Friends of Grasslands (FOG) and Conservation Council ACT Region (the Council) have raised the alarm after the Capital Airport Group expanded construction on the Northern Road at Canberra Airport, which will destroy vital habitat for the Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon.
After community pressure, the airport halted construction on the road in February this year, stating they would not restart until they developed a “nature positive plan” for the species. Despite no plan being published, the Airport Group has breached their commitment and commenced work at the intersection of their proposed road with Majura Road. Photos of this work are available here.
President of FOG, Professor Jamie Pittock said “We are shocked to learn that the Capital Airport Group has expanded construction of the Northern Road that threatens to slay Canberra’s dragon.”
“In February, the Capital Airport Group said that they were holding off on construction in the most ecologically damaging part of the road until they developed a nature positive plan for the dragon. These new works seem to fly in the face of this promise, putting the future of Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon at risk.”
Chief Executive of the Council Dr Simon Copland said:
“We have been concerned for some time that the Capital Airport Group would use the cover of the federal government caretaker period to progress their destructive project. This now seems to be exactly what they are doing.”
“While the airport group is not yet officially bulldozing the most critical area for the earless dragon, they would not be building an intersection unless they intended to carve the road through critical habitat. This is just the first step toward full destruction of this vital habitat.”
“That Capital Airport Group are environmental vandals. We call on them to stop this construction now, before it is too late for our dragon.”
Background – the Dragon
The Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon (Tympanocryptis lineata) was only identified as a separate species in 2022, when taxonomists split the former (threatened) Grassland Earless Dragon into four species. The Canberra Dragon species is now only found on 40 hectares in three small locations in the eastern Australian Capital Territory.
Dragons are the ‘goldilocks’ indicator species for healthy grasslands as they need enough space between tussocks to hunt insects but also enough grass to hide from predators. This ‘just right’ grass cover is the ideal habitat for a number of endangered animal and wildflower species in natural grasslands.
Earless Dragon in grass. Photo: Bernd Gruber
Background – the Northern Road
In 2009, a delegate of then Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett granted a conditional approval to the Canberra Airport Group for its ‘Northern Road’. At the time, the road was approved to go around the habitat for a significant population of Dragons living on and adjacent to the Airport (see enclosed diagram).
The condition said, before a final approval would be granted, a strategy was needed to demonstrate the road could be built and operated without increasing the risk of extinction for the Dragon population.
During the Black Summer in 2019 – 20, a fire burned near the southeast corner of the Airport. Canberra Airport Group went to the media saying the road needed to be “sorted out” for the safety of people working in Fairbairn. Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison got involved.
Five months later, in May 2020, a delegate of then Environment Minister Sussan Ley gave the final go-ahead. A more direct route was approved, right through the middle of the Dragons’ critical habitat. The strategy that was approved does not account for the increased risk of Dragon mortality due to collisions, additional losses to predators using the road, and loss of genetic viability of severed dragon populations.
In August 2022, the Federal Government’s Threatened Species Scientific Committee published a consultation paper on a proposal to recognise there are not one but four species of Grassland Earless Dragons. Canberra Dragons occupy a small area centred on the Majura and Jerrabomberra valleys. There are just three small populations.
Based on this new information, in September 2022, Friends of Grasslands asked the federal Minister for the Environment to revoke the Northern Road approval. Since then, there has been a promise to re-examine the case.
In February 2025, the Canberra Airport Group began construction of the road. After community pressure they quickly announced a halt of construction on areas sensitive to the Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon. The airport’s head of aviation, Michael Thomson stated: “We are holding off. We are working to develop a nature-positive plan.” No nature positive plan has since been published. The recent construction work is against the spirit of such a statement.
