NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) are yet to reply to claims by ecologists that proper process and transparency was ignored around the installation of an emergency communication tower on land known to be at-risk montane heathland, which allegedly exists nowhere else in the world.
As previously reported in June, work stopped on an emergency comms tower at Teale’s Lookout, Wilsons Creek, behind Mullumbimby, after a local NSW MP raised concerns that the area had been misidentified as regrowth.
The popular visitor destination offers breathtaking views east to the coast, and is located near Boogarem Falls, on Koonyum Range Road.
Greens MLC, Sue Higginson said in her letter to the NPWS, ‘… Reports suggest that the works being carried out in Mount Jerusalem National Park are undertaken on an at-risk vegetation community, montane heathland, that exists nowhere else in the world’.
The Echo understands the site was selected for a Government Radio Network (GRN) after extensive testing by the Rural Fire Service (RFS) communications unit, as it gave the best coverage to all the surrounding valleys.
Rubbish, camping
The location was also chosen because a security camera could be installed on the tower given illegal camping, campfires and rubbish dumped at the lookout.
Ecologists James Barrie and Andrew Benwell told The Echo, ‘National Parks had agreed in writing to meet with us, to include their expert input into the reassessment of the ecology but failed to administrate this simple task’.
‘The reassessment of the ecology was ordered by the NSW Environment Minister, Penny Sharpe, when it was revealed that the developer’s consultant had recorded the wrong ecology, claiming it to be “regrowth after logging”. This is an impossible classification for the deep pyroclastic clay geology of the site with rare heathland wildflower species and stunted trees, and naturally zero evidence of logging stumps’.
Quietly reneged
‘NPWS Tweed-Byron team leader Sean Court had committed in writing to include the independent ecologist input in the process, but has quietly reneged on that and approved the works without fulfilling his promise.
‘In their private reassessment, NPWS have reported that because the “unique plant community” hasn’t yet been classified as an “endangered ecological community” owing to being still unidentified, they won’t protect it.
‘An unclassified Casuarina species with a distinct swollen root structure, favoured by Black Cockatoos, was recorded by Andrew Benwell. NPWS reportedly sought “assurance that there would be no more significant clearing”, but that isn’t sufficiently specific, nor very assuring in itself given the misleading conduct of the developer and NPWS so far.
‘Teale’s lookout could have been easily and valuably been resourced by NPWS to contain a community education platform for ecology, geology, and culture, and even a constellation observation area that would have benefited National Parks and the community greatly.
Cultural significance
‘In matters of Cultural significance, Teale’s Lookout is the only known site of “rainbow ochre” in Byron Shire, offering all the colours of the sacred ceremonial material in one place. It is also a key initiation site where boys were lead up to the heathland plateau by the women to meet the men and join them in adulthood.
Alternative sites for the tower were considered initially, but they were identified to be of higher ecological value, but that is in reference to the wrongful classification of Teale’s Lookout vegetation as “regrowth after logging”.
‘We believe an alternative site should have been found, and more investigation should have occurred on nearby private land, and NPWS should have followed through with their written agreement with us’.
Fellow ecologist, David Milledge, told The Echo, ‘Threatened fauna species weren’t adequately considered in the reports and this issue wasn’t addressed with the NPWS reassessment’.
‘To have identified the development footprint as logging regrowth is clearly inaccurate and should have provided the basis for rejection of the impact statement (now supported by other biodiversity values of the site that have since come to light)’.
All comments were put to NPWS. A reply will be published if received.
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