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By making a donation to the TCT you will help protect Tasmania's unique natural values. For more information on any of these campaigns please contact us today.

Protecting Tasmania from Over-Development

Over the last two years the Trust has been in the middle of a community campaign to roll back the worst aspects of the state government’s Statewide Planning Scheme. Under the new scheme the government proposes to provide property developers with the same special deals that were granted to aquaculture twenty years ago and forestry and mining before that. Local Planning Provision schedules are being finalised and will soon be available for public comment. This is your opportunity to make sure that zoning provisions are appropriate in your local area. For more information please contact the Trust by phone or email.

Fragrance

Fragrance now has three proposals for Hobart: 210m Tower 30 Davey Street, 50m Tower 2-6 Collins Street and 50m Tower 234-250 Elizabeth St. All three of the towers are more than three times the permitted height in the planning scheme (Davey is almost 20 times). The Davey Street and Collins Street Towers are both in the Sullivans Cove Planning Scheme, which has a permitted height of 15m. The Scheme was introduced by Hobart City Council in response to wide scale protests over the Grand Chancellor building in 1987. Ringed by heritage buildings, local businesses and medium density residential accommodation, the Sullivans cove towers will dominate their surrounds.

Rosny Hill Public Reserve

Recently the Trust was approached by the Rosny Hill Friends Network with a request to assist them with a petition. The petition was launched shortly after and calls for the Clarence City Council to hold a public meeting regarding the use of Rosny Hill Nature Recreation Area. Clarence City Council wants to annex a significant part of this publicly owned and managed bushland, giving it over to a property developer. Whilst no development application has been publicly released, the proposal is for a large resort complex and conference centre that would destroy threatened native plants and shut the community out of 49% of their own reserve.

Resorts in the World Heritage Area

A proposal for a resort complex at Lake Malbena has been submitted to the Federal Environment Minister, Josh Frydenberg. Unfortunately it is likely to be the first of many. This private development on public land comprises several new permanent buildings, a helipad and connecting boardwalk in one of the highest value wilderness areas of the World Heritage Area. The Trust is concerned that the government changed the zoning of Lake Malbena to facilitate the development in 2016; whilst they were in lease negotiations with the developer. The area was zoned Wilderness in 2016, but was subsequently excised and rezoned self-reliant recreation. Even with this rezoning, multiple permanent buildings, waste water treatment infrastructure and helicopter transport will strain the definitions of what is permitted under the self-reliant recreation zone.

The Trust believes that the government may have violated its basic obligations, as the management plan for the area states: “the assessment process must consider provision of public consultation based on the scale and nature of the proposal.” The Tasmanian Conservation Trust has been highlighting the importance of open and transparent planning processes. We will continue to interrogate all developments where a private developer is set to gain from public assets, with the support of members and friends.

Cambria Green

The Trust has been assisting the newly formed East Coast Alliance with its campaign to Stop the SAP. The SAP (Special Area Plan) proposed for Cambria Green would see the 3,000 ha agricultural property carved up, with the potential for a developer to bury the land under thousands of tourist dwellings. The precedent this would set for Tasmania’s East Coast is unacceptable. The property is not just farmland, but contains extensive areas of eucalypt woodland, habitat for many threatened species including nesting sites for sea eagles. Fortunately the community is fighting against the proposed Special Area Plan. The Trust will continue to provide advice and on the ground support where ever necessary.

Spiny Sea Urchin

The Trust is pleased to report that there has been some progress made on the issue of Centrostephanus (the Spiny Sea Urchin). Due to mismanagement of the ecosystem on Tasmania’s East Coast, the Spiny Sea Urchin is on verge of a population explosion. Institute of Marine and Antarctic Sciences researchers predict that Tasmania will lose at least 32% of its east coast marine habitat in the next 3 years if nothing is done. Loss of marine habitat at this scale will be an environmental disaster as well as removing habitat for rock lobster and abalone which are prized by commercial and recreational fishers.

Fortunately the government has seen sense and we believe they will shortly be taking proactive steps to halt the spread of the Spiny Sea Urchin. This reversal is largely thanks to the work of Jon Bryan who is the Trust’s longest serving employee and has been working patiently with industry and government on this issue over recent years.

Protecting Little Penguins and other Native Animals on Bruny Island

Bruny Island has been selected by the Federal government as one of five islands in Australia to progress feral cat eradication. This is in recognition of the potential threat that feral cats pose to the significant biodiversity values of the island. The Trust is collaborating with Kingborough Council, UTAS and DPIPWE on the project which is still in its early stages. The TCT employs the project coordinator Kaylene Allan.

Recent studies identified the ranging behaviour of feral cats on the island and determined that they prey significantly on Little Penguins around the Neck. With baseline data in place, the Trust and its partners are undertaking a feasibility study into the costs, benefits and risks of eradicating the feral cat population.

Forest protection

The TCT is still involved with a court case to prevent a private landowner from clearing more than 1800 hectares of native forest near Ansons Bay. The land includes nearly 500 hectares of endangered Eucalyptus ovata forest and habitats for tiger quoll, Tasmanian devil and swift parrot. The landowner was only weeks from commencing clearing in February 2015, before we intervened. We were only able to commence this case because of generous donations from people concerned about land clearing in Tasmania.

Make a donation to help us continue this work, click here.