Landowner hit with massive fine for illegal project: 'Council will investigate and take appropriate action'
When it comes to protecting native fauna in the community, Australia doesn't mess around. In Langwarrin, a suburb of Melbourne, a landowner learned this lesson the hard way. After illegally removing vegetation near a hospital, this landowner was slapped with a $15,000 (c.$9,500 USD) fine by the court. Frankston councillor Cherie Wanat said:
"Our community places immense value on green spaces and urban canopy, not just in leafy Langwarrin but the municipality as [a] whole."
Victoria, Australia, has stringent environmental protections for native vegetation. A permit is required to remove, lop, or destroy native plants, and the amount that can be removed is strictly limited. Victoria follows a three-step approach to granting permits: avoid, minimize, and offset.
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Simply put, the law requires the developer to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that removal cannot be avoided. Even if that criterion is met, regulations require that any destruction of native plants be minimal, and the application must demonstrate that. Finally, any successful application must include a provision to offset the development's environmental impact.
Biodiversity is crucial to a healthy ecosystem, and combating the loss of native animals and plants in an area is an integral part of conservation efforts worldwide. Victoria's robust legislation shows how efforts to preserve the environment begin at the local level. These lessons can be applied to other locales where local, community-led initiatives can have an outsized impact.
Of course, as important as passing effective legislation is, half the battle is properly enforcing it once it is passed. Even the best-intended legislation cannot be effective without adequate provisions to ensure that it is followed. It goes to show that the fight to protect the environment is an ongoing struggle. Still, Victoria's council has shown it has the mettle for the fight.
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As councillor Wanat put it, "If property owners remove or destroy vegetation without the proper permissions, [the] council will investigate and take appropriate action."
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Landowner hit with massive fine for illegal project: 'Council will investigate and take appropriate action' first appeared on The Cool Down.
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