The
regent honeyeater’s plight has blocked previous Hunter Valley development plans
in the Hunter economic zone
Thu 7 Mar
2019 01.09 GMTLast modified on Thu 7 Mar 2019 22.43 GMT
The site
flagged for a 2,000 megawatt coal-fired power plant in the New South Wales
Hunter region was the only breeding site in the state last year for the regent
honeyeater, a critically endangered bird whose plight has blocked
previous development plans.
Guardian
Australia revealed yesterday that an agreement
had been struck between
the China Energy Engineering Corporation, Hong Kong-based Kaisun Holdings and a
tiny Australian company, Cavcorp, to build a new coal plant.
Companies
linked to Cavcorp’s sole director, Frank Cavasinni, own most of the land in the
Hunter economic zone, a failed plan to stimulate local economies in the lower
Hunter.
Previous
plans to develop land in the HEZ failed to come to fruition because of their
impact on the land, and particularly on the regent honeyeater.
In 2016
the NSW land and environment court overturned
the approval for a steel plant on the grounds it would
destroy the honeyeater’s habitat.
Mick Roderick, the NSW woodland bird program manager for BirdLife Australia, said the HEZ was the most important conservation property in the Hunter Valley. “It’s unparalleled in terms of the number of threatened species,” he said.
Mick Roderick, the NSW woodland bird program manager for BirdLife Australia, said the HEZ was the most important conservation property in the Hunter Valley. “It’s unparalleled in terms of the number of threatened species,” he said.
BirdLife
Australia last year conducted searches for the regent honeyeater, which is
estimated to have a remaining population of fewer than 400 birds. They could
not find breeding sites elsewhere in the state, but observed nesting birds and
chicks in the HEZ.
Roderick said the importance of the woodlands could not be overstated. “The fact that these are the only nests found so far this year shows how much trouble this species is in,” he said.
Roderick said the importance of the woodlands could not be overstated. “The fact that these are the only nests found so far this year shows how much trouble this species is in,” he said.
Dean
Ingwersen, the national regent honeyeater recovery coordinator for BirdLife
Australia, said the HEZ was “a critical piece of the conservation puzzle”.
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