Northwestern Tasmania is a place of profound natural beauty, rich, fertile farmland and unique wildlife. It has attracted many people, like ourselves, to settle in this region. Northwestern Tasmania hosts many ecotourism ventures and is renown for its pristine forests, lakes and mountains. Significantly, it is also an abundant area for growing food, on small, family owned farms like ours, as well as larger scale commercial ventures. Now, these farming communities and pristine ecosystems are threatened by a distressing development proposal of gigantic proportions.

Being proposed is the construction of 3000+ wind turbines, in a REZ, (renewable energy zone) - right across the area's prime agricultural lands, preserved native bushland and small, inland towns. The total area proposed is 114,244 hectares of mostly private land. This proposal will have disasterous effects upon the livelihoods of farmers and townsfolk who depend on these lands and threatens the rich biodiversity such as the endangered Tasmanian Devil, Tasmanian Wedge tailed eagle and Orange Bellied Parrot. If this proposal goes ahead, the Tasmanian Government can forcibly remove people from their properties if they refuse to comply, onselling the land to private investors.

This proposal, though promoting 'clean' energy, threatens the biggest food growing area in this island state, along with the precious ecological balance of the region and the established ecotourism our pristine state is famous for. How? Wind turbines require permanent 90m thick concrete bases into the ground, disturbing the aquifers and springs. The carbon fibre blades require dirty mining processes and break down with use, releasing microparticles into the air, soil, water and food systems. It has been shown to cause infertility. Towers require huge easements, destroying natural habitat and food growing lands. Each turbine requires 2000L of lubricant a year, which inevitably leaks into the soil. Blades kill birds and bats, ultra low frequencies affect human mental states etc. Worst of all, turbines can only be 59.3% efficient due to Betz Law. Only operate when the wind is exactly the right speed. Otherwise they shut down. Then gas or hydro are required to keep power flowing.

Wind farms all over the  world are being abandoned. They are costly, do not provide efficient, reliable energy and require vast mining and coal fired processes to produce them, for a machine that lasts 16 years and can't be recycled. They are not 'green' at all.

Other, truly renewable sources of energy, such as nuclear, are far less damaging, especially with current methods of waste recycling and disposal. 1000s of wind turbines is not the answer.

Please sign this petition to stand against the proposed wind turbine construction zone in Northwestern  Tasmania. Together, we can safeguard our lands for our food security and wildlife.

Info: www.stopthesethings.com www.recfit.com.au  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790822000209