Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines - July 2010

C.7.9 Glossary & acronyms
Australian Wind Energy
Association (Auswind,
currently Clean Energy
Council)
Community
Wind energy industry association. Currently known as Clean Energy Council,
following an amalgamation of the Australian Wind Energy Association and
the Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy.
A group with shared culture, beliefs, traditions, ethnicity, activity,
experiences or locality. Consultation generally occurs with ‘communities’
(plural), as multiple values (and groups) exist and these often overlap.
Where necessary, the term ‘local community’ is used to specifically refer to
people who inhabit (live or work) in a locality (that is the community of a
town or rural area) and similarly regional community, state-wide community,
Australian community.
Community values
Consent authority
Consultant
Cumulative effects
Cumulative impact
Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA)
Community values comprise the values that residents as well as various
interest groups and stakeholders, place upon their environment and
surrounds.
The government department or agency (Commonwealth, State or local)
responsible for considering and approving or rejecting an application for
development of a proposed wind farm.
A suitably qualified practitioner engaged by the wind farm proponent for
the purposes of completing assessment of the value of landscapes and the
potential impacts upon these, under these Guidelines.
The Tasks listed in these Guidelines are allocated to ‘the proponent’, even
though in many instances it may be carried out by a professional
consultant.
The summation of effects that result from changes caused in conjunction
with other past, present or reasonably foreseeable actions.
Cumulative landscape and visual effects result from additional changes to
the landscape or visual amenity caused by the proposed development in
conjunction with other developments (associated with or separate to it), or
actions that occurred in the past, present or are likely to occur in the
foreseeable future. They may also affect the way in which the landscape is
experienced.
The evaluation of the effects on the environment of particular development
proposals.
Geographical Information Computerised database of geographical information.
System (GIS)
Indigenous community
Indirect impacts
Indigenous people holding traditional, historical or contemporary
associations with a locality or landscape. An Indigenous community may
include formal Indigenous organisations, family groups and individuals.
In these Guidelines, reference to communities and stakeholders is
interpreted to include Indigenous communities who may or do hold values
of the landscape. Particular approaches may need to be considered in
seeking to understand values held by Indigenous communities.
Impacts on the environment, which are not a direct result of the
development but are often produced away from it or as a result of a
complex pathway. Sometimes referred to as secondary impacts.
Landscape
Landscape Assessment
The physical environment as perceived by people.
An area made up of a distinct association of forms, both natural and
cultural.
The sum total of the characteristics that distinguish a certain area of the
land's surface from the other areas. These characteristics are a result not
only of natural forces, but also of human occupancy and the use of land,
that changes over time.
Is the process of assessing the character and features of areas of land,
usually with reference to an agreed set of criteria based primarily on
community preferences. It also is an overarching term for the description,
classification and analysis of landscape.
Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines – 2 July 2010 Page 109