Rainforest Reserves Australia Media Release 14.03.23

Australian Ethical offloaded Lendlease. Will Vestas now shelve Lotus Creek wind farm?

Projects which cause death and destruction to Endangered Koalas and their habitat are in the national spotlight, thanks to Australian Ethical divesting themselves from Lendlease over a planned development that impacts one of the last healthy koala colonies in NSW. Foreign-owned multinational Vestas should now follow suite and scrap Lotus Creek wind development, approved for Central QLD.

Lotus Creek Wind Farm Pty Ltd was approved in late 2022 by Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek after former-proponents Ark Energy scaled back the scope of the project. The initial project was formerly rejected in 2020 by Federal Minister Sussan Ley due to its unacceptable impacts on onsite Endangered species, whose populations had been decimated in the South from bushfires.

The Lotus Creek wind farm is slated for Nebo-Connors Range approximately 175 km north-west of Rockhampton. 55 wind turbines will be forced onto intact forest across a 3,044.9 ha Project Area. The site boundary is a vast 48,393.2 ha. Shockingly, the Lotus Creek Wind Farm Public Environment Report reveals Koalas were recorded 101 times (heard or seen) onsite during surveys[i]. Seven females were recorded with back young, suggesting the population is self-sustaining. Now 345.5 ha of their critical habitat will be destroyed.

We ground-truthed Lotus Creek wind farm site two weeks ago and witnessed first-hand a large, healthy, thriving Koala population living undisturbed. Pristine old growth forest with plenty of nesting hollows supports a thriving ecosystem of wildlife: we saw Greater Gliders, Night jars, Frogmouths, Macropods and more.

Meanwhile bulldozers could arrive any day to this natural wonderland.

”Lotus Creek wind farm site is worthy of becoming Queensland’s Great Koala National Park. We’ve seen healthy, thriving Koalas very easily. This is stunning old growth landscape that supports critically endangered wildlife and we’re carving it up for green energy. This must be stopped now. ” states conservationist Steven Nowakowski.

The Lotus Creek wind development must now be stopped. It is not too late for Vestas to scrap this ecocidal project. It It’s not too late for the Minister Plibersek to do the right thing and reject it. It is critical that this habitat, worthy of a National Park, is kept intact. We urgently call on the media to cast light on this ecologically catastrophic proposal.

We support the call for a Parliamentary Inquiry into wind farm sitings on biodiverse landscapes. Sign petition here.

[i] 2020/8867 - Lotus Creek Wind Farm Referral, p. 6

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