A construction company will pay a total of $30,000 towards conservation initiatives after breaching national and Victorian environment laws at an industrial site in Ardeer, Melbourne.
Bridge and Marine Australia agreed to sign a $30,000 enforceable undertaking with the federal environment department as an alternative to the matter going to court.
This follows an investigation into the company clearing protected native grasslands and causing a significant impact on nationally threatened species at an industrial construction storage area.
The company has also previously agreed to a separate undertaking between the company and the Victorian government to pay $170,000 as penalty for the legal breaches.
"An enforceable undertaking is a negotiated outcome which avoids a lengthy and adversarial court process, and gets a good outcome for the environment - that is the main priority," Departmental spokesman Michael Smith says.
Investigations found that 0.7 hectares of the critically endangered natural temperate grasslands of the Victorian Volcanic Plain were destroyed during works at the industrial site. The destroyed grasslands also served as important habitat for the critically endangered spiny rice flower and the striped legless lizard.
The $30,000 fine will go towards the conservation and recovery of the affected species.
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