SOUTHERN LEASE STAGE 2 EXPLORATION PROGRAM NOTICE of INTENT May 2020
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GROOTE EYLANDT MINING COMPANY (GEMCO) SOUTHERN LEASE STAGE 2 EXPLORATION PROGRAM NOTICE OF INTENT May 2020 Volume 2 GROOTE EYLANDT MINING COMPANY (GEMCO) SOUTHERN LEASE STAGE 2 EXPLORATION PROGRAM NOTICE OF INTENT May 2020 Volume 2 Volume 2 Volume 1 - Main Report Volume 2 - Appendices Executive Summary A Baseline Terrestrial Ecology Table of Contents B Assessment of Impacts on Listed Species 1 Introduction 2 Project Description 3 Review of Environmental Factors 4 Terrestrial Flora and Fauna 5 Social, Economic and Cultural Surroundings 6 Environmental Management 7 Glossary 8 Abbreviations 9 References 10 NOI Information Requirements A Baseline Terrestrial Ecology Southern Lease - Stage 2 Exploration Program Baseline Terrestrial Ecology Report GEMCO/South32 21 May 2020 Final Southern Lease - Stage 2 Exploration Program Final | GEMCO/South32 Cumberland Ecology(02) 9868 © 1933 | PO Box 2474 Carlingford Court NSW 2118 | cumberlandecology.com.au Page i Report No. 20003RP1 The preparation of this report has been in accordance with the brief provided by the Client and has relied upon the data and results collected at or under the times and conditions specified in the report. All findings, conclusions or commendations contained within the report are based only on the aforementioned circumstances. The report has been prepared for use by the Client and no responsibility for its use by other parties is accepted by Cumberland Ecology. Version Date Issued Amended by Details Approved by: Katrina Wolf Position: Principal Signed: Date: 21 May, 2020 Southern Lease - Stage 2 Exploration Program Final | GEMCO/South32 Cumberland Ecology © Page ii Table of Contents Glossary vi 1. Introduction 1 1.1. Purpose 1 1.2. Island and Regional Context 1 1.3. Description of the Study Area 2 2. Regulatory Framework 4 2.1. Commonwealth Legislation 4 2.2. Northern Territory Legislation and Guidelines 5 3. Methodology 8 3.1. Desktop Assessment 8 3.2. Likelihood of Occurrence Assessment 13 3.3. Fauna Habitat Modelling 13 3.4. Limitations 14 4. Results: Overview of Environmental Values 16 4.1. Geology 16 4.2. Soils 16 4.3. Land Systems 17 4.4. Hydrology 18 4.5. Vegetation 18 4.6. Land Uses 18 5. Results: Flora 20 5.1. Vegetation Communities 20 5.2. Threatened Ecological Communities 22 5.3. Flora Species: Overview 23 5.4. Flora Species: Threatened Species 23 6. Results: Fauna 25 6.1. Fauna Habitats 25 6.2. Fauna Species: Overview 38 6.3. Fauna Species: Threatened Species 40 6.4. Fauna Species: Migratory Species 62 7. References 79 Southern Lease - Stage 2 Exploration Program Final | GEMCO/South32 Cumberland Ecology © Page iii Table of Tables Table 1 Criteria to assess potential for threatened species to occur within the study area ....................................... 13 Table 2 Soil units recorded within the Study Area ...................................................................................................................... 16 Table 3 Land systems within the Study Area (Lynch et al. 2012) ........................................................................................... 17 Table 4 Broad vegetation types within the Study Area ............................................................................................................. 21 Table 5 Fauna habitats within the Study Area .............................................................................................................................. 25 Table 6 Features of close forest (rainforest) habitats within the Study Area .................................................................... 27 Table 7 Features of laterite woodland and forest habitats within the Study Area ......................................................... 29 Table 8 Features of sandstone woodland and forest habitats within the Study Area .................................................. 31 Table 9 Features of coastal dune/swale complex habitats within the Study Area ......................................................... 32 Table 10 Features of riparian/wetland habitats within the Study Area ............................................................................... 35 Table 11 Features of estuarine complex habitats within the Study Area ........................................................................... 37 Table 12 Threatened fauna species database records within the locality ......................................................................... 40 Table 13 Summary of the likelihood of occurrence of threatened fauna species .......................................................... 42 Table 14 Migratory fauna species database records within the locality............................................................................. 62 Table 15 Summary of the likelihood of occurrence of migratory fauna species ............................................................ 65 Table 16 Summary of previous survey reports utilised within this assessment ............................................................ B.4 Table 17 Vegetation map units within the Study Area .......................................................................................................... C.13 Table 18 Likelihood of occurrence assessment ....................................................................................................................... D.25 Table 19 Flora species list .................................................................................................................................................................. E.82 Table 20 Fauna species list ............................................................................................................................................................... F.87 Table of Photographs Photograph 1 Closed forest (rainforest) habitat within the Study Area (August 2017) ............................................... 28 Photograph 2 Laterite woodland and forest habitat within the Study Area (May 2018) ............................................ 30 Photograph 3 Sandstone woodland and forest habitat within the Study Area (May 2016) ...................................... 31 Photograph 4 Coastal dune/swale complex habitat (woodland) within the Study Area (August 2017) ............... 33 Photograph 5 Coastal dune/swale complex habitat (shrubland) within the Study Area (May 2018) ..................... 34 Photograph 6 Riparian habitat within the Study Area (May 2016) ....................................................................................... 36 Photograph 7 Wetland habitat within the Study Area (May 2016) ...................................................................................... 36 Photograph 8 Estuarine complex habitat within the Study Area (May 2016) .................................................................. 38 Photograph 9 Masked Owl photographed in open forest in the Eastern Leases ........................................................... 47 Photograph 10 Northern Quoll captured during camera surveys within the Study Area (July 2018) .................... 49 Photograph 11 Ghost Bat (Source: EMS in URS Australia Pty Ltd, 2012) ........................................................................... 52 Photograph 12 Brush-tailed Rabbit-rat (Source: K. Brennan in Woinarski and Hill, 2012a) ....................................... 55 Photograph 13 Northern Hopping-mouse captured during camera trapping near the Cave Paintings (east of existing GEMCO mine) (April 2018) ................................................................................................................................................... 58 Photograph 14 Yellow-spotted Monitor captured during trapping surveys within the Eastern Leases ................ 60 Southern Lease - Stage 2 Exploration Program Final | GEMCO/South32 Cumberland Ecology © Page iv Photograph 15 Mertens’ Water Monitor detected by a camera within the Eastern Leases ....................................... 62 Photograph 16 Salt-water Crocodile detected by an IR camera within the Eastern Leases ....................................... 69 Photograph 17 Eastern Osprey (Source: P. Harris in BirdLife International, 2016) ......................................................... 71 Photograph 18 Common Sandpiper (Source: P. Harris in BirdLife International, 2016) .............................................. 72 Photograph 19 Fork-tailed Swift (Source: K. Nicolson in Atlas of Living Australia, 2018) ........................................... 74 Photograph 20 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Source: K. Jones in DES, 2019) ........................................................................... 75 Photograph 21 Common Greenshank (Source: J. Bartoš in BirdLife International, 2016) ........................................... 77 Photograph 22 Marsh Sandpiper (Source: O. Prosický in BirdLife International, 2016) ............................................... 78 Table of Appendices APPENDIX A : EPBC Act Protected Matters Search Tool Results APPENDIX B : Summary of Previous Survey Reports APPENDIX C : Vegetation Map Units APPENDIX D : Likelihood of Occurrence Assessment APPENDIX E : Flora Species List APPENDIX F : Fauna Species List Table of Figures Figure 1 Project location Figure 2 Project layout Figure 3 Bioregion setting Figure 4 Location of previous study areas Figure 5 Surface geology within the Study Area Figure 6 Soils mapping within the Study Area Figure 7 Land systems mapping within the Study Area Figure 8 Hydrology within the Study Area Figure 9 Broad vegetation types within