Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Proposed Mitigation
The Board of Inquiry hearing the case decided that rather than hear evidence from
each expert in turn (as is usual in these cases), the specialists were 'hot-tubbed'
where they were put on the stand together and required to answer the same
questions and comment on each other's answers. The Board encouraged the parties
to negotiate an agreed set of conditions and come back to them prior to them
making a decision.
Due to the threat status of wrybill and banded dotterel, and the fact that SIPO are
classified as in decline (Miskelly et al.
2008
), the avifauna experts agreed that it was
appropriate for Contact Wind to mitigate predicted effects on a No Net Loss basis.
The key element to achieve this was a Contact Wind proposal to support a predator
control programme at breeding grounds in the Upper Rangitata River in the South
Island. This was considered a suitable way to increase the breeding success of each
of these species to a level that at least matched the predicted losses even allowing
for expected mortality until the additional birds became breeding adults.
The information outlined above (collected with three radars and a team of observers)
had shown that the potential mortality rate from the turbines was in the likely range
of what could be expected to be produced with a predator control program at a
major breeding site. However, it was agreed by all parties that there would be
post-construction monitoring of carcasses under turbines to calculate an actual
mortality rate given that there was no agreement from the modelling on the likely
mortality rate.
The decision makers of both sides agreed to a set of conditions which were
accepted by the Board of Inquiry and built into the decision.
After the Board of Inquiry Final decision was released in May 2011, DoC appealed
some of the conditions to the High Court and after further discussions an amended
set of conditions relating to how to achieve the no net loss outcome was agreed.
These were as follows (MfE
2011
).
Internal Migratory Shorebirds Objective
6.21 In exercising these consents, there shall be throughout the life of the project a
“no net loss outcome” for South Island Pied Oystercatchers (SIPO) and a “no
net loss outcome” for wrybill as a result of effects of the operation of the HMR
wind farm.
Upper Rangitata Project Productivity Monitoring
6.22 As part of its offset mitigation undertaken pursuant to these resource consents,
the consent holder shall undertake the predator control programme detailed in
Fig.
3
of the
Biodiversity Remediation and Enhancement Scheme
as
outlined in
Schedule Six.
In order to assess the effectiveness of the Upper
Rangitata Project, the consent holder shall first complete a baseline and
productivity monitoring programme, as follows:
(a) The consent holder shall engage a suitably qualified independent expert
ecologist to undertake a survey of pre-predator control productivity rates
for no fewer than 30 pairs of SIPO and no fewer than 30 pairs of wrybill
