The Minister of Conservation has recently announced her intention to grant two major developments affecting Fiordland and Mt Aspiring National Parks, and Snowdon Forest in Te Wahipounamu (South West New Zealand) World Heritage Area, both designed to provide faster access for tourists to Milford Sound.
.jpg)
Red Beech forest, Upukeroroa Valley
Submissions to the Tunnel have closed and DOC was surprised to get more than 1000 submissions. Even more submissions are needed now to oppose the Monorail proposal. See our video on http://youtu.be/0hkHvlyNu28
The monorail is proposed to run from the Mararoa River, just below the Mavora Lakes in Southland, through Snowdon Forest in Te Wahi pounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area out to Lake TeAnau. It involves clear felling old growth beech forest and disturbing rare red tussock grasslands, to construct two parallel roads. Neither the tunnel or the monorail is essential. The public and tourists already have access by public roads to these areas in the National Parks and the jury is out as to whether they would alleviate, or even add to congestion at Milford.
Forest and Bird is opposing both proposals. Submissions for the Monorail are due 19 March.
Submissions to be sent/emailed to the Southland Conservancy Office, Department of Conservation, Box 743, Invercargill 9810. Email: invercargill@doc.govt.nz
What you can do
We encourage anyone who loves our parks and outdoors to read the DOC Officer’s reports the technical audits and make submissions in your own names. If you don’t have time to write a submission please write/email the Minister of Conservation kate.wilkinson@national.org.nz
- View officer's report for maps and details at http://www.doc.govt.nz/getting-involved/consultations/current/notified-concession-applications/dart-passage-tunnel-milford-dart-ltd/
- Look at the Monorail Proposal http://www.fiordlandlink.com/project.htm for description and maps
This application seeks to have legal authority over a 29.5km long 2-300m wide corridor through old growth beech forests and tussock grasslands from the Mararoa River/Kiwi Burn Junction through the Snowdon Forest Conservation Area in Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. Within this the applicant proposed to construct two parallel roads, a monorail track and a construction/service road with a myriad of interconnecting roads. The specific routes are not described, which creates an unprecedented level of uncertainty, in regard to assessing the potential effects.
To make it more palatable the service road will be adapted to a mountain bike track. Where this passes through private land a new mountain biking track will be cut through public conservation land. See video recorded live on site by Field Officer Sue Maturin on Forest and Bird’s Youtube Chanel http://youtu.be/0hkHvlyNu28
This proposal will fragment and clear unmodified tall beech forests and could have catastrophic impacts on the nationally endangered long-tailed bat population and significant impacts on threatened mohua, falcon, kaka as well as clearance of rare low altitude red tussock grasslands.
Despite these significant adverse effects and the severe misgivings about the project expressed by all the technical audits, the DOC officer’s report concludes that they could be overcome to the point where the effects on the flora and fauna values are minor. The company has offered compensation for the unavoidable adverse effects in the form of an additional 200ha of pest control in the Eglington Valley, which will not compensate for the impacts on the Snowdon Forest. The officer’s report states that DOC can-not determine if this is the most appropriate form of compensation until the final route has been determined.
The DOC officer’s report and other supporting documents can be viewed at http://www.doc.govt.nz/getting-involved/consultations/current/notified-concession-applications/fiordland-link-experience-monorail-riverstone-holdings-ltd/.
Project Summary
· 29.5km long 6m wide monorail track
· Parallel 3m wide construction/service road with spur tracks every 2-300m linking the two.
· Terminus buildings and facilities at the Kiwi Burn/Mararoa Junction and Te Anau Downs in Fiordland National Park.
· Re location of the Kiwi Burn track and tramping hut.
· Construction of 17km mountain bike track through public conservation land.
· Toilets, day shelters along the mountain bike track.
Impacts
Potential adverse effects include:
- Considerable earthworks to construct monorail and access tracks – to be converted to a bike trail following construction.
- Clearance and edge effects of at least 68ha of wildlife rich forest, approximately 19,555 trees, including around 76 very large red beech trees in significant lowland red beech forest.
- Significant adverse effects on rare unmodified low altitude red tussock valley grasslands – about 4.5ha.
- Significant adverse effects on threatened species including the nationally endangered Long-tailed bat, threatened mohua, and kaka, and other forest birds. (Around 5,500 large trees would be cleared). As bats roost in clusters of trees, DOC says, if such a cluster were felled the effects on the bat population could be catastrophic.
- Impossible to accurately assess the impacts due to use of an envelope approach over a200m wide corridor rather than precise routes..
- Increased weeds and pests.
- Sedimentation pollution runoff, to effected small streams and rivers including the Mararoa and Kiwi Burn Rivers.
- Potentially significant landscape effects, described by the technical landscape audit as significantly compromising the outstanding natural values of the landscapes of the Snowdon Forest part of Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area..
- Loss of the popular family tramp to the Kiwi Burn hut – (hut is to be relocated).
General Guidelines for Writing Submissions on Concessions
Your submission can be in the form of a short letter, or it can be more detailed to address the specific matters the Minister must consider.
1. Send/email your submissions to the Southland Conservancy Office, Department of Conservation, Box 743, Invercargill 9810. Email: invercargill@doc.govt.nz
2. State your name and address (Please write as an individual, not as Forest and Bird, to avoid confusion).
3. If you wish to be heard (advisable) state this.
4. State your general views on the proposal.
5. Include a paragraph about why these areas are important for you, what you value about these areas, eg natural quiet, birdlife, water quality, tall unmodified forests, any relevant experiences you have had in the vicinity of the proposals, eg walked the Kiwi Burn. You do not need to have visited these areas to care about them.
6. Your submission will carry more weight if you can address the matters that the Minister must have regard to when considering a concession. As most of the Monorail proposal is through Conservation Area it is considered under the Conservation Act, specifically Section 17U and 17W found at: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1987/0065/latest/DLM104648.html. The terminal at Te Anau Downs is in Fiordland National Park, so the National Park Act applies as does the Fiordland National Park Management Plan and the Southland Conservation Management Strategy. See below for more details.
Guideline for Submission to the Fiordland Link Monorail
Southland Conservancy Office,
Department of Conservation,
Box 743, Invercargill 9810.
Email: invercargill@doc.govt.nz
Date:
Your name and Address:
Whether you wish to be heard: It’s a good idea to ask to be heard, you maybe able to be heard by phone or skype.
Why you are writing this submission, your views on the proposal, how it will affect your enjoyment of the area, what you value about our National Parks, public conservation lands and the areas affected.
Matters to be considered under the Conservation Act 1987 include: - Please use your own words
17 (U) (1) )Adverse effects and methods for remedying, avoiding or mitigating them; e.g.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1987/0065/latest/DLM104648.html
· Clearance of about 68 ha of old growth beech forest including more than 5,500 large old trees that are home to critically endangered and threatened species. This loss can not be adequately remedied or mitigated.
· Significant landscape effects that will compromise the outstanding natural values of Snowdon Forest
· See above list of impacts
‘17 (U) (2) The Minister may decline any application if the Minister considers that-
(a) The information available is insufficient or inadequate to enable him or her to assess the effects of any activity or structure, or facility -; ‘
· Impossible to accurately assess the impacts due to use of an envelope approach over a200m wide corridor rather than precise routes. Until the final route is determined it is not possible to determine what habitats will be impacted on the most.
(b) “There are no adequate methods or no reasonable methods for remedying, avoiding or mitigating the adverse effects of the activity, structure or facility.’
· The proponent has offered to do weed and pest control, however these are inadequate for the size of the project, and it can not be determined if the mitigation offered is adequate due to the envelope approach.
· It is not possible to mitigate, remedy or avoid the significant loss of old growth trees and the fragmentation of forest habitats. These trees are 100’s of years old.
· Proposals to add a new hut in the kiwi burn further up the valley will make the walk in to the hut at least 30-45minutes longer, and will modify a natural valley. Board walking would be required. Offer of a mountain bike trail is not compensation for loss of enjoyment of a tramping route.
‘17 (U) (3) The Minister shall not grant any application for a concession if the proposed activity is contrary to the provisions of this Act or the purposes for which the land concerned is held.’
· The land is held as Conservation Land and is part of Te Wahipounamu South West World Heritage Area.. It has been set aside as conservation land for the preservation and protection of its natural resources for the purpose of maintaining their intrinsic values, providing for their appreciation and recreational enjoyment by the public and safeguarding options for future generations. The proposal is inconsistent with the purpose of the Conservation Act.
17 (U) (4) The Minister shall not grant a concession to build a structure where the activity could be undertaken in another location or could reasonably use an existing structure
· Existing roads outside the Conservation Areas and National Parks provide access to the Parks and to Milford Sound.
See our submission to the Dart Tunnel here for more ideas, especially on the application of the Fiordland National Park Management Plan in relation to managing visitors at Milford.
