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What's all the Fuss About Robbins Island Wind Turbine Development?

 

Robbins Island, off the north coast of Tasmania, is an area of approximately 9,900 hectares and is privately owned by the Hammond family who are keen to "build a legacy for my family." (I heard him say this myself, in a community consultation meeting.)

Robbins Island is home to many, many bird species. And so far, with just wool sheep and wagyu cattle farming on the island, little ecological damage has been done. Currently the following bird which species reside, nest or use Robbins Island:

·  Five Islets, located northwest of the island, where the fairy tern and pied oystercatcher permanently nest, along with migratory birds great knot, red knot, bar-tailed godwit, grey plover, lesser sand plover, common greenshank, red-necked stint, Terek sandpiper and ruddy turnstone can be found.[26]

·  Bird Point,[26] also located northwest of Robbins Island where a number of birds species permanently roost in the area. They include: fairy terns, little terns, Caspian terns, crested terns, pied oystercatchers and sooty oystercatchers. Many species of migratory birds come to nest here and include grey-tailed tattlers, great knots, lesser sand plovers, masked lapwings, Pacific golden plovers, red knots, red-capped plovers, red-necked stints, ruddy turnstones, sanderlings, waders, double-banded plovers, curlew sandpipers, common greenshanks, bar-tailed godwit and hooded plovers.[26]  

So what has changed?
The Hammond family have been trying to establish a wind turbine project on Robbins Island for nearly a decade. Previous schemes failed due to community resistance. Just look how close the small, picturesque town of Stanley is to the island:
 
However the Hammond family and UPC (the private company trying to push this through) apparently don't care about the birds, the residents nearby or the disastrous ecological impacts of the GIANT wind project they are now proposing.
300 turbines, 270m tall. That's right. Your eyes aren't going wonky. THREE HUNDRED turbines, as tall as the 'Bon Bon' Skytower in Melbourne.


On this tiny, ecologically significant island.
 
A bridge too far
Most disturbingly, Robbins Island is one of the last remaining pockets of Tasmanian Devil populations that is facial cancer free. Not only does the Robbins Island project require an enormous pier to be built to enable the giant turbines to be ferried to it, but it will also build a bridge to the mainland, exposing this tiny group of healthy devils to the disastrous cancer that has killed 90% of the species.
 
What's happening now?
Changes to the coastal laws of Tasmania are being debated, so that this project can be pushed through. Independent member for the Tasmanian Parliament, representing Braddon, (Northwest Tasmania), Craig Garland, is a lone voice in the wilderness, trying to explain why this project is completely unsuitable for this tiny area. But will anyone listen? 

 - Blog Man





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