Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
in the upper Rangitata catchment area within which it will undertake
predator control:
(i) commencing in the first breeding season after the date on which this
consent commences; and
(ii) for 2 further consecutive breeding seasons, subject to Condition 6.23
below,
in order to determine the
“SIPO Before Productivity Rate”
and
the
“Wrybill Before Productivity Rate”
.
(b) For the purposes of these conditions the SIPO Before Productivity Rate
and the Wrybill Before Productivity Rate shall be the number of chicks
fledged per pair of SIPO and wrybill respectively per breeding season from
30 pairs of each species, as averaged over the 3 seasons of monitoring.
6.23 The consent holder may commence construction of the wind farm and
associated infrastructure and/or transmission line after 2 of the 3 consecutive
breeding seasons of baseline monitoring, but no sooner. For the avoidance of
doubt, the consent holder may not commission any turbine(s) until the SIPO
Before Productivity Rate and the Wrybill Before Productivity Rate have been
established.
6.24 Baseline monitoring for SIPO and wrybill productivity rates shall be under-
taken for 3 years, or until the commencement of construction works on the
wind farm, whichever occurs first. At that time the consent holder shall begin
undertaking the Upper Rangitata predator control programme (which is to be
undertaken by experienced professional trappers) subject to prior approval of
the Ecology Peer Review Panel.
Upper Rangitata Project Post-Commissioning Productivity Monitoring
6.25 From the commencement of the Upper Rangitata predator control programme
the consent holder shall engage a suitably qualified independent expert ecolo-
gist to undertake a survey of post-predator control productivity rates for no
fewer than 30 pairs of SIPO and no fewer than 30 pairs of wrybill in the upper
Rangitata catchment area within which it is undertaking predator control in
order to determine the
“SIPO After Productivity Rate”
and the
“Wrybill
After Productivity Rate”
. For the purposes of these conditions the SIPO
After Productivity Rate and the Wrybill After Productivity Rate shall be the
average number of chicks fledged per pair of SIPO and wrybill respectively
from 30 pairs of each species over the seasons surveyed while this consent
operates.
6.26 The draft design for the post-predator control productivity survey is to be
provided to the Ecology Peer Review Panel in hard copy or electronic form,
for comment. The Ecology Peer Review Panel shall respond to the consent
holder with any such comment and recommendations in writing within 30
working days of first receiving the draft survey design. The author of the draft
survey design shall consider any recommended changes and amend the draft
survey design as considered appropriate. Where an Ecology Peer Review
Panel recommendation is not adopted either in whole or in part, the author
