

“Most of the risks essentially can’t be managed, they just come with people,” he said.

“If the standard overfly is over 1000m the birds will tolerate that in the long-term.”

Mr Mooney said if this proposal was approved with a 1km condition, it would be the highest standard in Tasmania in respect to eagles, but he had no problem with the added precaution of an increase to the horizontal distance.

The tribunal will hear closing submissions today.