Asking the right questions is crucial during the Approvals process.
Is that species really under threat of extinction as a result of the proposed linear infrastructure? Yes, I did have to ask that question after reading a fauna survey report.
If you are working for the proponent then it is important to read every report you receive. You’d be surprised by the number of people who do not read the environmental reports that they commission from consultants. I suspect it is related to the time it takes to read, or the fact that they trust their consultants.
Trusting and having a great relationship with your consultants is one thing but there are times when those reports are not put through a sufficient quality control process by the consultants themselves. So the report you receive has been prepared by one person, with an insufficient review. If you are a consultant reading this, then I suggest that this would be a good time to audit your quality control process and determine how best to address quality when the industry is booming again.
Read the report carefully and thoroughly, and question the information.