The sudden, unapproved clearing of land in a small coastal town on Bruny Island has left neighbours furious, with a property owner handed a $2,700 fine, before plans were submitted for a housing subdivision.
Trees were cleared by heavy machinery on a private block of land in Dennes Point, on the north coast of the popular tourist island, in July before vegetation burning occurred.
Neighbours say they were not informed beforehand, and argue it has resulted in fewer quolls, wallabies and native birdlife activity in the area.
The land clearing on the 3.5-hectare property resulted in the loss of three white gums — an important species for the survival of the critically-endangered 40-spotted pardalote.
The trees — which included she-oaks, pines and a dense understorey — were on a substantial slope, with a row of neighbouring houses at the bottom.
Suzie Perrott bought one of the houses two years ago for the tranquillity in retirement with her husband, with plans to move permanently from her current home in Campbell Town.
However, she said, everything had changed after the clearing occurred.
"I have photographs of our little cottage, and it just looks like we have a forest around it, it was so beautiful," Ms Perrott said.
"Now you can't see any of the trees. The animals, you don't see the animals jumping around the front yard anymore.
"It's very sad, it's really sad. I just can't believe it's happening."
Ms Perrott said she had concerns for water runoff without the vegetation as a buffer, with excessive pooling reported during heavy rain last spring.
The developer completed a landslide assessment in March — four months before the clearing — which noted a risk of less water infiltrating the soil should soil disturbance occur.
Neighbouring residents say they were not informed prior to the clearing and burning, including Justin Jones, who has lived at Dennes Point for 43 years.
He said the removal of the trees had impacted local wildlife.
"I've been here for 43 years, and the patch of land is very endearing to us because we all live around this, and we look for the wildlife. We know the wildlife is there," Mr Jones said.
"Now it's just a blank canvas … there's nothing anymore.
"If the developers want one house put there for themselves, put a house there, and the rest of the place, put it back to the way it was."
'You can't bring back the wildlife'
The development application for the 10-lot subdivision was advertised with Kingborough Council earlier this month.
It includes a bushfire hazard management report, prepared in December 2021, which notes that none of the white gums or she-oaks need to be removed, provided there was 2 metres of separation between canopies.
However, these were among the trees removed.
Kingborough Council has confirmed it issued the landowner Nick Owens with a $2,715 fine relating to the "unapproved" land clearing.
The amount is dictated under Tasmania's planning laws, with no discretion.
Neighbours on each side of the land are disappointed with the fine, believing it was disproportionate to the financial gain should the subdivision occur.
Mr Jones said the amount would not be a deterrent.
"What's $2,700 to birdlife? It's only money. You don't bring the birds back. You can't bring back the wildlife. It just defeats the purpose," he said.
Bruny Island is noted for providing a sanctuary for various endangered flora and fauna, due to its separation from mainland Tasmania.
This includes the critically-endangered 40-spotted pardalote, which solely relies upon white gum trees.
Commonwealth and Tasmanian government documents note that the removal of single trees can potentially impact the bird species.
'Could have been handled better'
Mr Owens defended the land clearing, but conceded in a statement it could have been done differently.
"In July last year, as a response to a Kingborough Council abatement notice, we undertook works to remediate our site from bushfire risk and we removed introduced pine trees [a declared weed] and three gum trees in preparation to re-plant native species," the statement reads.
"With hindsight, we appreciate this was unsightly and this could have been handled better but are looking forward to the regeneration of [the] site with native species.
"The application we have lodged seeks to create 10 sensitively designed lots of up to 4,750 square metres in size on the 3.3 hectare site, which is already zoned residential, will have limited traffic implications as well as providing a public walking path, giving all the community a safe walking access to the beach."
Land clearing an ongoing issue
The land at Dennes Point did not meet the threshold for having significant conservation values, however, elsewhere in Tasmania, landowners are continuing to clear native forest — and wearing the subsequent fines.
In its latest annual report, the Tasmanian Forest Practices Authority (TFPA) noted that 180 hectares of land had been cleared in the state without approval during 2021-22.
The TFPA issued 21 fines totalling $657,500 — a significant increase on $390,000 from 12 months earlier, and a 600 per cent increase over a three-year period.
From 1996 to 2022, Tasmania has lost almost 160,000 hectares of native forest due to approved and illegal land clearing.
TFPA board chair Pamela Allan said unauthorised land clearing remained a significant problem in Tasmania — and that new approaches might be needed.
"There continues to be clearance of trees without first seeking advice on either the regulatory controls that exist or the necessary approvals required," she wrote.
"The authority is now considering rehabilitation orders to return the land to its natural vegetated state, as fines have not appeared to be a sufficient deterrent.
"Compliance and enforcement standards are being strengthened, however many forest operations undertaken on non-industrial private land continue to demonstrate a poor understanding of, or disregard for, the [Forest Practices Act] and the Forest Practices Code."
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly named Bec Owens as the land owner who was fined by Kingborough Council. The story has been amended to clarify that the fine was issued to the property's joint owner Nick Owens, not Bec Owens. The ABC apologises for the error.
