Lizards not at risk from wind farm, court told

Largely depleted lizard populations on the "extensively damaged" Lammermoor Range will not be affected by the construction of Meridian Energy's 176-turbine wind farm, ecologist and lizard specialist Tony Jewell told an Environment Court appeal hearing against the development yesterday.

• Wind farm simulations defended

Mr Jewell, of Ranfurly, said he had visited the 92sq km site proposed for Meridian's $2 billion Project Hayes development, and found "surprisingly few" skinks and geckos in the area.

He put a lack of lizards down to a poor quality habitat, the vegetation of which had been "degraded" to various degrees.

"The vegetation was quite heavily modified. I'm aware that some parts beyond where I looked were of a better quality, but I even visited a rocky outcrop and there was no sign of geckos which was really unusual.

"Historically there would have been tall tussock and extensive shrublands, whereas the areas I saw were in various degrees of pasteurisation," he said.

Mr Jewell said Project Hayes would have little or no impact on lizard species living in the area, even if constructed roads took up 20% of the development site.

"About 2.3% of the land occupied by lizards will be affected, leaving about 97% of the land area unaffected. Lizards also happily occupy roadsides that have large trucks going up and down them, they are not concerned about regular noise," he said.

In his written evidence, Mr Jewell said lizard abundance within the Project Hayes envelope was already low, and some species no longer survived in certain areas.

"The developed nature of the tussock grasslands greatly limits the potential of it as skink habitat. Lizard fauna of the Project Hayes envelope is highly depleted in both diversity and abundance, and contains no identifiably unique or irreplaceable elements.

The small number of people who visit Central Otago's Te Papanui Conservation Park will not likely be deterred by the presence of 176 turbines on land nearby, the appeal hearing was told yesterday.

Rocklands Station co-trustee Bill Harrington, of Christchurch, gave evidence for Meridian as the seventh witness in a resumed hearing, about his observations of land use in the Lammermoor Range area.

Mr Harrington, who is the director of a company which farms part of the proposed 92sq km Project Hayes site, as well as a co-owner of the property, said most people visiting the neighbouring Te Papanui area were Department of Conservation staff.

Te Papanui, which borders parts of the proposed wind farm site, was never going to become a tourist attraction in its own right, he said.