Wind farms and parrots: environmental law and business

The recent decision by Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell to veto a $220million wind farm in Victoria's Gippsland because it posed a risk to the small (total of 200) orange-bellied parrot population seemed like a developer's worst dream: a combination of regulation gone mad, environmental extremists and political intrigue.

But what was the legal basis for the decision? This post by ozelaw explains the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.