The Greens stand with environmental organisations condemning the permit renewal of a high speed motor race held in threatened bird breeding conservation area during breeding season.
Environmental organisations and concerned community members along with the Greens have written to the Tasmanian Sand Enduro race organisers offering to work collaboratively to find an appropriate date to hold their race in 2026 and beyond, outside of the bird breeding season.
The Tasmanian Sand Enduro race, held at Peron Dunes near St Helens is held on the November long weekend, has had increasing community opposition as the sea and shorebird bird populations decline.
It’s unconscionable that in a biodiversity crisis Parks and Wildlife would issue a 5 year event permit for a race event that currently overlaps with the breeding season for several threatened shorebird and seabird species, including the Eastern Hooded Plover and the Australian Fairy Tern. These birds nest directly on the sand and are particularly vulnerable to disturbance during this time of year.
The fact Parks issued the event permit before undertaking the required Reserve Activity Assessment has again shown why the system needs the reform that this Liberal Government has just cowered away from. It has also raised legal concerns which are currently being investigated.
For Parks to issue a permit for the race to be held at this time of year is hypocritical. On one hand they are issuing instructions for other Tasmanians to be mindful of the breeding birds on our beaches, on the other they’re letting dune buggies tear through a conservation area home to threatened species at high speed.
Confused communities are following Parks’ own instructions to protect the birds, by walking their dogs on a lead and away from any bird activity, while watching the very organisation charged with protecting the birds actively facilitating their demise at Peron Dunes.
In the absence of Parks doing their job, the Greens have backed environmental groups and the community, stepping up and writing to the race event organisers to proactively collaborating to find a new date for the dune race to be held that will not impact the birds.
