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Bulga Coal Complex

August 2013

Bulga Coal Management Pty Ltd Bulga Underground Operations Pty Ltd

Prepared by DnA Environmental

2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report

Disclaimer

This is a report of work carried out by DnA Environmental on behalf of the Bulga Surface Operations Pty Ltd and Bulga Underground Operations Pty Ltd, collectively referred to as the Bulga Coal Complex and has been prepared according to the brief provided by the client. The information contained herein is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge. The representations, statements, opinions and advice, expressed or implied in this report are produced in good faith but on the basis that DnA Environmental are not liable (whether by reason of negligence, lack of care or otherwise) to any person for any damage or loss whatsoever which has occurred or may occur in relation to that person taking or not taking (as the case may be) action in respect of any or all of the content.

Signed:

Dr Donna Johnston Restoration Ecologist PhD, B.App.Sc (Hons) MEIANZ

Draft submitted: 7th August 2013 Reviewed by: Tom Scott - Bulga Open Cut, Lucy Stuart - Bulga Underground Final submitted: 8th October 2013

DnA Environmental 417 Mandurama Rd Mandurama NSW 2792

Ph/Fax: (02) 63 675 251 Mobile: 0408 221 922 [email protected]

ABN 19 607 392 634

Acknowledgements

The field surveys and resultant report were undertaken by and prepared by Dr Donna Johnston and Andrew Johnston from DnA Environmental. Stephen Shoesmith (Bulga Environment and Community Officer), Ned Stephenson (Beltana, Environment and Community Coordinator) and Nathan Lane (Beltana, Environment and Community Officer) provided technical information and assistance about the Bulga Coal Complex and rehabilitation sites. Barry Cox (Bulga Technical Officer) provided information and assistance accessing areas of the mine site during the field work period 2010 - 2012. Carbon Based Environmental were contracted to have the soil samples analysed in 2010. Tom Scott (Bulga Open Cut) and Marty Salm and Lucy Stuart (Bulga Underground) provided assistance during 2013.

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Executive summary

Bulga Surface Operations Pty Ltd and Bulga Underground Operations Pty Ltd, collectively referred to as the Bulga Coal Complex is located approximately 15 kilometres southwest of Singleton, 5 kilometres north of the town of Broke and 6 kilometres east of Bulga, in the upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales.

Since 2003, ecological monitoring sites at the Bulga Coal Complex have been established and monitored by Umwelt Environmental Consultants in accordance with the Flora and Fauna Management Plan (Umwelt 2003, Xstrata 2008b). In 2010, DnA Environmental was commissioned to review the vegetation monitoring program such that it would encompass a variety of monitoring requirements. It aimed to: 1. Compare the new revegetation/rehabilitation areas with suitable reference sites using quantified Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and determine a selection of “Ecological Targets” that comply with and are consistent with Xstrata Coal NSW (2009) HSEC Standards and relevant NSW legislation, Mine closure requirements and best practice guidelines (eg. Nichols 2005, NSW I&I 2010, NSW T&I 2012) and Land Management Plan (Xstrata 2011); and 2. Continue monitoring the condition of the remnant vegetation and riparian ecosystems using a methodology which quantifies the changes occurring within these ecological communities and addresses monitoring requirements of the Bulga Underground Operations (BUO) Environmental Impact Statement (Umwelt 2003), Land Management Plan (Xstrata 2011) and Flora and Fauna Management Plan (Xstrata 2008b).

To remain consistent with the Bulga Coal Complex domains and associated final land uses and in considering the different monitoring and reporting requirements, the long-term monitoring sites were separated into: 1. Ecological monitoring sites which includes Remnant Native Vegetation, Corridors, Protected and Offset Areas (Domain 6); and 2. Rehabilitation monitoring sites which includes Rehabilitation areas associated with Domains 1, 2, 3 and 4. This may also include newly established tree corridors and offset plantings.

Ecological monitoring program

The ecological monitoring sites at the Bulga Coal Complex were first established by Umwelt Environmental Consultants with the first seven sites being established in 2003 (Umwelt 2010). Since 2010 there have been at least ten ecological sites. The full ecological monitoring report can be found in DnA Environmental (2010c, 2011c and 2012b).

Rehabilitation monitoring program

The primary rehabilitation objectives at the Bulga Coal Complex include the establishment of native woodlands, riparian corridors and where appropriate, pastures suitable for grazing on mining disturbed areas. These broad community types were used as a reference for establishing the ecological targets and quantifying the key performance indicators. The reference sites were located in Domains 6 (woodland communities) or Domains 7 and 8 (grazed grasslands), but not in areas subjected to subsidence. Data obtained from these reference sites quantify the range of ecological performance indicators and these are amended annually.

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The number and location of the rehabilitation sites has changed since monitoring began largely due to the establishment of new rehabilitation areas in combination with the loss of some sites due to mining disturbance. The rehabilitation monitoring sites were considered to be representative of the rehabilitation project as a whole or were similar to and representative of other areas of rehabilitation. The resultant number of rehabilitation sites established in 2010 was 17 which included ten woodland and seven pasture rehabilitation areas. The number of rehabilitation sites monitored in 2013 included nine woodland, six pasture and one riparian woodland. Most sites were named according to their relative location such as NB = North Blakefield, SB = South Blakefield, SE = Southern Extension and BEL = Beltana. Dam01 was and offset planting near the new surge dam, while BM11 was an old Bulga Monitoring site rehabilitated in 1991.

The monitoring program involved using a combination Landscape Function Analyses (LFA), comprehensive soil analyses and an assessment of ecosystem characteristics using an adaptation of methodologies derived by the Biometric Model used in the Property Vegetation Planning Process. Permanent transects and photo-points are established to record changes in these attributes over time. Rehabilitation monitoring has been undertaken by DnA Environmental during June in all monitoring years since 2010. This year monitoring was undertaken 11th – 21st June. The methodology used for undertaking the monitoring was consistent with that used in previous years.

The rainfall data generally indicates that 2010 and 2011 were relatively “wet” years but the monthly averages also indicate these were highly variable with occasional floods followed by periods of low rainfall activity. Generally 2012 was very dry but there was a period of high summer rainfall which extended into March 2013 but April and May were particularly dry. The vegetation at the Bulga Coal Complex has therefore received poorer growing conditions this year which has also resulted in an increase in animal impacts which has been reflected in the results.

Woodland rehabilitation sites summary

There was no consistent trend in the changes in ecological function across the range of woodland monitoring sites this year. Sites such as SB1, SE1 and Dam01 continued to demonstrate an increasing trend in ecological function, due to the increasing development of the grassy ground cover, accumulation and decomposition of the leaf litter and increasing growth of the tree and shrub canopy and less evidence of resources being mobilised across the sites. There have been negligible changes recorded in the oldest site BM11, which contained a well developed litter layer and dense canopy cover.

Landscape function in sites BEL4, BEL5 and SE3 have demonstrated a marginal decline this year due to increasing levels of animal disturbance causing a reduction in perennial ground cover plants and litter cover, increased levels of erosion and deposition and in some cases increased soil slaking due to exposure of the more unstable soils. One of the newest woodland rehabilitation sites NB5 had very good vegetative cover providing high functional patch area and given its age was relatively stable and had reasonable infiltration and nutrient recycling capacity. In the other new rehabilitation site SB6 there presently was limited patch area and very low ecological function. Rehabilitation sites which fell within the target range for landscape stability, infiltration and nutrient recycling this year included sites BEL5 and SB1.

The oldest rehabilitation sites BEL4, BEL5, SB1, SE3 and BM11 all contained a healthy tree population (>5cm dbh) which occurred in densities similar to or in excess of those recorded in the recorded sites. The relatively young rehabilitation sites SE1 and Dam01 both had one tree count this year due to good growth rates however, all 13 tubestock in Dam01 will need to mature to meet this ecological target,

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leaving the density of shrubs too low. The youngest rehabilitation sites NB5 and SB6 did not yet contain any mature individuals as they were newly established rehabilitation areas.

The oldest rehabilitation site, BM11 continued to have a very high stem count of 66 stems per 0.04ha (1650 per ha), a tree density that exceeds that recorded in the woodland reference sites suggesting that the stem density is too high and requires selective thinning. The very high stem densities continue to affect the establishment and diversity of ground cover species due to high competition levels. There was also a relatively large proportion of native tree species but non endemic tree species, which included Eucalyptus cladocalyx (Sugar Gum) and Corymbia citriodora (Lemon-scented Gum) were recorded in site BM11. Species planted or sown onto woodland rehabilitation areas should include a mixture of trees, shrubs and ground cover plants that would be found naturally occurring in the local remnant woodlands, and essentially be representative of the target woodland reference sites. A low percentage of E. cladocalyx was also recorded in SE3.

In the rehabilitation sites BEL4, BEL5, SE1 and SE3 the density of shrubs has continued to increase as natural recruitment was occurring with many small acacia seedlings being observed. There was however a small reduction in the shrub population in SB1 and Dam01 as shrubs had grown into “trees” with a dbh >5cm. There was no net change recorded in BM11. Sites which continued to fall within the target KPI range included BEL5, SE1, SE3 and BM11. Sites BEL4, NB5, SB1, SB6 and Dam01 did not yet meet the minimum shrub density targets. Unless natural recruitment is evident in future monitoring years, assisted regeneration or tubestock planting may need to be undertaken within these areas in order to meet the required KPI targets especially when the existing shrubs and juvenile trees are expected to develop into “mature trees”. In BM11 62% of the shrub and juvenile tree population were non endemic Corymbia citriodora and E. cladocalyx.

There was no consistent change in total ground cover values across the range of rehabilitation sites but BM11 was the only site which continued to meet the target range. Sites BEL4, BEL5, SB1 and SE3 had greater than 90.5% ground cover, while the newest rehabilitation site SB6 had the lowest cover of 32.5%. Dead leaf litter continued to be the dominant form of ground cover in all monitoring sites with the exception of Dam01 which was dominated by annual weeds. The cover provided by live perennial vegetation (<0.5m in height) was in comparison much lower and this year no site met the minimum target of 23% perennial plant cover. Logs and rocks may have provided limited protective cover and habitat value in some sites, but these were also limited in the range of reference sites.

All sites except the two youngest sites NB5 and SB6 contained some vertical structural complexity in the 0.5 – 2.0m height category. All sites except these new rehabilitation sites and Dam01, contained foliage cover in all 2m height increments and this year these sites had some foliage cover which exceeded 6m in height, indicating good growth and development of the tree and shrub canopies. BM11 the oldest rehabilitation site continued to meet the projected foliage cover targets in the >6m vertical height range

There were no consistent trends in the changes in floristic diversity but there is typically a lack of plant diversity within most rehabilitation sites and the ground cover in sites situated on North and South Blakefield waste emplacements and the new Dam01 site were dominated by exotic species which is likely to have a negative impact on the longer-term sustainability of the woodland areas. While most rehabilitation sites tended to show an increasing trend in endemic plant cover, there was a decline in SB1.

All rehabilitation sites contained an appropriate number of tree and shrub species with the exception of the two new sites NB5 and SB6 which did not contain any tree or shrub species. The entire rehabilitation area in which NB5 and SB6 were located was presently being planted with tubestock

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(June 2013). BM11 continued to have low shrub diversity and numerous sites had a low diversity of sub-shrubs. The most common deficiencies in the rehabilitation sites were herbs and grasses indicating the need to improve rehabilitation methods with a focus on establishing a more diverse native grassland component. BEL5 has been the only site to contain an appropriate composition of vegetation in comparison to the reference sites.

The number of species recorded across the entire range of rehabilitation sites has ranged between 158 – 162 species since 2010 with 33 – 41% of these being exotic species. The exotic species Anagellis arvensis (Scarlet Pimpernel), Senecio madagascariensis (Fireweed) and Sida rhombifolia (Paddy’s Lucerne) have been the most common species recorded in each year and were typically common to all rehabilitation sites. These weed species are very common in the local area and subsequently were also found within the reference sites, reflecting the historical disturbance in the local area. The native grass Cynodon dactylon (Couch) was also recorded in all but one rehabilitation site as a result of natural establishment from the soil seed bank and/or from the seeding program, while the volunteer weed species Plantago lanceolata (Ribwort) was also very common. Other common species included Galenia pubescens (Galenia), Gomphocarpus fruticosus (Swan Plant) and Eucalyptus crebra (Narrow-leaf Ironbark).

In 2013 the new rehabilitation site SB6 was the only woodland site where active rilling was recorded. Numerous sites on the North and South Blakefield Emplacements and Southern Extension tended to have undesirable soil characteristics including soils which were moderately alkaline, saline and/or sodic. Organic matter was often deficient especially the younger sites and many rehabilitation sites were very low in phosphorous and nitrates but were within the local soil fertility ranges.

The results of the soil tests also indicate there are numerous elements which occur at elevated levels within the rehabilitation sites but many of these also have been recorded at elevated levels within the reference sites suggesting various elements and heavy metals can occur at “naturally” high levels around the Bulga Coal Complex and may be the result of the long agricultural and mining history of the area. In particular high levels of Magnesium, Potassium, Iron and Lead were frequently recorded across the range of woodland sites with elevated levels of Sulfur also being common amongst a range of the rehabilitation areas last year.

Pasture rehabilitation sites

Most of the pasture rehabilitation sites appear to be establishing reasonably well but with increased ecological function recorded in the reference sites, the minimum targets had increased this year such that no rehabilitation site met these targets, with the exception of BEL3 which reached minimum stability targets.

All sites with the exception of BEL2, which had been highly disturbed after the recent construction of a pipeline through the site, showed negligible change or marginal improvements in ecological function with the exception of NB4 which was demonstrating a declining trend. The functional capacity of the sites appears to fluctuate with the seasonal conditions and with the extent of macropod grazing and activity. The two newest pasture rehabilitation areas SB4 and SB5 had the least ecological function in 2011 but these sites have shown a significant increase in patch area and ecological function largely due to the excellent establishment of the perennial pasture grasses.

Since 2010 there has been no consistent trend in changes in total ground cover in the rehabilitation sites with most changes being relatively minor, except in SB5 where between 2011 and 2012 a significant improvement was observed. In 2013 there was also a dramatic decrease in total ground

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cover in BEL2 due to the construction of a pipeline through a large portion of the site. While high ground cover was recorded in all pasture sites SB4 and SB5 were the only sites to meet the 100% cover but BEL3 and SB2 were close to target.

Sites SB4 and SB5 contained a high percentage of perennial plant cover and were the only rehabilitation sites which fell within the perennial plant cover target. In these sites perennial plants were slightly more dominant than dead litter but in the remaining rehabilitation sites, leaf litter continued to be the dominant form of cover. The perennial pasture species in SB4 and SB5 tended to be younger and were actively growing with macropod grazing keeping the pasture species short and more vigorous. In contrast, older rehabilitation sites such as NB4 and SB4 on the North and South Blakefield Waste Emplacements, most litter and perennial cover was derived from the tall rank cover of Chloris gayana which also provided some limited projected foliage cover greater than 0.5m in height. All sites except BEL2 were dominated by exotic species.

This year there were no consistent trends in the changes in diversity however the fluctuating seasonal conditions, selective browsing and degree of grazing pressure, disturbances creating additional germination niches, density of the dominant species combined with some degree of sampling variability are likely to have some influence of the species diversity recorded in the monitoring sites. The construction of a pipeline through BEL2 also had an adverse impact in this site. The results however typically indicate there is a lack of plant diversity within numerous rehabilitation sites with the most floristically deficient sites being recorded in the rehabilitation areas on the North and South Blakefield Waste Emplacements. BEL2 and BEL3 had more weed species than desired. The less modified and older rehabilitation sites BEL2 and BEL3 met all community composition targets, except the absence of sub-shrubs in BEL2. The remaining pasture rehabilitation sites were highly deficient in herb and grass diversity and lacked fern representatives.

The number of species recorded across all of the pasture rehabilitation sites has ranged from 71 – 88 species since 2010 with 51 – 63% of these being exotic species. The perennial grasses Chloris gayana (Rhodes Grass) and Cynodon dactylon were the most common species this year and so was Gomphocarpus fruticosus and these were found in five of the six rehabilitation sites. Other very common species included Galenia pubescens and Pennisetum clandestinum. While Gomphocarpus fruticosus and Galenia pubescens are perennial weeds common in the local area, the perennial grasses were sown as part of the rehabilitation program.

A large rill which has continued to exceed the minimum value for concern has been recorded in site NB4 since 2010 and this year it had a cross-sectional area of 0.09 m2. One other site SB5 also had a large rill in 2011, but this has since become well vegetated and has stabilised. No other active rills were observed in the remaining rehabilitation sites in any monitoring year.

There were no consistent trends in the changes in soil chemical characteristics across the range of monitoring sites but often positive changes have been observed. Pasture rehabilitation sites on the South Blakefield Emplacements however continued to have soils that were moderately to strongly alkaline, possibly saline and sodic. Sites SB2, SB4 and BEL3 were low in organic matter and most rehabilitation sites were very low in phosphorous and nitrates but these were typical of the local area and reflect the low nutrient status of the native grasslands.

The results of the soil tests also indicate there are numerous elements which occur at elevated levels within the rehabilitation sites but many of these also have been recorded at elevated levels within the reference sites suggesting various elements and heavy metals can occur at “naturally” high levels around the Bulga Coal Complex and may be the result of the long agricultural and mining history of the area. In particular there may have been elevated levels of levels of Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium,

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Manganese or Iron. In 2012 there were also exceptionally high levels of Sulfur recorded in SB4 and SB5 with SB5 having concentrations which exceeded 100 times the recommended levels. Sulfur did not appear elevated in any of the monitoring sites this year.

Riparian rehabilitation sites

BEL6 is a woodland rehabilitation site located on the Northern Drainage line. The site was deep ripped and planted with tubestock in spring 2009. The site continued to be overall very stable, with good infiltration and nutrient recycling capacity due to the high density of perennial grasses and rushes and high levels of litter decomposition and very stable soils within the creek bed. There were however numerous small sinkholes (created by subsidence?) along the creek banks and in 2013 these have significantly increased in number and size and require amelioration.

Across much of the upper slopes the rate of vegetation establishment however has been very patchy and large bare areas have persisted across the site largely due to undesirable soil characteristics which have created less favourable conditions for plant establishment. This in conjunction with a range of other ecological shortfalls suggests that BEL6 requires additional rehabilitation intervention to ensure that it more satisfactorily replicates the structure, function and composition riparian communities in the local area and that this restoration project will meet riparian ecological targets and associated completion criteria.

The reference sites are dense regrowth areas and contain a very high stem density and may not represent desirable rehabilitation densities as they are unlikely to be advantageous in the longer term. Nonetheless, BEL6 contained a significantly low shrub and juvenile tree population and will require a tree replacement planting program which should aim to blend into the adjacent remnant riparian vegetation. In BEL6, this translates into a community dominated by Casuarina glauca (Swamp Oak) planted in relatively high densities along the riparian fringe, with scattered woodland trees on the upper slopes. Many tubestock remained stunted and chlorosed over most of the site, but some tubestock planted along the edge of the creek had grown significantly and this year a single individual Casuarina glauca with a dbh>5cm was recorded for the first time.

The creek bed in BEL6 was particularly stable but the upper slopes contained large bare patches particularly in the NW corner of the quadrat which were considered to be actively eroding and this year there was a reduction in total ground cover. The two reference sites were quite different in terms of the composition of the ground covers where dead leaf litter was dominant in BM16 while perennial vegetation was more dominant in BM17. BEL 6 was dominated by a combination of litter and annual plants, with some over also provided by cryptogams and perennial plants such as Cynodon dactylon.

The exotic reed and environmental weed, Juncus acutus, growing within the drainage channel provided some projected foliage cover 0.5 – 2.0m in height and this year there was a small percentage of cover 2.0 – 4.0m due to a planted tubestock. Due to the immaturity of the site BEL6 did not meet numerous projected foliage targets, however due to the comparatively low densities of trees and shrubs planted in the site it is unlikely that BEL6 would ever meet these projected foliage cover targets unless plant densities are increased.

BEL6 continued to lack the required total species richness but had an appropriate number of native and exotic species, however there continued to be significantly more exotic than native species. Endemic plant cover had slightly increased but the site remained weedier than desired. In 2013 there was a total of 45 species recorded the riparian rehabilitation site BEL6 and of these 23 (51%) species were exotic species. There were 17 species common to all riparian monitoring sites and 11 of these were exotic

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 vii 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report species. While Eucalyptus tereticornis was planted as tubestock into BEL6, the remaining species are naturally occurring. In BEL6 there was an appropriate number of tree, shrub and reed species compared to the reference sites but the site lacked the diversity of the ground cover species including herbs, grasses and ferns. The species of trees and shrubs planted as tubestock were also not considered to be entirely appropriate to this riparian ecosystem.

In BEL6 extensive site disturbance and deep ripping have exposed the undesirable subsoils which were very strongly alkaline, slightly saline and sodic and they continue to be deficient in organic matter. No rills have been recorded in any year however there continues to be active subsidence and tunnel erosion occurring within the creek bed and banks.

The results of the soil tests indicate there are numerous elements which occur at elevated levels within BEL6 however most of these also have been recorded at elevated levels within the riparian reference sites suggesting various elements and heavy metals occur at “normally” high levels around the Bulga Complex and are likely to the result of the long agricultural and mining history of the area. The high to excessively high concentrations of Calcium and Magnesium in BEL6 however may have the potential to limit plant growth and full ecosystem recovery, but these levels have demonstrated a significant decline since 2012.

Performance of the rehabilitation monitoring sites against “proposed” completion performance indicators

The tables below indicates the performance of the rehabilitation monitoring sites against a selection of proposed Completion Performance Indicators during the 2013 monitoring period. The selection of criteria has been presented in order of rehabilitation phases according to the new MOP guidelines excluding Phase 1: Decommissioning. The ecological targets begin at Phase 2: Landform establishment (yellow) and end with indicators in Phase 5: Ecosystem Development (dark blue). The range values of the ecological targets are amended annually.

Rehabilitation sites meeting or exceeding the range values of their representative community type have been identified with a coloured box and have therefore been deemed to meet completion criteria targets this year.

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 viii 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report Performance of the woodland and riparian rehabilitation monitoring sites against a selection of proposed completion performance indicators in 2013.

Aspect or Unit of Rehabilitation Performance ecosystem Ecological Targets measurement SE1 SE3 SB1 SB6 NB5 BEL4 BEL5 BEL6 Phase Indicators BM11 component (desirable) DAM01

Phase 2: Landform Landform slope, Landform suitable for final landuse Slope Degrees (<14°) 3 4 0 12 6 14 10 5 8 5 establishment and gradient and generally compatible with stability surrounding topography Landform function Landform is functional and performing as it was designed to do LFA Stability % 65.2 69.5 62.5 73.7 41.5 72.2 57.9 66.1 69.0 71.1

LFA Infiltration % 45.9 45.6 35.5 46.6 21.2 36.9 35.1 54.2 39.6 43.5

LFA Nutrient % 46.8 46.0 34.7 47.0 15.8 39 31.4 53.3 40.2 46.6 recycling

LFA Landscape % 91 100 100 97 0 81 37 100 100 86 organisation

Active erosion Areas of active erosion are limited Cross-sectional m2 0 0 0 0 0.035 0 0 0 0 0 area of rills

Phase 3: Growth Soil chemical, Soil properties are suitable for the medium physical properties establishment and maintenance of pH pH (5.6-7.3) 5.9 5.8 8.08 7.92 9.01 7.64 7.3 6.8 6.8 8.77 development and amelioration selected vegetation species

Organic Matter % (>4.5) 5.3 7.0 3.8 2.8 3.6 3.8 5.3 7.3 6.0 0.9

Phosphorous mg/kg (50) 16.7 13.8 25.9 13.1 17.4 13.1 3.6 23.0 13.1 23.3

Phase 4: Vegetation diversity Vegetation contains a diversity of Ecosystem& species comparable to that of the Landuse local remnant vegetation species/area 8 8 2 10 1 9 13 6 5 10 Establishment Diversity of shrubs and juvenile trees % population 100 100 100 95 100 100 100 61 100 100

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Aspect or Unit of Rehabilitation Performance ecosystem Ecological Targets measurement SE1 SE3 SB1 SB6 NB5 BEL4 BEL5 BEL6 Phase Indicators BM11 component (desirable) DAM01

Exotic species

Vegetation density Vegetation contains a density of species comparable to that of the Density of shrubs No./area 38 305 4 19 1 141 185 161 12 33 local remnant vegetation and juvenile trees

Ecosystem The vegetation is comprised by a composition range of growth forms comparable to that of the local remnant Trees No./area 5 4 2 9 0 6 9 5 4 5 vegetation

Shrubs No./area 7 5 0 4 1 4 11 1 2 5

Herbs No./area 18 38 14 17 18 20 12 8 18 20

Grass No./area 16 18 8 9 9 11 8 7 13 10

Phase 5: Ecosystem Protective ground Ground layer contains protective & Landuse cover ground cover and habitat structure Perennial plant % 6.9 15.5 18 14.5 16 11.5 1.9 5 12 14.5 Development comparable with the local remnant cover (< 0.5m) vegetation

Total Ground Cover % 90.5 96 71 96 32.5 71 93.5 99.5 94.5 85

Ground cover Vegetation contains a diversity of diversity species per square meter Native understorey comparable to that of the local > species/m2 4.8 7.6 0.8 1 1 3 3 0.8 3 2.2 remnant vegetation abundance

Native ground Native ground cover abundance is Percent endemic cover abundance comparable to that of the local ground cover remnant vegetation % 87.5 90.3 20 28.6 24.6 36.6 58.6 80 27 37.9

Ecosystem growth The vegetation is maturing and/or and natural natural recruitment is occurring at shrubs and juvenile recruitment rates similar to those of the local trees 0 - 0.5m in No./area 17 194 4 3 1 35 67 29 1 16 remnant vegetation height

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Aspect or Unit of Rehabilitation Performance ecosystem Ecological Targets measurement SE1 SE3 SB1 SB6 NB5 BEL4 BEL5 BEL6 Phase Indicators BM11 component (desirable) DAM01

Ecosystem The vegetation is developing structure vertical structure and complexity Foliage cover comparable to that of the local % cover 18 23 0 21 0 18.5 37 2 1 7.5 0.5 - 2 m remnant vegetation

Foliage cover >6m % cover 6 23 0 8 0 7 20 61 0 0

Tree diversity Vegetation contains a diversity of maturing tree and shrub species comparable to that of the local Tree diversity % 100 100 0 100 0 100 93 58 100 100 remnant vegetation

Ecosystem health The vegetation is in a condition comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation. Live trees % population 96.7 100 0 100 0 100 100 98.5 100 100

Healthy trees % population 53.3 20 0 100.0 0 100 92.9 47.8 100 100

Flowers/fruit: Trees % population 6.7 4 0 66.7 0 0 2.4 10.4 0 0

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 xi 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report Performance of the pasture rehabilitation monitoring sites against a selection of proposed completion performance indicators in 2013.

Rehabilitation Aspect or ecosystem Unit of measurement NB4 Ecological Targets Performance Indicators BEL2 BEL3 SB2 SB4 SB5 Phase component (desirable) (BM13)

Phase2: Landform Landform slope, gradient Landform suitable for final landuse and establishment and stability generally compatible with surrounding topography Slope Degrees (<14°) 3 1 14 9 1 10

Landform function Landform is functional and performing as it was designed to do LFA Stability % 57.7 74.5 67.5 71.0 73.5 70.0

LFA Infiltration % 39.7 46.2 40.3 48.2 49.9 46.8

LFA Nutrient recycling % 34.4 48.0 36.9 48.8 50.2 47.8

LFA Landscape % 62 100 100 100 100 100 organisation

Active erosion Areas of active erosion are limited Cross-sectional area of m2 0 0 0.090 0 0 0 rills

Phase 3: Growth medium Soil chemical, physical Soil properties are suitable for the development properties and establishment and maintenance of selected pH pH (5.6-7.3) 6.7 6.6 7.83 7.8 8.78 8.93 amelioration vegetation species

Organic Matter % (>4.5) 9.0 4.2 3.1 4.1 3.2 7.5

Phosphorous mg/kg (50) 30.5 18.4 6.6 33.5 14.8 17.4

Phase 4: Ecosystem& Vegetation diversity Vegetation contains a diversity of species Landuse Establishment comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Exotic species richness

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Rehabilitation Aspect or ecosystem Unit of measurement NB4 Ecological Targets Performance Indicators BEL2 BEL3 SB2 SB4 SB5 Phase component (desirable) (BM13)

Vegetation density Vegetation contains a density of species comparable to that of the local remnant Density of shrubs and No./area 0 0 1 0 0 1 vegetation juvenile trees

Ecosystem composition The vegetation is comprised by a range of growth forms comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Herbs No./area 20 23 11 5 1 0

Grass No./area 13 11 4 3 4 4

Phase 5: Ecosystem & Protective ground cover Ground layer contains protective ground Landuse Development cover and habitat structure comparable with Perennial plant cover (< % 15.5 32 27 22.5 57 51.5 the local remnant vegetation 0.5m)

Total Ground Cover % 70 97 95.5 97.5 100 100

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Conclusion

Previous approval documents focused on the establishment of a predominantly cattle grazing post mine land use for the Bulga Coal Complex. Proposed rehabilitation nominated that 70% of all rehabilitation should be pasture species and 30% should be native woodland species. Subsequently, existing pasture rehabilitation areas are predominantly comprised of exotic pastures species. Rehabilitation objectives at the Bulga Coal Complex have recently been altered such that the final land uses for the rehabilitated waste emplacements include the establishment of woodland communities and habitat corridors where appropriate and providing for grazing on areas where the soil types can support productive native pastures.

Despite the improved planning processes detailed in the draft Land Management Plan (Xstrata 2011), most rehabilitation areas have been implemented under past management and rehabilitation regimes which are subsequently reflected in the ecological outcomes and ongoing management requirements. Many existing rehabilitation sites have demonstrated some improvement in ecological function however there continues to be many ecological aspects which will require amelioration via active management intervention if they are to replicate the structure, function and composition of the local native woodland and grassland communities. In particular the undesirable soil characteristics, low native species diversity and non conforming community composition and species selection tends to indicate that many existing sites require rehabilitation intervention. There is also a need to integrate native perennial ground cover species into the rehabilitation areas to ensure native species diversity are met and that rehabilitation areas will in fact be sustainable native woodland ecosystems in the longer-term. There is a need to clearly define revegetation techniques based on the relevant completion criteria and ecological targets.

Investigative trials which assess the effectiveness of utilising organic materials such as Organic Growth Medium (OGM), Biosolids and/or seed-bearing native pasture hay would be beneficial. Feral and pest animals and noxious weeds also require monitoring and targeted control programs need to be implemented. High numbers of macropods (and pigs) were observed across the Bulga Complex and are potentially degrading the vegetation and impacting on conservation and biodiversity goals. Small exclusion areas to exclude grazing animals especially macropods in high concentration areas will assist in quantifying the impact and extent of browsing on the vegetation and provide information on the need for and level of management intervention required in consultation with advice from relevant experts and authorities.

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Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... II 1 REHABILITATION MONITORING REPORT INTRODUCTION ...... 1 2 BULGA COAL COMPLEX REHABILITATION GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ...... 3 2.1 MINE CLOSURE OBJECTIVES ...... 3 2.2 REHABILITATION SCHEDULE...... 3 2.3 VEGETATION COMMUNITIES ...... 3 2.4 FINAL USE ...... 4 2.5 REHABILITATION DOMAINS ...... 4 3 BULGA COAL COMPLEX LONG-TERM MONITORING PROGRAM ...... 6 3.1 INTRODUCTION ...... 6 3.2 ANNUAL REHABILITATION MONITORING PROGRAM ...... 9 4 REHABILITATION MONITORING METHODOLOGY ...... 13 4.1 LANDSCAPE FUNCTION ANALYSES ...... 13 4.2 SOIL ANALYSES ...... 14 4.3 MONITORING STRUCTURAL DIVERSITY, FLORISTIC AND OTHER BIODIVERSITY ATTRIBUTES...... 14 4.4 AMENDMENTS ...... 15 4.5 LIMITATIONS ...... 16 5 RAINFALL ...... 17 6 DESCRIPTIONS AND PHOTO-POINTS OF THE REFERENCE SITES...... 18 7 DESCRIPTIONS AND PHOTO-POINTS OF THE REHABILITATION MONITORING SITES ...... 23 8 WOODLAND REHABILITATION SITES: ECOLOGICAL TRENDS AND PERFORMANCE AGAINST A SELECTION OF PRIMARY ECOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS ...... 31 8.1 LANDSCAPE FUNCTION ANALYSES ...... 31 8.2 TREE DENSITY ...... 36 8.3 SHRUBS AND RECRUITMENT ...... 37 8.4 TOTAL GROUND COVER ...... 38 8.5 STRUCTURAL COMPOSITION ...... 39 8.6 FLORISTIC DIVERSITY ...... 42 8.7 PERCENT ENDEMIC GROUND COVER ...... 44 8.8 MOST COMMON SPECIES ...... 44 8.9 VEGETATION COMPOSITION ...... 45 8.10 RILL ASSESSMENT ...... 46 8.11 SOIL ANALYSES ...... 47 8.12 WOODLAND REHABILITATION SITE PERFORMANCE TOWARDS MEETING ECOLOGICAL TARGETS ...... 54 9 PASTURE REHABILITATION SITES: ECOLOGICAL TRENDS AND PERFORMANCE AGAINST A SELECTION OF PRIMARY ECOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS ...... 63 9.1 LANDSCAPE FUNCTION ANALYSES ...... 63 9.2 TREE DENSITY ...... 67 9.3 SHRUBS AND RECRUITMENT ...... 67 9.4 TOTAL GROUND COVER ...... 68 9.5 STRUCTURAL COMPOSITION ...... 69 9.6 FLORISTIC DIVERSITY ...... 70 9.7 PERCENT ENDEMIC GROUND COVER ...... 72 9.8 MOST COMMON SPECIES ...... 72 9.9 VEGETATION COMPOSITION ...... 73 9.10 RILL ASSESSMENT ...... 74 9.11 SOIL ANALYSES ...... 74 9.12 PASTURE REHABILITATION SITE PERFORMANCE TOWARDS MEETING ECOLOGICAL TARGETS ...... 80 10 RIPARIAN REHABILITATION SITES: ECOLOGICAL TRENDS AND PERFORMANCE AGAINST A SELECTION OF PRIMARY ECOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS ...... 88

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10.1 LANDSCAPE FUNCTION ANALYSES ...... 88 10.2 LFA SUMMARY ...... 90 10.3 TREE DENSITY...... 91 10.4 SHRUBS AND RECRUITMENT ...... 92 10.5 TOTAL GROUND COVER ...... 93 10.6 STRUCTURAL COMPOSITION ...... 94 10.7 FLORISTIC DIVERSITY ...... 95 10.8 PERCENT ENDEMIC GROUND COVER ...... 97 10.9 MOST COMMON SPECIES ...... 97 10.10 VEGETATION COMPOSITION ...... 98 10.11 RILL ASSESSMENT ...... 99 10.12 SOIL ANALYSES ...... 99 10.13 RIPARIAN REHABILITATION SITE PERFORMANCE TOWARDS MEETING ECOLOGICAL TARGETS ...... 104 11 MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 112 12 MANAGEMENT SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ...... 120 13 REFERENCES ...... 123 APPENDIX 1. 2013 COMPREHENSIVE FLORA SPECIES LIST – REHABILITATION SITES ...... 125 APPENDIX 2. 2013 COMPREHENSIVE FLORA SPECIES LIST – REFERENCE SITES ...... 131 APPENDIX 3. 2013 COMPREHENSIVE SOIL ANALYSES – WOODLAND REHABILITATION SITES ...... 136 APPENDIX 4. 2013 COMPREHENSIVE SOIL ANALYSES – PASTURE REHABILITATION SITES ...... 141 APPENDIX 5. 2013 COMPREHENSIVE SOIL ANALYSES – RIPARIAN REHABILITATION SITE AND REFERENCE SITES ...... 145

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 xvi 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report

1 Rehabilitation monitoring report introduction

The Bulga Coal Complex is located approximately 15 kilometres southwest of Singleton, 5 kilometres north of the town of Broke and 6 kilometres east of Bulga, in the upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Bulga Coal Complex comprises two coal mining operations (Umwelt 2003a, Xstrata 2008a, 2008b): • Bulga Surface Operations (BSO) • Bulga Underground Operations (BUO)

Both the Bulga Surface and Underground Operations are managed as separate business units serviced by a common coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP) and rail loading facility located in the northeast corner of the Bulga Coal Complex (Xstrata 2008b). These businesses are however collectively referred to as the Bulga Coal Complex.

The Bulga Coal Complex Mining Lease is traversed by Charlton and Broke Roads and includes some four kilometres of the Wollombi Brook in its northwest corner (Xstrata 2008b). The proposed development area is made up of land held privately to the west of Charlton Road as far as the margins of the Wollombi Brook floodplain, but not onto it. The lease area also extends southeast into Commonwealth owned land between Broke and Cessnock Roads (Figure 1-1).

Development Consent (DA-376-8-2003) for the BUO was granted in February 2004, while Development Consent (DA-41-03-99) for the BSO was granted in 1999 (Xstrata 2008b). A Flora and Fauna Management Plan was developed (Xstrata 2008b) for all land within the Bulga Coal Complex and was developed in accordance with Conditions 43 and 44 of the BUO development consent and condition 3.4 of the BSO development consent. The Plan covers mitigation measures for the remediation of subsidence due to underground mining and also drives management actions such as the rehabilitation of BSO. The Plan also includes a comprehensive monitoring program that covers land subject to impacts from both underground and open cut mining. Once approved, this Plan will replace the existing Bulga Flora and Fauna Management Plan (Xstrata 2008b).

Previous monitoring reports have provided details of the XCN closure criteria development and rehabilitation monitoring standards (DnA Environmental 2010a, 2010b), monitoring methodology and quality control plan (DnA Environmental 2010a) and descriptions of remnant vegetation within the Bulga Coal Complex using extracts from the Environmental Impact Statement (Umwelt 2003), Flora and Fauna Management Plan (Xstrata 2008b) and Draft Landscape Management Plan (Xstrata 2011).

This rehabilitation monitoring report aims to: 1. Provide a brief history of the monitoring program and describes the changes that have occurred since its inception; and 2. Present the 2013 monitoring results of nine woodland, six pasture and one riparian rehabilitation site and compare their ecological progress since 2010 against relevant reference sites, also established as part of the rehabilitation monitoring program; 3. Fulfil partial monitoring requirements of the consent conditions specified in the Environmental Impact Statement (Xstrata 2008a), Flora and Fauna Management Plan (Xstrata 2008b), Draft Landscape Management Plan (Xstrata 2011) and XCN HSEC mine closure and rehabilitation monitoring standards.

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Figure 1-1. Location of the Bulga Coal Complex (Xstrata 2008b).

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2 Bulga Coal Complex rehabilitation goals and objectives

2.1 Mine closure objectives

Previous planning documentation nominated end land use for the Bulga Coal Complex as primarily low intensity grazing which is a reflection of the land use that existed pre-mining. A subsequent first principles review of the rehabilitated mined land capability and soil and spoil constraints has demonstrated that a grazing land use on rehabilitated mined land, particularly spoil dumps, is inappropriate and cannot be sustained (Xstrata 2011). This has been recognised and large areas of the Bulga Coal Complex have been destocked and natural regeneration of woodland communities is occurring. Therefore the focus of rehabilitation and mine closure has changed from the establishment of pastures to improving biodiversity through the establishment of viable woodland species particularly where soil and landform constraints are sub-optimal for grazing while maintaining and/or establishing native pastures for grazing where appropriate. The establishment of woodlands and habitat corridors is actively promoted by Xstrata Coal and is consistent with the Department of Primary Industries – Mineral Resources (1999) Synoptic Plan: Integrated Landscapes for Coal Mine Rehabilitation in the Hunter Valley of NSW.

The mine closure objectives for the Bulga Coal Complex are to: • Create stable, non polluting post mining landforms that are cognisant of site constraints and allows the achievement of the agreed post mining land uses; • Enhance biodiversity by allowing the regrowth of native woodlands, establishment of native woodlands and grasslands on rehabilitated landforms and re-establishment of riparian corridors; • Minimise the potential for environmental impact and long term management of the Bulga Coal Complex; • Comply with agency requirements and community expectations; and • Facilitate lease surrender in a timely and coordinated manner.

2.2 Rehabilitation schedule

Rehabilitation will be undertaken progressively during the operational phases of the underground and open cut operations. Progressive rehabilitation activities associated with the underground operations largely include: • Subsidence rehabilitation (cracks, lines etc); • Establishment of riparian corridors; and • Rehabilitation of gas drainage infrastructure.

Progressive rehabilitation activities associated with the open cut focuses on spoil dumps (Xstrata 2011).

2.3 Vegetation communities

The complex area is characterised by undulating lowlands supporting savannah woodland of Box, Gum and Ironbark which has been mostly thinned or cleared in the past for grazing, cultivation and mining leaving extensive areas of native grasslands. Most of the woodland vegetation is small, fragmented and unconnected, except for the woodlands in the southeast of the Bulga Coal Complex which are contiguous with the Singleton Military Area. In the absence of grazing, regrowth woodland may also common throughout across the grasslands and along the riparian corridors. Ten vegetation communities

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 3 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report have been identified within and surrounding the Bulga Coal Complex and associated properties but the most common woodlands are dominated Eucalyptus crebra (Narrow-leaved Ironbark) – E. moluccana (Grey Box).

2.4 Final use

Previous approval documents focused on the establishment of a predominantly cattle grazing post mine land use for the Bulga Coal Complex with proposed rehabilitation objectives consisting of 70% grazing pasture and 30% planted native woodland. While many final landuse options have been explored the nature of the site spoils and soils is a major limiting factor and feasibility studies have demonstrated that commercial livestock grazing on rehabilitated mined land, especially the spoil dumps is inappropriate and may not able to be sustained. Therefore the focus of rehabilitation and mine closure has changed from the establishment of grazing pastures to improving the biodiversity through the establishment of viable woodland communities particularly where the soil and landform constraints are sub-optimal for grazing while maintaining or establishment mixed pastures for grazing where appropriate (Xstrata 2011).

In most instances the establishment of woodlands would not preclude grazing of these areas; however, it would have to be undertaken in a manner that was cognisant of the biodiversity outcomes for that area and the limitations of the landform and soil/spoil types (Xstrata 2011). The establishment of woodlands and habitat corridors is actively promoted by Xstrata Coal and is consistent with the Department of Primary Industries – Mineral Resources (1999) Synoptic Plan: Integrated Landscapes for Coal Mine Rehabilitation in the Hunter Valley of NSW.

2.5 Rehabilitation domains

The Bulga Coal Complex has been divided up into eight domains with each domain having similar rehabilitation outcomes and subsequent closure criteria. The proposed post-mine land use for each domain in provided in Table 2-1 (Xstrata 2011). A map of the current rehabilitation areas is given in Figure 2-1.

Table 2-1. Rehabilitation domains and proposed final landuse (from Xstrata 2011). Domain PMLU

Domain 1 – Final Voids Biodiversity – open woodland and riparian communities

Domain 2 – Infrastructure Areas Low intensity grazing on native pastures

Domain 3 – Soil Dumps Biodiversity – open woodland with native grass understory

Domain 4 – BHP Spoil Dump Biodiversity – open woodland with native grass understory

Domain 5 – Tailings Facilities Low intensity grazing on native pastures

Domain 6 – Remnant Native Vegetation, Corridors, Protected Biodiversity – Central Hunter Box Ironbark Woodland, Swamp Oak and Offset Areas Forest, Warkworth Sands Woodland, Forest Redgum Open Woodland

Domain 7 – Class I to Class IV agricultural land Maintenance of existing agricultural land use

Domain 8 – Class V to Class VI agricultural land Maintenance of existing agricultural land use

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Figure 2-1. Map showing the Bulga Coal Complex rehabilitation areas (Xstrata 2011).

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3 Bulga Coal Complex long-term monitoring program

3.1 Introduction

In 2010 the Bulga Coal Complex commissioned DnA Environmental to establish an annual rehabilitation monitoring program and develop a set of primary ecological targets that comply with and are consistent with Xstrata Coal NSW (2009) HSEC Standards and relevant NSW legislation, closure requirements, policies and best practice guidelines (eg. Nichols 2005, NSW I&I 2010). It also aims to satisfy regulatory requirements of the BUO Environmental Impact Statement (Umwelt 2003), BUO Flora and Fauna Management Plan (Xstrata 2008b) and Bulga Coal Complex Land Management Plan (Xstrata 2011).

The primary objectives in establishing ecological targets is to establish clearly defined, repeatable and consistent methodologies for monitoring changes in various aspects of ecosystem stability, recovery and long-term sustainability. Part of this process includes: • Establishing a range of relevant reference sites to compare and track the progress of rehabilitation areas and inherent ecosystem function; • Selecting a range of suitable reference sites that reflect the desired final land use, biodiversity targets, historical disturbances and local community expectations; and • Undertaking a monitoring program that provides simple but informative and reliable information that indicates positive recovery trends or rapid detection of rehabilitation failure.

Since 2003, ecological monitoring sites at the Bulga Coal Complex have been established and monitored by Umwelt Environmental Consultants in accordance with the BSO Environmental Impact Statement (Umwelt 2003) and Flora and Fauna Management Plan (Umwelt 2003, Xstrata 2008b). Most sites were situated in areas of remnant vegetation representative of each of the main vegetation communities recorded within the Bulga Coal Complex, with the exception of pastoral grasslands and croplands. However there were too few sites situated on major rehabilitation emplacements and previous monitoring did not utilise comparative reference sites as a benchmarks for rehabilitation objectives and quantitative data was limited. Therefore the monitoring program lacked the ability to adequately assess rehabilitation in terms of meeting ecological targets and XCN HSEC standards and NSW I&I REMP requirements.

In 2010, DnA Environmental was commissioned to review the vegetation monitoring program such that it would encompass a variety of monitoring requirements. It aimed to:

• Compare the new revegetation/rehabilitation areas with suitable reference sites using quantified Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and determine a selection of “Ecological Targets” that comply with and are consistent with Xstrata Coal NSW (2009) HSEC Standards and relevant NSW legislation, Mine closure requirements and best practice guidelines (eg. Nichols 2005, NSW I&I 2010) and Land Management Plan (Xstrata 2011); and • Continue monitoring the condition of the remnant vegetation and riparian ecosystems using a methodology which quantifies the changes occurring within these ecological communities and addresses monitoring requirements of the BUO Environmental Impact Statement (Umwelt 2003) and Flora and Fauna Management Plan (Xstrata 2008b).

To remain more consistent with the proposed Bulga Coal Complex domains and associated final land uses as proposed in Xstrata (2011) the long-term monitoring sites were separated into:

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1. “Ecological” monitoring sites which includes Remnant Native Vegetation, Corridors, Protected and Offset Areas (Domain 6); and 2. “Rehabilitation” monitoring sites which includes Rehabilitation areas associated with Domains 1, 2, 3 and 4. This may also include newly established tree corridors and offset plantings.

The reference sites were located in Domains 6 (woodland communities) or Domains 7 and 8 (grassland reference sites), but not in areas subjected to subsidence. A summary of the long-term monitoring program is provided in Figure 3-1.

While ecological function and sustainability of the rehabilitation sites are directly compared with their relevant reference community, “Ecological” sites are only compared to each other with trends in ecological function and sustainability assessed over time. The full ecological monitoring reports can be found in DnA Environmental (2010c, 2011c, 2012 and 2013).

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Bulga Complex Long-term Monitoring Program

Rehabilitation Monitoring Program Ecological Monitoring Program

Determine final Land use communities or Domains of rehabilitated areas (eg Conservation woodlands, grazing pastures, riparian ecosystem etc) as per LMP.

Reference Sites Rehabilitation sites Ecological sites

Establish triplicate reference sites of each final Establish appropriate number of sites in each area Establish monitoring sites in areas of remnant vegetation as per EIS, landuse community of rehabilitation according to DEC 2004 FFMP. The first sites were first established by Umweldt (2003).

Implement monitoring procedures including LFA, soil analyses and structural diversity and habitat assessments

Define lower and upper ecological targets Compare the progress of the rehabilitation within each community type as measured sites in relation to the ecological targets within the reference sites within that year recorded within the relevant reference sites

Provide management recommendations to Provide management recommendations to improve the ecological function of improve or maintain the ecological function of rehabilitation areas such that they will meet the remnant vegetation ecological targets

Implement recommendations and refine Implement recommendations rehabilitation techniques and procedures Figure 3-1. Flow diagram of the long-term monitoring program.

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3.2 Annual rehabilitation monitoring program

3.2.1 Reference monitoring sites

Based on the final landuse objectives, three broad vegetation community “groups” were identified with these being: • Mixed native woodland; • Grazing pastures; and • Riparian woodlands.

Vegetation communities are seldom uniform and are comprised of a different suite of species according to variations in climate, geology, soils, topography, aspect as well as other influences such as seasonal conditions, disturbance events and management conditions. This makes it difficult to determine what exactly a “woodland community” or “native grassland” is, what features it should have, how to establish one and at what point is it considered to be one.

Therefore we established three mixed woodland sites, three native grassland and two riparian woodland sites as examples of each community type to allow for these inherent variations, range of local conditions and ecological transition. These sites are reference sites which form the foundation of the monitoring methodology used for establishing the ecological targets and quantifying the key performance indicators. Where possible, existing ecological monitoring sites were considered for use as reference sites to reduce monitoring effort, but in most cases ecological sites were subjected to subsidence (or in the case of some riparian sites were not in suitable condition).

All reference sites have been subjected to some form of prior disturbance, in particular clearing for agriculture and livestock grazing and all woodland sites were regrowth, with some invasion from introduced species. These sites, despite their disturbance history are typical of the local area and will help set realistic rehabilitation targets and provide a benchmark for transitional processes that can be expected or that are presently occurring in the rehabilitation areas.

Data obtained from these reference sites quantified the range of performance indicators and resulting ecological targets in each respective monitoring year and these sites have been further described in section 6. The reference sites were situated on land owned by the Bulga Coal Complex and these were spread out where possible to maximise the spatial distribution and subsequent variations in community composition across the local landscape, but were not situated in areas of subsidence. Table 3-1 provides the GPS coordinates and other site specific information. The location of the reference sites in relation to the rehabilitation sites are provided in Figure 3-2.

Table 3-1. GPS coordinates and other site specific information for the reference sites. Site Name LFA Start LFA Finish LFA LFA Veg transect Veg transect Veg transect slope° bearing start finish bearing° RWood01 56 325290, 56 325306, 8 36 NE 56 325297, 56 325335, 128 SE 6383199 6383212 6383208 6383177 RWood02 56 324002, 56 323991, 6 285 NW 56 323997, 56 324017, 25 NE 6383815 6383819 6383815 6383860 RWood03 56 323248, 56 323230, 11 253 SW 56 323239, 56 323230, 348 NW 6385083 6385083 6385082 6385132 RPast01 56 324729, 56 324732, 6 166 S 56 324732, 56 324680, 251 W 6383550 6383530 6383541 6383536 RPast02 56 323626, 56 323645, 1 77 E 56 323635, 56 323642, 165 S 6382929 6382932 6382932 6382882 RPast03 56 323589, 56 323577, 5 198 SW 56 323583, 56 323545, 188 NW

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Site Name LFA Start LFA Finish LFA LFA Veg transect Veg transect Veg transect slope° bearing start finish bearing° 6384027 6384012 6384021 6384042 BM15 56 325042, 56 325053, 15 152 SE 56 325042, 56 325053, 152 SE (Riparian) 6383312 6383267 6383312 6383267

BM16 56 324120, 56 324079, 4 218 SW 56 324120, 56 324079, 218 SW (Riparian) 6381310 6381280 6381310 6381280

3.2.2 Rehabilitation monitoring sites

The rehabilitation sites were a combination of mixed native woodland and exotic pasture communities and occurred on various spoil dumps, areas subjected to subsidence repair or riparian restoration projects within the Bulga Coal Complex (Domains 1, 2, 3 and 4). The rehabilitation monitoring sites were considered to be representative of the rehabilitation project as a whole or were similar to and representative of other areas of rehabilitation. The resultant number of rehabilitation sites established in 2010 was 17 which included ten woodland and seven pasture rehabilitation areas. Since 2012 the number and location of the rehabilitation sites has changed largely due to the establishment of new rehabilitation areas in combination with the loss of some sites due to mining disturbance. In 2013 sites which were lost by mine developments included the rehabilitated woodland sites BEL1, NB3 and SE2 and two rehabilitated pastures sites including NB1 and SB3. Two new woodland rehabilitation sites were however established on the North Blakefield waste emplacements this year.

Subsequently the total number of rehabilitation sites monitored in 2013 included: • 9 woodland rehabilitation; • 6 pasture rehabilitation; and • 1 riparian woodland rehabilitation.

The location of the rehabilitation sites in comparison to the reference sites is provided in Figure 3-2. Table 3-2 provides the GPS coordinates and other site specific information.

Rehabilitation monitoring has been undertaken during June – July in all monitoring years and this year the field work was undertaken during 11 – 21st June by Dr Donna Johnston and Andrew Johnston (DnA Environmental). The methodology used has been consistent over the past four years with the full methodology provided in the “Rehabilitation monitoring methodology and Quality Control Plan” (DnA Environmental 2010a).

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Figure 3-2. Map of the rehabilitation monitoring sites in relation to the reference sites.

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Table 3-2. GPS Co-ordinates of the rehabilitation sites and other site specific information. Site LFA Start LFA Finish LFA LFA Veg transect Veg Veg slope° bearing° start transect transect finish bearing° NB3: Woodland 56 321179, 56 321184, 12 2 N 56 321181, 56 321226, 92 E 6384825 6384844 6384835 6384829 NB5: Woodland 56320961, 56320980, 0 103 E 56320972, 56320957, 196 S 6384369 6384358 6384364 6384314 *SB1 (b): 56 321879, 56 321892, 12 72 NE 56 321885, 56 321879, 342 SE Woodland 6383691 6383695 6383692 6383740 SB2: Pasture 56 322167, 56 322186, 9 71 NE 56 322176, 56 322184, 163 SE 6383503 6383503 6383504 6383453 SB4: Pasture 56321219, 56321236, 1 60 NE 56 321224, 56 321245, 152 SE 6383523 6383528 6383524 6383482

SB5: Pasture 56 321519, 56 321539, 10 82 E 56 321528, 56 321525, 172 SE 6384240 6384241 6384241 6384195 SB6: Woodland 56321003, 56321021, 6 85 E 56321014, 56321005, 185 S 6383904 6383906 6383905 6383860 SE1: Woodland 56 321529, 56 321530, 14 351 N 56 321529, 56 321580, 80 E 6380640 6380658 6380653 6380646 SE3: Woodland 56 320980, 56 320974, 10 310 NW 56 320975, 56 321008, 30 NE 6380058 6380076 6380068 6380105 BM11: Woodland 56 322183, 56 322168, 5 245 SW 56 322177, 56 322171, 347 NW 6378901 6378906 6378902 6378949 BEL2: Native 56 322725, 56 322715, 3 320 NW 56 322718, 56 322759, 53 NE pasture 6378326 6378343 6378334 6378360 BEL3: Pasture 56 322669, 56 322661, 1 190 S 56 322666, 56 322620, 277 W 6379338 6379323 6379329 6379343 BEL4: Native 56 319656, 56 319639, 3 265 W 56 319648, 56 319649, 355 N pasture 6381312 6381315 6381315 6381361 BEL5: Natural 56 620699, 56 320700, 4 153 SE 56 320698, 56 320651, 246 SW woodland 6381077 6381057 6381066 6381053 BEL6: Riparian 56 318864, 56 318820, 5 229 SW 56 318864, 56 318820, 229 SW woodland 6382545 6382522 6382545 6382522 Dam01: Woodland 56 325408, 56 325414, 8 359 N 56 325411, 56 325459, 90 E 6382129 6382148 6382136 6382130 * In 2012 a drop structure was constructed through the centre of the SB1 monitoring plot. The LFA transect was able to be retained but a mirror image of the original quadrat had to be established. Thus the quadrat was “flipped over”.

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4 Rehabilitation monitoring methodology

Ecological data were collected using several key monitoring methodologies including a combination Landscape Function Analyses (LFA), accredited soil analyses and an assessment of ecosystem characteristics using an adaptation of methodologies derived by CSIRO Grassy woodland Benchmarking project (Gibbons 2002). A detailed description of the rehabilitation monitoring methodology can be found in the “Rehabilitation monitoring methodology and Quality Control Plan (DnA Environmental 2010a), however a summarised description is provided below.

4.1 Landscape Function Analyses

LFA is a methodology used to assess key indicators of ecosystem function including landscape organisation and soil surface condition as measure of how well the landscape retains and uses vital resources. It was developed by CSIRO scientists Tongway and Hindley (Tongway 1994, Tongway and Hindley 1995, 1996, 2003, 2004). The indicators used quantify the utilisation of the vital landscape resources of water, topsoil, organic matter and perennial vegetation in space and time.

LFA methodology collects data at two “nested” spatial scales.

1. At coarse scale, landscape organisation is characterised. Patches and interpatches, indicators of resource regulation, are mapped at the 0.5 to 100 m scale from a gradient-oriented transect (making sense of landscape heterogeneity); and

2. At fine scale, soil surface assessment (soil “quality”) examines the status of surface processes at about the 1m scale, with rapidly assessed indicators on the patches and interpatches identified at the coarse scale.

At each scale, parameters are calculated that reflect several aspects of landscape function. In the first stage, we identify and record the patches and interpatches along a line oriented directly down slope. Sometimes there are several different types of each patch/interpatch which provides a measure of heterogeneity or “landscape organisation”.

In the second stage, called “soil surface condition” (SSC) assessment, it is possible to assess and monitor soil quality using simple indicators including: • Rain splash protection; • Perennial vegetation cover; • Percent litter cover, origin of the litter and extent of decomposition; • Cryptogam cover; • Crust brokenness; • Soil erosion type and severity; • Deposited materials; • Soil surface roughness; • Surface nature (resistance to disturbance); • Slake test; and • Soil surface texture.

These 11 features are compiled and calculated into three indices of soil quality:

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1. Stability (that is, resistance to accelerated erosion); 2. Infiltration (the rate soil absorbs water); and 3. Nutrient Cycling (the way plant litter and roots decompose and become available for use by other plants).

4.2 Soil analyses

Soil samples are undertaken using standard soil sampling techniques within the monitoring quadrat. At least 12 samples are taken at each site and bulked together. Soil samples are sent to Southern Cross University at their National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited laboratory for analysis. Soil analysis consist of assessing the parameters, pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Available Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Potassium (K), Nitrate Nitrogen (N), Sulphur (S), organic matter (OM), exchangeable Sodium (Na), Ca, Mg, K, Hydrogen (H), cation exchange capacity, available and extractable Phosphorus (P), micronutrients (Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Boron (B), Silicon (Si), Aluminium (Al), Molybdenum (Mo), Cobalt (Co) and Selenium (Se)) and Total Carbon. The heavy metals including Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), Arsenic (As), Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni), Mercury (Hg) and Silver (Ag) are also tested.

A report with analysis and desirable levels recommended in the agricultural industry is provided by the laboratory. Exchangeable Sodium Percentages were calculated as a measure of sodicity or dispersion.

4.3 Monitoring structural diversity, floristic and other biodiversity attributes

In addition to LFA, assessments of various biodiversity components must also be made to monitor changes in particular plants and groups of plants through the various successional phases and to document and/or identify critical changes or management actions required.

Some simple and rapid procedures for making these assessments were developed by CSIRO scientists and were developed for assessment habitat quality across a range of vegetation types in the southern NSW Murray-Darling Basin (Gibbons 2002), and Biometric Model used in the Property Planning Process (Gibbons et al 2008a,b). Some adaptations have been made to reduce monitoring effort where possible, and to incorporate aspects of newly formed revegetation sites or sites in the early stages of recovery. For example some habitat features such as the detailed measuring and assessment of decomposition of the logs and branches has been omitted, whilst the understorey assessment included planted tubestock, direct seeding as well as natural recruitment and naturally occurring shrubs.

The rapid ecological assessment provides quantitative data that measures changes in: • Floristic diversity including species area curves and growth forms; • Ground cover diversity and abundance; • Vegetation structure and habitat characteristics (including ground cover, cryptogams, logs, rocks, litter, projected foliage cover at various height increments); • Understorey density and growth (including established shrubs, direct seeding and tubestock plantings and tree regeneration); • Overstorey characteristics including tree density, health and survival; and • Other habitat attributes such as the presence of hollows, mistletoe and the production of buds, flowers and fruit.

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Permanent transects and photo-points are established to record changes in these attributes over time.

4.3.1 Addition of ecological targets

In 2012, an additional ecological target was included which was the “percent cover of endemic species”.

4.3.1.1 Percent cover of native ground cover species

While the cover provided by individual species has always been recorded as part of the monitoring process, this data has usually been presented within the individual site descriptions and has not been provided as a major part of the ecological performance criteria per se. In 2012 an estimation of the cover provided by native species has been presented within the Key Performance Indicator tables. While it is only estimation the percent cover of endemic ground cover species has been derived by the following equation.

Percent cover endemic species = sum of the five Braun- blanquet scores for native species / sum of the five Braun- blanquet scores of exotic + native species x 100

This data was intended to provide a better indication of not only the diversity of the site, but to provide some measure of the abundance cover the native vegetation and an indication of its weediness. This becomes particularly important when determining the performance of native vegetation ecosystems.

4.4 Amendments

In 2013 a revision of key management documents associated with Mining Operations and development of the Land Management Plan within the Bulga Coal Complex was undertaken. As a result the Key Performance Indicators Tables provided within the annual rehabilitation reports have been restructured to more accurately align with the new MOP requirements and reporting guidelines.

The application of the ecological performance data during the Decommissioning phase (Phase 1) is not considered applicable within the presentation of this ecological data. Subsequently the ecological performance criteria which are consolidated into Key Performance Indicator (KPI) tables are only represented within Rehabilitation Phases 2 (Landform establishment) to Phase 5 (Ecosystem and Land Use Development).

In terms of restructuring the KPI table, the two previously separate phases Ecosystem Development (represented as Phase 4: Dark green) and Ecosystem Stability (represented as Phase 5: Dark Blue) have since been integrated and are now represented as Ecosystem and Land Use development (Phase 5: Dark Blue) only.

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4.5 Limitations

4.5.1 Loss of sites and site disturbance

The environment within mining leases is constantly being changed and subsequently several sites have been lost or destroyed over the years of monitoring. While not a disastrous outcome, any undue or unnecessary disturbances result in a compromise of the complex data sets obtained via the establishment of what were meant to be “permanent monitoring points. Subsequently, tracking the progress or trends occurring across the range of sites becomes less reliable, if not possible.

4.5.2 Pasture reference sites

Past rehabilitation objectives at the Bulga Coal Complex were the establishment of exotic grazing pastures integrated with corridors of native tree woodlots on most of the constructed waste emplacements, and in particular the North and South Blakefield emplacements. Subsequently, existing pasture rehabilitation areas are predominantly comprised of exotic pastures species.

In the local district, grazing pastures are typically native grasslands with a long grazing history and were not ideal comparisons for use as reference sites, but sustainable exotic pastures such as those being established in rehabilitation areas, were limited in the local area. Subsequently, we were restricted to utilising modified native grasslands, rather than exotic perennial pastures as reference sites. Presently ecological targets therefore do not include indicators associated with native species diversity, but rather focused on landform function, exotic species diversity and contribution of the perennial vegetation to the pasture ecosystems.

Rehabilitation objectives at the Bulga Coal Complex have recently been altered such that the final land uses for the rehabilitated waste emplacements include the establishment of woodland communities and habitat corridors where appropriate and providing for grazing on areas where the soil types can support productive native pastures (Xstrata 2011). Therefore the proposed primary ecological targets associated with native pastures are likely to change as the Land Management Plans are implemented and new rehabilitation areas are established.

4.5.3 Riparian reference sites

It was difficult to locate areas of intact high conservation riparian zones that are not overlying longwall mining and therefore we were restricted to using two of the ecological monitoring sites BM16 and BM17. These riparian areas were dominated by open woodlands of E. crebra - Allocasuarina luehmannii (BM16) or Casuarina glauca (BM17) with trees and saplings of varying ages and density. There has been significant stream incision and bank erosion created from past management practices but the floodplain environments had become stabilised and essentially maintained good ground cover and high species diversity.

The first site (BM16) had a sandy/gravelly creek bottom which contained patchy grassy areas of Cynodon dactylon and scattered weeds and small irregular un-vegetated and ephemeral waterholes. The creek banks were subjected to active erosion and slumping. In the second site (BM17), there was excellent establishment of aquatic vegetation growing in stream and on the edge of the creek particularly in 2010 and natural chains-of-ponds system remained intact. Several floods events since

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their establishment have resulted in active bank erosion in site BM16 and the loss of a large percentage of aquatic vegetation in BM17. Weeds were common in both sites.

4.5.4 Species identification

Due to the cold seasonal conditions (including frosts) and heavy grazing by macropods, there may have been a lack of reproductive structures that are required for the positive identification of numerous plant genera, and therefore some species were only able to be identified to the genera level and in some cases, the family level of taxonomy. In addition, there were often many small seedlings which had recently germinated and these too were often too small to positively identify or to enable suitable specimen collection.

On the more established woodland rehabilitation sites, tree and shrub establishment has been relatively successful, and due to their high density and lack of reproductive structures (combined with unfamiliar characteristics for non endemic species), species identification and accurate stem densities obtained in field conditions cannot be guaranteed, despite every effort to do so. However, these differences are unlikely to be significant and we do not anticipate it will have a significant affect in meeting ecological targets.

In 2010, there was some confusion relating to the presence of a non endemic South Australian species Eucalyptus cladocalyx (Sugar Gum) which was positively identified in several rehabilitation areas. However, similar characteristics to a local endemic species Eucalyptus punctata (Grey Gum) combined with lists of seed mixes used and previous survey results (ie Umwelt 2009) may have lead to the misidentification of E. cladocalyx as E. punctata and vice versa in some sites. In 2011, this confusion was corrected and it appears that both species are present in some rehabilitation areas.

5 Rainfall

Total monthly rainfall recorded at the Bulga Coal Complex from January 2010 to June 2013 compared to long term monthly averages recorded at Jerry’s Plains Post Office are shown in Figure 5-1. The average annual long-term rainfall recorded from Jerry’s Plains Post is 644.4mm.

The rainfall data generally indicates that 2010 and 2011 were relatively “wet” years but the monthly averages also indicate these were highly variable with occasional floods followed by periods of low rainfall activity. Generally 2012 was very dry but there was a period of high summer rainfall which extended into March 2013 but April and May were particularly dry. The vegetation at the Bulga Coal Complex has therefore received poorer growing conditions this year which has been evident in a decline in ground cover levels across numerous monitoring sites and as a result of the drier conditions there has been an increase in animal impacts especially browsing and soils disturbances associated with tracks and camps.

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160

140

120

100

80

60 Rainfall (mm) 40

20

0

2010 2011 2012 2013 Mean Rainfall JERRYS PLAINS POST OFFICE' 1884-2012

Figure 5-1. Monthly rainfall recorded at the Bulga Coal Complex from September 2009 to end of June 2013 compared to the long term monthly averages recorded at Jerry’s Plains Post Office (BoM 2013).

6 Descriptions and photo-points of the reference sites

Table 6-1 provides a brief description of the reference sites and photos taken along the permanent vegetation transect 2010 - 2013.

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Table 6-1. General description and photo from the permanent photo-point at the reference sites 2010 - 2013. 2010 photo 2011 photo 2012 photo 2013 photo

RWood01: Regrowth woodland dominated by E. tereticornis and E. crebra with a grassy native understorey situated east of the CHPP. There were patches of natural eucalypt regeneration with small clumps and scattered individuals of Dodonaea viscosa subsp. cuneata, Acacia parvipinnula, A. falcata and Allocasuarina luehmannii. The area towards the end of the transect contained large areas of bare crusted soil and may have been an old stockcamp. There was an individual Lantana camara bush beneath the tree canopies. The site is not currently grazed by stock. In 2011 and 2012, there had been some scattered eucalypt, A. luehmannii and acacia recruitment. In 2013, the saplings had grown. The bare crusted area had begun to become well established with cryptogams, leaf litter and scattered ground cover plants.

RWood02: Moderately dense E. crebra regrowth woodland north of the CHPP between the rail line and the power lines. There were two larger E. crebra trees and regeneration of variable heights and distribution across the site. There was a good cover of leaf litter and scattered native grasses, with some larger clumps in the more open areas. Kangaroo tracks were common throughout the area and there was an old eroded but regenerating vehicle track at the end of the transect. There were few shrub species. There has been little apparent change observed since 2010.

RWood03: Relatively open grassy mixed woodland community located east of the rail line, approximately 2km north of the CHPP. The upper storey consisted of E. moluccana, E. crebra and E. tereticornis with natural regeneration. There was good ground cover containing sparse scattered grass tussocks and an abundance of Dicondra repens and cryptogams. The site is periodically grazed by cattle and a large kangaroo population. There was a non endemic A. podalyraefolia which is likely to have seeded from the planted shelterbelt along the road. Since 2010 there was some eucalypt regeneration and the eucalypt saplings had grown. There was an increase in perennial plant cover despite some feral pig activity which had uprooted the ground in 2011. The non endemic A. podalyriifolia (Mt Morgan Wattle) was also regenerating and may require control. In 2013, there was little evidence of animal disturbance and the saplings have significantly grown.

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2010 photo 2011 photo 2012 photo 2013 photo

RPast01: Pasture reference site located approximately 500m north of the CHPP and has not been grazed for some time. The grass was tall and rank and was dominated by Aristida ramosa, Chloris ventricosa and Bothriochloa decipiens but contained a good diversity of native herbs and forbs. There were high levels of ground cover. Senecio madagascariensis (Fireweed) was scattered throughout the site, particularly around the upper slope near the trees which was likely to have been an old stock camp. Babblers were observed in nearby trees. In 2011, the site has been subjected to heavy grazing by macropods leaving tall Aristida tussocks and very short palatable pasture species in between. The site was similar in 2012. In 2013, The area had remained ungrazed and macropods had made little impact with the grasses now being tall and relatively dense, with scattered patches of Gomphocarpus fruticosus. Rainbow Bee-eaters were heard in the vicinity.

RPast02: This pasture reference site was located on the “Cricket Pitch” adjacent to the Bulga mine access road. It is a tall rank native pasture dominated by Bothriochloa decipiens and contained a high diversity of other native grasses and herbs. Weeds were also present with Plantago lanceolata, Senecio madagascariensis and Romulea rosea being the most common. The area has not been grazed by livestock for some time but is likely to carry a large number of Kangaroos. Parts of the area to the south east are sometimes slashed (Cox pers com). In 2011, the site has been subjected to heavy grazing by macropods leaving tall Aristida tussocks and very short palatable pasture species in between. There was less grazing pressure evident in 2012. In 2013, the area may have been slashed as the marker pegs had been squashed, thus the ‘new’ alignment may have been 50cm out from the original alignment. The site was tall rank grassland with macropods having made little impact. Babblers were sighted within the area.

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2010 photo 2011 photo 2012 photo 2013 photo

RPast03: This derived native pasture reference site is located on grazed land between Loaders Creek and the rail line. It contained sparsely scattered tussocks of Aristida ramosa and was dominated by Cynodon dactylon and patches of Lomandra filiformis and Cheilanthes sieberi. The exotics Axonopus fissifolius, Hypochaeris radicata and Romulea rosea were also common. Despite the heavy grazing, there was a high level of ground cover. In 2011 and 2012 there was little apparent change and the site continued to be grazed by cattle (and macropods). The area had remained ungrazed and macropods had made little impact with the grasses now being moderately tall and dense.

BM16: This riparian woodland reference site was a deeply incised ephemeral creek to the east of the Bayswater Pit. Regrowth E. crebra - Allocasuarina luehmannii woodland with trees and saplings of varying ages and density. The trees are variously clumped and there are patches of open grassy clearings. Shrubs species were restricted to Acacia parvipinnula and Dodonaea viscosa subsp. cuneata and these were low in number, but regenerating A. luehmannii and eucalypts were also present in the shrub stratum. On the floodplain (which has become disconnected from the channel) there is high ground cover which is dominated by leaf litter and scattered tussock of Aristida ramosa, Cynodon dactylon and Dicondra repens. The site is not subjected to subsidence. LFA and Veg transects are both located on the same 50m transect to capture the creek profile. While the creek ephemeral small ponds of water were often present at the time of monitoring. On the high banks, there was little apparent change within the woodlands but the steep sided creek banks continue to lack protective ground cover and there has been extensive erosion and significant slumping, with a large Bulloak having fallen into and across the flow line during the last flood event.

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2010 photo 2011 photo 2012 photo 2013 photo

BM17: Riparian woodland reference site. This site replaces BM3 and is situated on nine mile creek downstream of the CHPP on Bulga property (BM3 was not). It is a dense thicket of regrowth of Casuarina glauca woodland, which has been subject to the effects of a fire in recent years with many dead and fallen saplings, providing patchy but frequently high ground cover protection. There is some bare, crusted and compacted soil in patches on the upper floodplain areas on the eastern side of the creek probably caused by high concentrations of livestock and there was evidence of old ripped rabbit warrens. The sloping creek banks on the western side of the creek were very grassy. There are clumps of Lantana camara and Lycium ferocissimum which were sprayed in 2011. Juncus acutus was present along the edge of the creek. The 3.5m wide creek consists of a series of well vegetated ponds. The grassy understorey and aquatic habitat provided high floristic diversity, but these included a comparatively high number of introduced species compared to other sites. In 2013, the site remained ungrazed with the Bulloak saplings having filled out and the Lantana had regrown. There continued to be rabbit warrens. The creek was not flowing with the ponds filled with stagnant red water. There continued to be some Phragmites on the high water line with only some Trichlogin persisting within some of the ponds. There was numerous small fresh water fish (~2cm long) observed within one of the large ponds.

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7 Descriptions and photo-points of the rehabilitation monitoring sites

Table 7-1 provides a brief description and photo from the permanent photo-point along the vegetation transect of the revegetation monitoring sites 2010 - 2013.

Table 7-1. General site description and locations of the rehabilitation monitoring sites Photo 2010 Photo 2011 Photo 2012 Photo 2013 NB4 (ex BM13): Pasture rehabilitation site located on the south east facing slope of the North Blakefield waste emplacement which was sown to exotic pasture with some scattered shrubs. It continued to be a dense rank pasture dominated by Chloris gayana with some scattered weeds. The overall slope contained some bare eroded areas, with some of the older rills becoming vegetated, and the smaller active rills contained within the vegetation. There were overall high levels of dead leaf litter and cryptogams. There were patches of Galenia and in 2012 the trees had a small infestation of psyllids leaving the leaves skeletonised and curled. The site continued to be weedy but appeared relatively stable. Some trees and shrubs remained stunted and chlorosed suggesting some soil toxicity. Macropod grazing continued to be evident. The site is very low in floral diversity.

NB5: Woodland rehabilitation area sown to woodland trees and shrubs and exotic pasture September 2012. The area contained scattered rock mounds, timber logs piles and large tree stags were erected to create wildlife habitat. The site was mostly well vegetated with a low cover of the plants however there was a very low to nil establishment of trees or shrubs. The entire rehabilitation area was being planted with tubestock of native woodland species in June 2013.

N/A N/A N/A

SB1: Woodland rehabilitation site located on the north east facing upper slope of the South Blakefield waste emplacement. It was planted with tubestock, with some evidence that an earlier attempt at tree seeding had generally failed. The tubestock were variable in height with most trees appearing relatively healthy, but there were some parts on the slope that were bare and eroding and trees were stunted in growth. Most of the slope however was dominated by several species of native grasses, Rhodes Grass and Galenia. Minor rilling had occurred but most of these had now become well vegetated and stable. In 2012 the construction of a drop structure partially destroyed the vegetation transect. Subsequently the LFA transect was maintained but the monitoring quadrat was “flipped over”. Photo-points, vegetation data and trends are likely to be different. In 2013, the vegetation had significantly grown with the exception

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Photo 2010 Photo 2011 Photo 2012 Photo 2013 of some individuals which remain stunted and chlorosed Plastic mesh tree guards require removal. There continues to be preferential grazing by macropods resulting in some areas of very low cover. The gabions within the adjacent rock lined drop structure have filled to capacity with sediment but largely the structure has remained intact.

SB2: Pasture rehabilitation site located on the lower north east facing slope of the South Blakefield waste emplacement. The site was sown with exotic pasture species and is now a dense rank pasture dominated by Chloris gayana Grass, which appears to be stable but is very low in diversity. In 2011, 2012 and 2013 there had been little change but macropod grazing continued to be evident preferentially grazing the more palatable species such as Kikuyu. The site is very low in floral diversity. Ants, worms and caterpillar larvae were observed.

SB4: Pasture rehabilitation site seeded in September 2010. The site was deep ripped resulting in a sequence of troughs and banks approximately 60cm apart. The surface was rough with large clods of soil and large rocks scattered across the site. There was adequate ground cover and the site was generally very stable but there were numerous weeds and macropods have been heavily grazing the area leaving the grass pasture species short. In 2012 the site was almost completely dominated by Kikuyu and Rhodes Grass with only occasional weeds, but there was an increase in Galenia. Macropods have kept the site neatly low preferentially grazing the Kikuyu. The topsoil dumps at the top are in danger of encroaching into this site (ie they are only 10m away!). The site is very low in floral diversity. In 2013, the site was moved 40m east due to the loss of most of the western half of the transect, due to the development of the waste emplacement. The site remained very densely vegetated, with macropods preferentially grazing the more palatable species such as Kikuyu. There were relatively large patches of Galenia.

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Photo 2010 Photo 2011 Photo 2012 Photo 2013

N/A

SB5: Pasture rehabilitation site seeded in September 2010 with an irregular spacing of small troughs and banks. The site also had a slight cover of Mushroom compost applied (Barry Cox pers com) although there was no evidence of it remaining on the soil surface. Large clods of spoil material and rocks were scattered across the site. The substrate was hard and crusted and plant cover was low and the plants were stressed and chlorosed. Typically more plants had established within the rip lines (troughs) and legumes were sparse. In 2012 the site has significantly transformed into a pasture system dominated by Couch and Kikuyu with the occasional large rock protruding the dense grass layer. No active rilling was observed. Macropods have kept the site neatly low preferentially grazing the Kikuyu. The site is very low in floral diversity. In 2013 the site remained a dense sward of Couch and Kikuyu however Galenia has increased in abundance and is now scattered throughout. The site continued to be low in weeds and in floral diversity.

N/A

SB6: Woodland rehabilitation area sown to woodland trees and shrubs and exotic pasture September 2012. The area contained scattered rock mounds, timber logs piles and large tree stags were erected to create wildlife habitat. The site contained scattered to sparse ground cover vegetation however there was a very low to nil establishment of trees or shrubs. The entire rehabilitation area was being planted with tubestock of native woodland species in June 2013. This site was situated above a wetland area and was within a lower lying drainage depression. The troughs and banks formed after cross ripping had almost disappeared due to extensive movement of the dispersive soils.

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Photo 2010 Photo 2011 Photo 2012 Photo 2013

N/A N/A N/A

SE1: Woodland rehabilitation site located on the North facing slope of the Southern Extension waste emplacement. In 2010 a scattered assortment of native tree and shrubs species were establishing. The trough and bank sequence developed by deep ripping remains functional but the vegetative cover has dramatically improved over the past three years. Numerous rocks and large “clods” of grey spoil material are scattered across the site. Ground cover was variable with patches of Couch, Setaria and Galenia. In parts of the slope and on the top of the dump, trees and shrubs were stunted, chlorosed and no ground cover species had established probably due to soil toxicity. The shrubs continue to grow but were also heavily grazed by macropods. A weed control program targeting Galenia (Nathan Lane pers. com) in 2011 has resulted in a decline in the abundance of Galenia across parts of the slope. A 3m wide row had been mown in preparation for subsidence event. In 2013, the trees and shrubs had significantly grown and the ground cover was taller and had appeared to have improved but remained patchy.

SE3: Woodland rehabilitation site located on the north west facing slope of the Southern Extension waste emplacement. The area was tree seeded and contains a variety of native trees and shrubs have become established in variable densities across the slope. The grassy understorey was generally dominated by Couch with scattered weeds which generally provided high ground cover and good slope stability. The trees appear healthy and were in higher densities than in SE2. In parts of the slope and on the top of the dump, trees and shrubs were stunted, chlorosed and no ground cover species had established. The trees and shrubs continue to grow but macropod grazing has reduced the vegetative cover. While the A. amblygona were in bud and contained spent pods last year numerous individuals have since died. There was a further decline in the low vegetative cover but leaf litter cover was typically high. In 2013, the remaining trees and shrubs had significantly grown however there was typically a significant decline in ground cover and diversity but this remained patchy.

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Photo 2010 Photo 2011 Photo 2012 Photo 2013

BM11: Woodland rehabilitation site that has been subject to one mine subsidence event. It is located west of the Bulga Underground Operations tailings dam, and was direct seeded in 1991. It is now a dense stand of spindly saplings with intense competition levels, providing limited conditions for ground cover species to become established, subsequently the site is generally devoid of ground cover species. There is likely to be a high number of macropods utilising the site and there was evidence of pig activity in 2010. This older rehabilitation site was dominated by native but non endemic tree species. In 2012 there appeared to be a further decline in vegetative cover and species diversity. There was also a significant reduction in the height of the small spindly saplings due to high competition levels but in numerous cases, resprouting from the lignotuber had occurred. Most of the larger trees were healthy with some bearing fruits and buds. In 2013, there appeared to be a decline in ground cover plants and small bare and eroding patches as a result of macropod camps. There was otherwise little apparent change.

Dam01: Woodland Offset revegetation area. The site had been sprayed and deep ripped into irregular troughs and banks. The trees were planted in September 2010 and were protected by plastic gauze supported by two bamboo stakes. There was little ground cover with the exception of scattered weeds, as a result of the ground preparation and follow up spraying of Ricinus communis (Castor Oil Plant, S. Shoesmith pers. com). There were numerous weeds including Sida Rhombifolia, Carthamus lanatus and Verbena littoralis which could potentially be problematic due to the lack of competitive perennial plant cover. The soils were prone to slaking but typically they have been retained within the rip lines. In 2012 there has been a significant increase in ground cover but most plants were annual weeds. The tubestock have grown considerably but many of the replacement plants (eg Lomandra) were missing. Macropods were grazing in the local area but have not appeared to have damaged the larger tubestock. In 2013, the tubestock ha significantly grown but some remained small and stunted with signs of insect damage and Chloris. The native understorey was increasing in abundance (eg Bothriochloa and Cymbopogon) but Carthamus lanatus remains very dominant. There continued to be a high presence of macropods.

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Photo 2010 Photo 2011 Photo 2012 Photo 2013

N/A

BEL2: BEL2 is a native pasture site that is located south of the Bulga Underground Operations tailings dam and has been subjected to one subsidence event. It is a grassy clearing with tall rank native grasses and some weedy patches in subsided depressions. There was an abundance of moisture requiring species, which tended to be common within the depressions. The area is heavily grazed by macropods with scattered tree regeneration in the fringing remnant. Rabbits and Feral pigs were noted in 2011. Macropods continued to heavily graze the area, leaving occasional rank grass tussocks with short grazed pasture species in between. Annual weeds were in high abundance and cryptogams were common. In 2013 the site had been significantly disturbed by the construction of a new pipeline. There were large areas of bare disturbed soil and heavy machinery had flattened a lot of the vegetation cover. The raised areas beneath the pipeline were well mulched and seeded with cover crops which were just beginning to germinate. Undisturbed grassland areas appeared to remain unchanged since last year, however the large tree captured in the distance (see photo) appears to have died.

BEL3: BEL3 is pasture rehabilitation area located north of the Bulga Underground Operations tailings dam. It was rehabilitated using exotic pasture species over waste overburden which has since been subsided. The area contains a patchy distribution of native and exotic dominant pasture which generally provided good ground cover. The site continues to be heavily grazed by macropods. There were many germinating weed seedlings and Plantago lanceolata was increasing in abundance. There were other scattered weeds including Plantain, Fireweed and Galenia. There was typically good ground cover. In 2013 the Setaria had increased in height and macropods have kept the remainder of the site very low. The scattered Acacia amblygona had increased in height.

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Photo 2010 Photo 2011 Photo 2012 Photo 2013

BEL4: BEL4 is a woodland rehabilitation site that was tree seeded into a native pasture over a repaired subsidence area. The ground surface was variable due to the subsidence and the deep ripping amelioration technique used. The trees are healthy, of variable density and open grassy clearings are present. The understorey was dominated by native pasture with some scattered weeds but was relatively high in diversity and stable. In 2011 the bare areas were extensively colonised by cryptogams and small orange fungi were common. Some acacias had died but most trees and shrubs appear healthy and there was some A. cultriformis regeneration. In 2012 the remaining trees and shrubs had further grown, cryptogams were abundant and there continued to be acacia recruitment. There appeared to be less low foliage cover of the trees and shrubs due to increasing competition levels. In 2013 there appeared to be lower perennial plant cover however there continued to be some scattered acacia seedlings. There was a subsidence slump near the end of the LFA marker peg, and borers were affecting the health of numerous Acacia mearnsii trees.

BEL5: BEL5 is patchy regrowth Bulloak woodland that has established after subsidence repair with deep ripping (and scalping?). There are rows of sown Rhodes Grass across the subsidence zone and an extensive network of macropod tracks throughout the site. There were some relatively bare crusted areas but generally there was a high level of leaf litter particularly beneath the Bulloak regeneration. The site contains scattered shrubs, some natural recruitment and was high in species diversity but many of these were low in abundance. In 2012 there appeared to be little change and the bare areas were extensively colonised by mosses and lichens. There was some A. amblygona recruitment and Galenia was colonising some of the bare scalded areas. There continued to be a high presence of macropods. In 2013, the site had been very heavily grazed by macropods and pigs, with numerous pigs sighted within the near vicinity. Many of the larger A. amblygona shrubs had continued to die however numerous seedlings had become relatively well established. The Mature Bulloak were sparser as they lose their lower foliage and the Rhodes Grass had also been severely chewed back creating a much more open structure.

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Photo 2010 Photo 2011 Photo 2012 Photo 2013

BEL6: BEL6 is a riparian woodland rehabilitation site located on the Northern Drainage line which had been subsided once. The site was deep ripped and planted with tubestock in spring 2009. No water has been present in the drainage line at the time of monitoring since 2010 and the creek bed was dominated by Spiny Rush. There was approximately 70% survival rate of tubestock which may have suffered moisture stress and/or macropod browsing. In 2011 and 2012 many tubestock had died or remained stunted and chlorosed over most of the site, but some tubestock planted along the edge of the creek had grown significantly. While some areas had become grassier large bare areas persist across the site. There were numerous small sinkholes along the creek bed and banks and in 2012 these have significantly increased in number and size and require amelioration. This site requires additional intervention to ensure that it will meet riparian ecological targets. In 2013, the ground cover has continued to increase along the vegetation transect and most of the existing trees and shrubs have continued to grow, with some also having recently died or dying. Juncus acutus continues to dominate the flow line. There has been an increase in the number and extent of tunnel erosion occurring along the creek line and these require urgent amelioration.

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8 Woodland rehabilitation sites: Ecological trends and performance against a selection of primary ecological performance indicators

8.1 Landscape Function Analyses

8.1.1 Landscape Organisation

A patch is an area within an ecosystem where resources such as soil and litter tend to accumulate, while areas where resources are mobilised and transported away are referred to as interpatches. Landscape Organisation Indices (LOI) are calculated by the length of the patches divided by the length of the transect to provide an index or percent of the transect which is occupied by functional patch areas (Tongway and Hindley 2004).

All three woodland reference sites continued to be characterised as complete woodland patches which subsequently resulted in a Landscape Organisation Index (LOI) of 100% (Figure 8-1), indicating they did not contain any bare interpatches and were not losing any vital landscape resources. Of the rehabilitation sites, BEL5, BM11 and Dam01 continued to retain 100% patch area due to the high levels of ground cover and excellent tree and shrub establishment. This year, the new site NB5 also had an LOI of 100% and considerable improvements were recorded in SB1 and SE1.

Site BEL4 has shown a marginal decline in LOI which was now only 91% while the LOI has significantly declined from 100 to 37% in SE3 and these were due to the loss of ground probably due to disturbance and herbivory by resident macropod populations. The new woodland site SB6 did not yet contained any significant patch area due to the sparse cover of vegetation and very low leaf litter cover and therefore scored 0% LOI this year. Sites which did not meet the desired LOI of 100% this year were BEL4, SB1, SB6, SE1 and SE3.

100 90 80 70 60 2010 50 2011 40 2012 30 2013 20 Landscape Organisation Index (%) Index Organisation Landscape 10 0

Figure 8-1. Landscape organisation indices recorded in the woodland rehabilitation sites compared to the woodland reference sites 2010-2013.

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8.1.2 Soil surface assessments

8.1.2.1 Stability

In 2011, the LFA stability indices in the woodland reference sites had slightly declined as a result of heavy predation and disturbance caused by macropods in combination with extensive water sheeting and high mobility of resources across the sites during the heavy rainfall events. Over the past two years however there has been no consistent change across the three sites but typically there were marginal increases in perennial, leaf litter and cryptogam cover and a reduction in erosion and deposition in most of the reference sites, but RWood01 has shown a marginal decline this year. Nonetheless the minimum stability range within the reference sites had increased to provide a new range of 67.5 – 74.4 (Figure 8-2).

Most of the rehabilitation sites have also shown a marginal increase in stability for similar reasons and sites which fell within or exceeded the target stability range included BEL5, SB1, SE1 and Dam01, despite a small decline occurring in BEL5 as a result of increased disturbance and predation. A relatively large reduction in stability was recorded in SE3 as there was less perennial ground cover and litter cover, increased levels of erosion and deposition as a result of increased macropod disturbance.

100 90 80 70 60 2010 50 40 2011 LFA IndexLFA 30 2012 20 2013 10 0

Figure 8-2. Comparison of LFA stability indices between the woodland revegetation sites and the woodland reference sites 2010 - 2013.

8.1.2.2 Infiltration

In the woodland reference sites there appeared to be a marginal reduction in infiltration capacity over the past year largely due to the lower abundance of perennial ground cover plants especially in RWood03 and the new infiltration targets ranged from 45.4 to 48.5.

In the rehabilitation sites marginal increases in infiltration capacity were recorded in some sites including SB1, SE1, BM11 and Dam01 but small decreases were observed in BEL4 and SE3. In filtration was low in the two newest sites NB5 and SB6. Sites BEL4, BEL5, SB1 and BM11 fell within or exceeded the target infiltration range this year (Figure 8-3).

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100 90 80 70 60 2010 50 2011

LFA IndexLFA 40 2012 30 20 2013 10 0

Figure 8-3. Comparison of LFA infiltration indices between the revegetation monitoring sites and the woodland reference sites 2010-2013.

8.1.2.3 Nutrient recycling

Similar and inconsistent trends in LFA nutrient recycling indices were also observed across the range of sites and these were largely influenced by the level of animal - macropod activity occurring within the sites and this year the minimum nutrient recycling target provided by the reference sites was slightly lower with indices that ranged from 45.5 - 51.1 (Figure 8-4).

The rehabilitation sites BEL4, BEL5, SB1 and BM11 fell within or exceeded this range and this was largely due to the well developed tree canopies and deep litter layers which have slight to moderate levels of litter deposition indicating good fungal and microbial activity. In BEL4 however there was a decrease in nutrient recycling and this was also observed in SE3 and BM11 as a result of disturbances caused by increased levels of macropod activity. As to be expected, nutrient recycling was presently low in the new rehabilitation sites NB5 and SB6 which had indices of 34.7 and 15.8 respectively, but these are anticipated to significantly improve over time.

100 90 80 70 60 2010 50 2011

LFA indexLFA 40 2012 30 2013 20 10 0

Figure 8-4. Comparison of LFA nutrient recycling indices between the revegetation monitoring sites and the woodland reference sites 2010-2013.

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8.1.3 LFA Summary

There was no consistent trend in the changes in ecological function across the range of woodland monitoring sites this year. Sites such as SB1, SE1 and Dam01 continued to demonstrate an increasing trend in ecological function, due to the increasing development of the grassy ground cover, accumulation and decomposition of the leaf litter and increasing growth of the tree and shrub canopy with less evidence of resources being mobilised across the sites. There have been negligible changes recorded in the oldest site BM11, which contained a well developed litter layer and dense canopy cover.

Landscape function in sites BEL4, BEL5 and SE3 have demonstrated a marginal decline this year due to increasing levels of animal disturbance causing a reduction in perennial ground cover plants and litter cover, increased levels of erosion and deposition and in some cases increased soil slaking due to exposure of the more unstable soils. One of the newest woodland rehabilitation sites NB5 had very good vegetative cover providing high functional patch area and given its age was relatively stable and had reasonable infiltration and nutrient recycling capacity. In the other new rehabilitation site SB6 there presently was limited patch area and very low ecological function. Rehabilitation sites which fell within the target range for landscape stability, infiltration and nutrient recycling this year included sites BEL5 and SB1. Examples of the different ground cover compositions in the woodland monitoring sites are provided in Table 8-1.

Table 8-1. The different ground cover compositions in the woodland monitoring sites in 2013. BEL4: Patchy leaf litter and scattered perennial ground cover BEL5: Patchy leaf litter and cryptogams

NB5: Exotic pasture species and leaf litter SB1: Dense layer of litter and perennial grasses

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SB6: Sparse perennial plant cover and scattered stones SE1: Good cover of litter and perennial grasses

SE3: Patchy litter cover and hard crusted soils BM11: Typically deep litter layer, perennial plant cover absent

Dam01: Good cover of annual plants and litter RWood01: Excellent leaf litter and scattered perennial plants

RWood02: Excellent leaf litter and scattered perennial plants RWood03: Excellent leaf litter and scattered perennial plants

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8.2 Tree density

Trees and mature shrub with a dbh >5cm are included within counts of the tree population with the oldest rehabilitation sites BEL4, BEL5, SB1, SE3 and BM11 all containing a healthy tree population which occurred in densities similar to or in excess of those recorded in the recorded sites. Tree densities recorded in the reference sites ranged from 16 – 36 stems per 0.04ha or 400 – 900 stems per hectare (Figure 8-5).

The oldest rehabilitation site, BM11 continued to have a very high stem count of 66 stems (1650 per ha), a tree density that exceeds that recorded in the woodland reference sites suggesting that the stem density is too high and requires selective thinning.

Site SB1 had been compromised by the construction of a drop structure in 2012 and subsequently a new set of tree data was obtained from a mirror image of the original quadrat, where there were only six trees recorded and these continued to be lower than the target population range, but many of the existing shrubs would be expected to mature into trees over time.

The relatively young rehabilitation sites SE1 and Dam01 both had one tree count this year as the planted tubestock continue to grow. In Dam01 however, all 13 tubestock which have surveyed will need to mature to meet this ecological target, leaving the shrub population targets too low. The youngest rehabilitation sites NB5, SB6 did not yet contain any mature individuals as they were newly planted rehabilitation areas, but early shrub counts suggest that they will not meet tree population targets.

The most common species sown or planted into rehabilitation areas included various combinations of species such as Acacia implexa, A. mearnsii, Angophora floribunda, Corymbia maculata, Eucalyptus moluccana, E. tereticornis but other species such as Acacia decurrens, E. blakelyi, E. melliodora and E. punctata may also be present. The tree population in BEL5 included the naturally occurring Allocasuarina luehmannii and E. albens.

The native but non endemic tree species, Eucalyptus cladocalyx and Corymbia citriodora were also recorded in relatively high densities in site BM11 which constituted 42% of the total tree population. While BM11 was rehabilitated in the 1991, the site may require selective thinning of these non endemic species to meet several of the desired KPI targets. A low percentage (14%) of Eucalyptus cladocalyx was also recorded in SE3.

The very high stem densities in BM11 continue to affect the establishment and diversity of ground cover species due to high competition levels but other KPI targets such as percent endemic species will also not be met. Species planted or sown onto woodland rehabilitation areas should include a mixture of trees, shrubs and ground cover plants that would be found naturally occurring in the local remnant woodlands, and essentially be representative of the selected woodland reference sites.

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70

60

50

40 2010

30 2011

No. individuals 2012 20 2013

10

0

Figure 8-5. Tree densities (>5cm dbh) in the rehabilitation sites compared to the woodland reference sites.

8.3 Shrubs and recruitment

All woodland rehabilitation sites contained a population of shrubs and juvenile trees (<5cm dbh) and there continued to be recent recruitment which has resulted in an increased shrub density in two of the three reference sites which provided a target range of 75 – 167 this year which equates to 1875 – 4175 stems per ha (Figure 8-6).

In the rehabilitation sites BEL4, BEL5, SE1 and SE3 the density of shrubs has continued to increase as natural recruitment was occurring with many small acacia seedlings being observed. There was however a small reduction in the shrub population in SB1 and Dam01 as they now had grown into “trees” with a dbh >5cm. There was no net change recorded in BM11

In some sites (eg SE3, BEL5 and RWood02) there was mortality of the some of the smaller and short lived acacias such as A. amblygona. In some of the older rehabilitation sites (eg BEL4, BM11), there was mortality occurring in some of the larger acacias and spindly eucalypt saplings as competition for light and resources increases. The loss of mature acacias in BEL4 was also in part due to attack by borers, but this is part of the natural ecological succession as the sites become more established. In some sites disturbances by animals (eg macropods) and have also created suitable niches for further plant recruitment with very small and newly germinated seedlings being observed in several of the sites which is also a positive successional trait.

Sites which continued to fall within the target KPI range included BEL5, SE1, SE3 and BM11. In BEL5, most individuals were the result of a recent and natural recruitment event of Acacia amblygona and Allocasuarina leuhmannii, which significantly increased population numbers and can be viewed as a positive ecological event in the short - term. In BM11 however, significantly high seeding rates during rehabilitation and resultant successful establishment, has created a very dense stand of juvenile and mature trees. While some of the stronger individuals were large and healthy there was a high density of spindly twenty two year old Eucalyptus and Corymbia saplings which continue to be highly stressed due to the significant competition levels and many of these had recently died or were regenerating from the lignotuber. In addition these high stem densities have restricted the development of the ground cover vegetation. Tree thinning in BM11 is one management strategy that may trigger the development of more desirable ecological outcomes.

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Sites BEL4, NB5, SB1, SB6 and Dam01 did not yet meet the minimum range of 75 individuals per 0.04ha. Unless natural recruitment is evident in future monitoring years, assisted regeneration or tubestock planting may need to be undertaken within these areas in order to meet the required KPI targets especially when the existing shrubs and juvenile trees are expected to develop into “mature trees”.

In BM11 62% of the shrub population were non endemic Corymbia citriodora and E. cladocalyx. However, 25% of the shrub population in RWood03 also contained non endemic species including Acacia podalyraefolia and Acacia saligna which were regenerating from a nearby windbreak. The noxious Lantana camara was also recorded in low numbers in three of the reference sites, indicating the need to implement a targeted control program around the miming lease and buffer lands. The non endemic native species should also be controlled to prevent them from potentially becoming invasive environmental weeds. All species planted or sown in future rehabilitation or revegetation projects should be strictly local endemic species such as those found within the woodland reference sites.

350

300

250

200 2010 2011 150 No. individuals 2012 100 2013 50

0

Figure 8-6. Total shrubs and juvenile trees recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the woodland reference sites from 2010 - 2013.

8.4 Total ground cover

Total ground cover, which is a combination of leaf litter, annual plants, cryptogams, rocks, logs and live perennial plants (<0.5m in height) recorded along the vegetation transect continued to be very high in the woodland reference sites and with marginal changes in total ground cover the target range was 98.0 – 99.5% this year (Figure 8-7).

There was no consistent change in total ground cover values across the range of rehabilitation sites with sites SB1, BM11 and Dam01 slightly improving, sites BEL4 and SE1 slightly decreasing while there was no net change recorded in BEL5 or SE3.

Site BM11 was the only site which continued to meet the target range with 99.5% total ground cover, but sites BEL4, BEL5, SB1 and SE3 had good total ground covers which were greater than 90.5% (BEL4). The younger sites NB5 and SE1 both had 71% total cover while SB6 had the lowest of 32.5%.

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100 90 80

70 60 2010 50 2011 40

% Ground Cover % Cover Ground 2012 30 2013 20 10 0

Figure 8-7. Total ground cover recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the woodland reference sites from 2010 - 2013.

8.5 Structural composition

The structural composition of the woodland sites is the average of 10 repeated measurements recorded along the vegetation transect with the results for 2013 given in Figure 8-8. Dead leaf litter continued to be the dominant form of ground cover in all monitoring sites with the exception of SB6 and Dam01. The cover provided by live perennial vegetation (<0.5m in height) was in comparison much lower and this year no site met the minimum target of 23% perennial plant cover.

Annual plants were common but typically provided low cover values, except in Dam01 which contained 55.5% annual plant cover. No annual plants were recorded in BM11 or two of the reference sites. Cryptogams were also very abundant in some sites and provided up to 18% cover in BEL5, but sites SB6, SE1, SE3 and Dam01 did not yet contain cryptogam cover probably due to their young age in conjunction with unsuitable substrate conditions. In BM11 the deep litter layers did not provide suitable cryptogam habitat. Logs and rocks may have provided limited protective cover and habitat value in some sites, but these were also limited in the range of reference sites.

All sites except the two youngest NB5 and SB6 contained some vertical structural complexity in the 0.5 – 2.0m height category. All sites except these new sites and Dam01, contained foliage cover in all 2m height increments and this year these exceeded 6m in height, indicating good growth and development of the tree and shrub canopies. BM11 the oldest rehabilitation site continued to meet the projected foliage cover targets in the >6m vertical height range and this year it had an average of 61% canopy cover. The structural compositions of the woodland monitoring sites are illustrated in Table 8-2.

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200% 100

180% 80 Perennial <0.5m 160% 60 Bare

140% 40 Log

120% 20 Rock Cryptogam 100% 0 Annuals

80% -20 Litter

Percent Cover Ground Percent 0.5-2.0m

60% -40 Cover Canopy Percent 2.0-4.0m 40% -60 4.0-6.0m 20% -80 >6.0m 0% -100

Figure 8-8. Average percent ground cover and projected foliage cover recorded in the woodland monitoring sites in 2013.

Table 8-2. The structural compositions of the woodland monitoring sites. BEL4 BEL5

NB5 SB1

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SB6 SE1

SE3 BM11

Dam01 RWood01

RWood02 RWood03

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8.6 Floristic diversity

8.6.1 Total species diversity

There has been no consistent trend in the changes in the number of vascular plant species recorded across the range of monitoring sites and in the reference sites this year there continued to be high floristic diversity with 54 – 68 different species recorded within the 20x50m monitoring quadrat (Figure 8-9). In the rehabilitation sites a relatively large increase in total diversity was recorded in BEL5 and small increases were recorded in SE1, BM11 and Dam01. In the remaining sites fewer species were recorded. BEL5 was the only site this year to meet total diversity targets and with 77 species, was more diverse than any of the reference sites. The remaining rehabilitation sites contained between 27 (NB5) and 50 (BEL4) different species.

90

80

70

60

50 2010 40 2011 No. Species No. 30 2012 2013 20

10

0

Figure 8-9. Total species diversity recorded in the woodland sites 2010 - 2013.

8.6.2 Native species diversity

In most rehabilitation sites, the native plant diversity continued to be greater than the exotic plant diversity, except in three sites NB5, SB6 and SE1 (Figure 8-10, Figure 8-11). The reference sites provided a range of 43 - 53 native species this year and BEL 5 continued to fall within this range. The remaining sites had between 3 (NB5) and 36 (BEL4) native species.

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60

50

40

2010 30 2011 No. Species No. 20 2012 2013 10

0

Figure 8-10. Native species diversity recorded in the woodland sites 2010 - 2013.

8.6.3 Exotic species diversity

Exotic species were recorded in all monitoring sites and in the reference sites there were 10 – 15 exotic species. Rehabilitation sites which contained an appropriate number of exotic species included BEL4, SE3 and BM11. Sites SB6, BEL5, NB5 and SE1 had the highest exotic species diversity with 27, 26, 24 and 23 exotic species respectively and were weedier than desired (Figure 8-11).

This year there were no consistent trends in the changes in diversity however the fluctuating seasonal conditions, selective browsing and degree of grazing pressure, extent of disturbance, density of the dominant species combined with some degree of sampling variability are likely to have some influence of the species diversity recorded in the monitoring sites. The results however indicate there is typically a lack of native plant diversity within the rehabilitation sites especially those of the rehabilitated spoil dumps. In comparison the BEL sites were sites which had undergone repair of subsidence cracks and were in a comparatively less modified state, with BEL5 retaining an appropriate diversity of native species, but this site also contained too many exotic species.

60

50

40 2010 30 2011 No. Species No. 20 2012 2013 10

0

Figure 8-11. Exotic species diversity recorded in the woodland sites 2010 - 2013.

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8.7 Percent endemic ground cover

In 2012, the percent endemic ground cover was included as an additional ecological indicator to provide some measure of the cover abundance of the native vegetation and an indication of its overall weediness. In the woodland reference sites native species provided 86.7 – 88.7% of the total live plant cover and with 87.5% and 90.3, BEL4 and BEL5 rehabilitation sites fell within or exceeded this target range. While the remaining sites did not meet this level of cover, the percent endemic cover was also relatively high in BM11. Sites situated on North and South Blakefield waste emplacements and the new Dam01 site had comparatively low native plant cover which ranged from 20.0 (NB5) – 28.6% (SB1). While all sites tended to show and increasing trend in endemic cover, site SB1 showed a dramatic decline this year.

100

90 80 70 60

50 40 2012 30 2013 20 % Endemic Ground Cover Cover % Ground Endemic 10 0

Figure 8-12. Percent endemic ground cover recorded in the woodland monitoring sites in 2012 and 2013.

8.8 Most common species

The number of species recorded across the range of rehabilitation sites has ranged between 158 – 162 species since 2010 with 33 – 41% of these being exotic species (Table 8-3).

Table 8-3. Summary of the number of species recorded in the rehabilitation monitoring sites since 2010. Year No. sites Total species % Exotic species 2010 10 162 33 2011 10 161 37 2012 10 158 33.5 2013 9 161 41

The exotic species Anagellis arvensis, Senecio madagascariensis and Sida rhombifolia have been the most common species recorded in each year and were typically common to all rehabilitation sites. These species are weed species that are very common in the local area and subsequently were also found within the reference sites, reflecting the historical disturbance in the local area. Cynodon dactylon was also recorded in all but one rehabilitation site as a result of natural establishment from the soil seed bank and/or from the seeding program, while the volunteer weed species Plantago lanceolata was also very common. Other common species included Galenia pubescens, Gomphocarpus fruticosus and Eucalyptus crebra which were present in seven rehabilitation sites. Species that were recorded in at least five of the nine woodland rehabilitation sites in 2013 is given in Table 8-4.

Some common species which were present within the rehabilitation sites but not recorded in the reference sites included Galenia pubescens, Trifolium spp., Corymbia maculata, Chloris gayana,

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Eriochloa pseudoacrotricha, Bidens pilosa, Hypochaeris microcephala and Pennisetum clandestinum. A full list of species recorded in the woodland monitoring sites is provided in Appendix 1.

Table 8-4. Species that were recorded in at least five of the nine woodland rehabilitation sites in 2013.

Scientific Name Common Name

4 5

EL EL exotic Habit B B NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Total RWood01 RWood02 RWood03 Senecio h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 1 1 1 * madagascariensis Fireweed * Sida rhombifolia Paddy's Lucerne ss 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 1 1 1 Scarlet h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 1 1 * Anagallis arvensis Pimpernel Cynodon dactylon Couch g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1

* Plantago lanceolata Ribwort h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 1

* Sonchus oleraceus Milk Thistle h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1

Narrow-leaf t 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 1 Eucalyptus crebra Ironbark * Galenia pubescens Galenia ss 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7

Gomphocarpus ss 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 1 * fruticosus Swan Plant Bothriochloa g 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 1 1 1 decipiens Redgrass * Chloris gayana Rhodes Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 6

Corymbia maculata Spotted Gum t 1 1 1 1 1 1 6

Cymbopogon Barbed-wire g 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 1 1 1 refractus Grass * Trifolium spp. A Clover h 1 1 1 1 1 1 6

Aristida ramosa Threeawn Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 1

* Cirsium vulgare Spear Thistle h 1 1 1 1 1 5 1

Dichondra repens Kidney Weed h 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 1

Eriochloa Early Spring g 1 1 1 1 1 5 pseudoacrotricha Grass Eucalyptus t 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 tereticornis Forest Red Gum Blackberry h 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 * Solanum nigrum Nightshade

8.9 Vegetation composition

The composition of the vegetation as categorised by nine different growth forms is given in Figure 8-13. The woodland reference communities are characterised by a diverse range of herbs (22 – 35 species) and grasses (11-18 species) and contain a considerably lower number of trees (2 -5 species), shrubs (4-8 species), sub-shrubs (5-6 species), with some sites containing a small number of reeds (1 species), ferns (2 species) or cactus (1 species). BEL5 continued to be the only site to contain an appropriate vegetation composition in comparison to the reference sites.

All rehabilitation sites contained an appropriate number of tree and shrub species with the exception of the two new sites NB5 and SB6 which did not contain any tree or shrub species. The entire rehabilitation area was being planted to tubestock as we undertook the monitoring this year and it would be expected that tree and shrub targets would be met next year. BM11 continued to have low shrub diversity and numerous sites had a low diversity of sub-shrubs. Cactus continued to be recorded in BEL5 and BM11 but was not recorded in any other site in the past two years as many had died, with the exception of RWood01.

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The most common deficiencies in the rehabilitation sites were herbs and grasses indicating the need to improve rehabilitation methods with a focus on creating a native dominant grassy understorey component. Sites NB5, SB6 and BM11 contained overall very low species diversity.

90 80 70 60 50 40 Species No. 30 20 10 0

Trees Shrubs Sub-shrubs Herbs Grass Reeds Vines Ferns Cactus

Figure 8-13. Composition of the vegetation recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the woodland reference sites in 2013.

8.10 Rill Assessment

A rill assessment was undertaken despite most rills being much smaller (< 30cm in width or depth) than warranted to be recorded as prescribed by Nichols (2005). To identify potential rills of concern we have selected the dimensions of 10cm x 30cm (0.03m2) as the minimum value of concern. The sum of the cross-sectional areas of some rills recorded in the woodland rehabilitation areas are provided in Figure 8-14.

In 2010, three rehabilitation sites SB1, SE1, and SE3 had been subjected to some degree of rilling with the most extensive rills being recorded in SB1 which had a total cross-sectional area of 0.09 m2. In 2011 active rills were observed only within SE3 where the total cross-sectional area had increased from of 0.003 – 0.014 m2. In 2012 three minor rills were recorded in SB1 and all rills had become well vegetated and appeared to have stabilised in SE3.

In 2013 the new site SB6 was the only woodland site where active rilling was recorded. Three small rills with a total cross-sectional area of 0.035m2 were recorded in this site this year. No rill exceeded the minimum value of concern in any year.

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0.1 0.09

0.08 0.07 0.06 2010 0.05 2011 0.04 sectional area (m2) area sectional 2012 0.03 2013 Cross - 0.02 0.01 0

Figure 8-14. Sum of the cross-sectional area of the rills recorded in the woodland rehabilitation sites from 2010 - 2013.

8.11 Soil analyses

8.11.1 pH

Figure 8-15 shows the pH recorded in the woodland revegetation sites compared to the woodland reference sites and prescribed “desirable” levels in medium or clay loam soils. There has been no consistent trend in changes in pH across the woodland sites since 2010 and in most cases any changes have been relatively small and are likely to be the result from inherent site and sampling variations rather than from any specific cause.

The reference sites continued to have moderately acidic soils with the soil pH ranging from 5.71 – 6.16 with this range slightly contracting since 2012. Sites BEL4 and BEL5 had soils that fell within the natural pH range. In the remaining rehabilitation sites, the soil pH tended to be above the local range especially in sites NB5, SB1 and SE1 which were slightly to moderately alkaline and exceeded the desirable threshold. The new rehabilitation site SB6 had a pH of 9.01 and was very strongly alkaline which may have implications for the ecological development of the site. Sites SE3 and BM11 had soils that were within the desirable range.

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10 9 8 7

6 5 4 3 pH (1:5 water) 2 1 0

2010 2011 2012 2013 Low desirable range High desirable range

Figure 8-15. Comparison of pH values recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the woodland reference sites and desirable levels.

8.11.2 Conductivity

Figure 8-16 shows the Electrical Conductivity (EC) recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the woodland reference sites as well as the “desirable” level provided by the laboratory in medium or clay loam soils. Since 2010 there has been a declining trend in EC across most of the woodland sites and is probably related to rainfall activity and subsequent leaching of soluble salts from the soil profile. Marginal increases in EC was recorded in SE3 and BM11 this year however this was also observed in RWood01 and is probably related to inherent site and sampling variability. EC recorded within the woodland reference sites this year essentially remained unchanged and ranged between 0.041 – 0.055 dS/cm and these continue to be much lower than desirable levels (<0.150 dS/cm) indicating low levels of soluble salts.

Rehabilitation sites which contained natural levels of salts in 2013 included BEL4, BEL5 and SE3. The two new rehabilitation areas NB5 and SB6 exceeded the desirable range with ECs of 0.375 and 0.179 dS/cm respectively. When converted to ECe, a measure of soil salinity (EC (dS/m) x conversion factor 8.6 in clay loam soils) site NB5 had soils which can considered to be slightly saline (Slavich and Petterson 1993). The remaining rehabilitation sites had EC levels which may have exceeded the local levels but they remained the desirable threshold. Site SE1 continued to demonstrate a significant decline in EC and this year also fell within the desirable range.

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0.600

0.500

0.400

0.300

0.200

0.100 Electrical conductivity (dS/m) conductivity Electrical 0.000

2010 2011 2012 2013 Desirable (<)

Figure 8-16. Comparison of conductivity values recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the woodland reference sites and desirable levels.

8.11.3 Organic Matter

Organic Matter (OM) levels across the woodland reference sites has been variable with no consistent trend in changes in OM since 2010 with most changes likely to be attributed to natural and sampling variability. This year there was a reduction in OC which provided a new target range of 5.8 – 6.0% OC however at these levels continue to exceed the desirable level prescribed by the agricultural industry. (Figure 8-17).

In the rehabilitation sites there was an increasing trend in all sites except in site SB1 which remained unchanged. Sites which continued to fall within the local OM targets included the older sites BEL5 and BM11, while BEL4, SE3 and Dam01 had desirable OC levels. In these sites there was a high level of decomposing leaf litter and development of a humus layer. The remaining sites NB5, SB1, SB6 and SE1 did not meet the OM targets

OM levels are expected to improve naturally over time as the vegetation and dead leaf litter accumulate and decompose as a result of increased fungal and microbial activities which result in the development of a humus profile which is rich in organic material. OM levels however could have been enhanced in many sites via the addition of organic ameliorants (eg. pasture hay, mulch, compost, Organic Growth Medium (OGM) and successful establishment of cover crops and ground cover species in the initial rehabilitation process.

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10.00 9.00 8.00 7.00

6.00 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 Organic Matter (%) Matter Organic 1.00 0.00

2010 2011 2012 2013 Desirable (>)

Figure 8-17. Comparison of organic matter recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the woodland reference sites and desirable levels.

8.11.4 Phosphorous

Since 2010 there have been variable changes in phosphorus (P) levels recorded across the range of sites which may have been influenced by rainfall and topographic patterns, with many sites demonstrating an increase in P this year.

Phosphorous levels remained well below the desirable threshold with P ranging 9 – 26 mg/kg in the reference sites indicating that the local soils are naturally low in fertility (Figure 8-18). Phosphorous levels were also very low in the rehabilitation sites but in all sites except SE3 which only had 4 mg/kg P, all sites had suitable levels of P.

50 45

40 35 30 25 20 15 10

Phosphorous (Colwell (Colwell mg/kg) Phosphorous 5 0

2010 2011 2012 2013 Desirable

Figure 8-18. Comparison of phosphorous levels recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the woodland reference sites and desirable levels.

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8.11.5 Exchangeable Sodium Percentage

Sodicity refers to a significant proportion of Sodium in the soil compared to other cations with soil considered to be sodic when there is sufficient sodium to interfere with its structural stability which often interferes with plant growth. Sodic soils tend to suffer from poor soil structure including hard soil, hardpans, surface crusting and rain pooling on the surface, which can affect water infiltration, drainage, plant growth, cultivation and site accessibility.

There has been no consistent trend in the changes in Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP) since 2010 but typically ESP is lower than it was in 2010 indicating increased soil coherency and a lower tendency for soils to disperse in the rehabilitation areas. The woodland reference sites provided a range of 1.23 – 3.18% and rehabilitation sites which fell within this natural range or within desirable levels were BEL5, SE3, BM11 and Dam01 (Figure 8-19).

Sites which had sodic soils were BEL4, NB5, SB1, SB6 and SE1, with the new rehabilitation site SB6 having the highest ESP of 10.9%. These sites would benefit from the application of gypsum to improve soil structure and dispersive nature despite declining trend being observed in SB1 and SE1. Soil testing prior to use on rehabilitation would identify potentially sodic material and provide an indication of the level of amelioration required or allow alternative more suitable spoil material to be obtained.

14.00

12.00

10.00

8.00

6.00

4.00

2.00

0.00 Exchangeable Sodium percentage (%) percentage Sodium Exchangeable

2010 2011 2012 2013 Desirable (<)

Figure 8-19. Comparison of ESP recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the woodland reference sites and desirable levels.

8.11.6 Other soil test results

The full results of the soil analysis are provided in Appendix 3 but a summarised version highlighting abnormal results is provided in Table 8-5. The results indicate there are numerous elements which occur at elevated levels within the rehabilitation sites but many of these also have been recorded at elevated levels within the reference sites suggesting various elements and heavy metals can occur at “naturally” high levels around the Bulga Complex and may be the result of the long agricultural and mining history of the area.

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In particular high (yellow) to excessively high (brown) levels of Magnesium, Potassium and Iron were frequently recorded across the range of woodland sites and these may have the potential to limit plant growth and full ecosystem recovery. Excessively high levels of Iron were also recorded within the reference sites suggesting Lead can occur at higher than desirable levels in undisturbed mining areas. In 2012 elevated levels of Sulfur and Lead were also common amongst a range of the rehabilitation areas but did not appear elevated in any monitoring site this year. Future monitoring of these and other rehabilitation areas is likely to determine the rate of ecosystem development and the level of amelioration or management intervention required.

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Table 8-5. Summarised soil analyses highlighting abnormal test results in the woodland monitoring sites in 2013. Medium Soil e.g Method Nutrient Units BEL4 BEL5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 RWood01 RWood02 RWood03 Clay Loam Calcium Ca 250 268 1404 588 1081 558 608 794 1146 388 352 679 750 Magnesium Mg 180 272 517 354 525 492 413 621 418 251 134 93 105 Morgan 1 mg/kg Potassium K 130 167 129 118 108 149 136 154 203 144 135 134 75 Iron Fe 211 345 27 31 17 37 46 166 64 225 237 127 22 CaCl2 Silicon Si mg/kg 35 51 7 30 6 39 27 36 71 68 39 44 45 Total Acid 20 - 50 Zinc Zn mg/kg 18 34 39 24 47 38 39 65 58 40 30 29 Extractable Zn Brown = exceptionally high; Red = very high; Yellow = moderately high; Green = slightly high

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8.12 Woodland rehabilitation site performance towards meeting ecological targets

Table 8-6 indicates the performance of the rehabilitation monitoring sites against a selection of proposed Primary and Secondary Performance Indicators developed for woodland communities during the 2013 monitoring period. The selection of indicators has been presented in order of ecosystem successional processes, beginning with landform establishment (orange) and ending with indicators of ecosystem stability (blue). The range values will be amended annually.

Rehabilitation sites meeting or exceeding the range values of their representative community type have been identified with a shaded colour box and have therefore been deemed to have met the respective ecological target. In the case of “growth medium development”, upper and lower soil property indicators are also based on results obtained from the respective reference sites sampled in 2013. In some cases, the site may not fall within ranges based on these data, but may be within “desirable” levels as prescribed by the agricultural industry. If this scenario occurs, the rehabilitation site has been identified using a striped shaded box to indicate that it falls within “desirable” ranges but does not fall within specified targets using the adopted methodology.

Table 8-6. Performance of the rehabilitation monitoring sites against a selection of proposed Primary and Secondary Performance Indicators.

Aspect or Unit of Woodland Rehabilitation Ecological Performance Primary Performance Secondary Performance ecosystem measure ecosystem BEL4 BEL5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Phase Targets Indicators Indicators Indicators component (desirable) range 2013

Performance indicators are quantified by the range of values obtained from replicated reference sites Lower Upper 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 Phase2: Landform Landform Landform slope, suitable for establishment gradient final landuse Landform is generally and stability and generally Slope compatible within the context Degrees (<14°) 6 11 3 4 0 12 6 14 10 5 8 compatible of the local topography. with surrounding topography Landform Landform is Based on key physical, function functional and biological and chemical performing as characteristics the LFA stability it was index provides an indication of LFA Stability % 67.5 74.4 65.2 69.5 62.5 73.7 41.5 72.2 57.9 66.1 69.0 designed to do the sites stability and that it is comparable to or trending towards that of the local remnant vegetation Based on key physical, biological and chemical characteristics the LFA infiltration index provides an LFA indication of the sites % 45.1 48.5 45.9 45.6 35.5 46.6 21.2 36.9 35.1 54.2 39.6 Infiltration infiltration capacity and that it is comparable to or trending towards that of the local remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Woodland Rehabilitation Ecological Performance Primary Performance Secondary Performance ecosystem measure ecosystem BEL4 BEL5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Phase Targets Indicators Indicators Indicators component (desirable) range 2013

Based on key physical, biological and chemical characteristics the LFA nutrient recycling index provides an LFA Nutrient indication of the sites ability to % 45.5 51.1 46.8 46.0 34.7 47.0 15.8 39 31.4 53.3 40.2 recycling recycle nutrient and that it is comparable to or trending towards that of the local remnant vegetation The Landscape Organisation Index provides a measure of LFA the ability of the site to retain Landscape % 100 100 91 100 100 97 0 81 37 100 100 resources and that it is organisation comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Active Areas of active Provides an assessment of the erosion erosion are number of gullies or rills No. limited occurring in a 50m transect and No. 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 Rills/Gullies that these are limited and stabilising Provides an assessment of the Cross- extent of soil loss due to gully sectional m2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.035 0 0 0 0 and rill erosion and that it is area of rills limited and/or is stabilising Phase 3: Soil Soil properties pH is typical of that of the Growth chemical, are suitable for surrounding landscape or falls medium physical the pH within desirable ranges pH (5.6-7.3) 5.7 6.2 5.9 5.8 8.08 7.92 9.01 7.64 7.3 6.8 6.8 development properties establishment provided by the agricultural and and industry amelioration maintenance of Electrical Conductivity is typical selected of that of the surrounding vegetation EC landscape or fall within desirable < dS/cm (<0.150) 0.041 0.055 0.035 0.046 0.375 0.083 0.179 0.134 0.052 0.106 0.067 species ranges provided by the agricultural industry Organic Carbon levels are typical of that of the Organic surrounding landscape, % (>4.5) 5.8 6.3 5.3 7.0 3.8 2.8 3.6 3.8 5.3 7.3 6.0 Matter increasing or fall within desirable ranges provided by the agricultural industry Available Phosphorus is typical of that of the surrounding Phosphorous landscape or fall within mg/kg (50) 8.5 26.2 16.7 13.8 25.9 13.1 17.4 13.1 3.6 23.0 13.1 desirable ranges provided by the agricultural industry

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Aspect or Unit of Woodland Rehabilitation Ecological Performance Primary Performance Secondary Performance ecosystem measure ecosystem BEL4 BEL5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Phase Targets Indicators Indicators Indicators component (desirable) range 2013

Nitrate levels are typical of that of the surrounding landscape or fall Nitrate mg/kg (>12.5) 1.2 1.5 1.2 1.2 0.8 2.5 2.5 1.8 1.3 1.1 3.9 within desirable ranges provided by the agricultural industry Cation Exchange Capacity is typical of that of the surrounding CEC landscape or fall within desirable Cmol+/kg (>14) 6.5 8.9 6.4 7.9 16.5 10.4 13.7 12.8 11.9 18.4 20.1 ranges provided by the agricultural industry Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (a measure of sodicity) is typical of that of the ESP % (<5) 1.2 3.6 5.2 4.0 5.8 5.7 10.9 7.0 1.3 3.1 1.7 surrounding landscape or fall within desirable ranges provided by the agricultural industry Phase 4: Vegetation Vegetation The diversity of shrubs and Ecosystem& diversity contains a juvenile trees with a stem Landuse diversity of diameter <5cm is comparable species/area 4 9 8 8 2 10 1 9 13 6 5 Establishment species to that of the local remnant comparable to vegetation. Diversity of that of the local The percentage of shrubs and shrubs and remnant juvenile trees with a stem juvenile trees vegetation diameter <5cm dbh which are local endemic species and % population 85 92 100 100 100 95 100 100 100 61 100 these percentages are comparable to the local remnant vegetation The total number of live plant species provides an indication of Total species the floristic diversity of the site No./area 54 68 50 77 27 45 31 46 43 29 40 richness and is comparable to the local remnant vegetation The total number of live native plant species provides an Native indication of the native plant species >No./area 43 53 36 51 3 25 4 23 30 19 24 diversity of the site and that it is richness greater than or comparable to the local remnant vegetation The total number of live exotic plant species provides an Exotic indication of the exotic plant species

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Aspect or Unit of Woodland Rehabilitation Ecological Performance Primary Performance Secondary Performance ecosystem measure ecosystem BEL4 BEL5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Phase Targets Indicators Indicators Indicators component (desirable) range 2013

Vegetation Vegetation density contains a The density of shrubs or density of Density of juvenile trees with a stem species shrubs and diameter < 5cm is comparable No./area 75 167 38 305 4 19 1 141 185 161 12 comparable to juvenile trees to that of the local remnant that of the local vegetation remnant vegetation Ecosystem The vegetation The number of tree species composition is comprised regardless of age comprising by a range of Trees the vegetation community is No./area 2 5 5 4 2 9 0 6 9 5 4 growth forms comparable to that of the local comparable to remnant vegetation that of the local The number of shrub species remnant regardless of age comprising vegetation Shrubs the vegetation community is No./area 4 8 7 5 0 4 1 4 11 1 2 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation The number of sub-shrub species comprising the Sub-shrubs vegetation community is No./area 5 6 2 6 3 5 3 5 2 6 3 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation The number of herbs or forb species comprising the Herbs vegetation community is No./area 22 35 18 38 14 17 18 20 12 8 18 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation The number of grass species comprising the vegetation Grass community is comparable to No./area 11 18 16 18 8 9 9 11 8 7 13 that of the local remnant vegetation The number of reed, sedge or rush species comprising the Reeds vegetation community is No./area 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation The number of vines or climbing species comprising the Vines vegetation community is No./area 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation The number of ferns comprising the vegetation community is Ferns No./area 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Woodland Rehabilitation Ecological Performance Primary Performance Secondary Performance ecosystem measure ecosystem BEL4 BEL5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Phase Targets Indicators Indicators Indicators component (desirable) range 2013

The number of cactus comprising the vegetation community is Cactus No./area 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation The number of aquatic species comprising the vegetation Aquatic No./area 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 community is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Phase 5: Protective Ground layer Percent ground cover provided Ecosystem & ground contains by dead plant material is Litter cover % 65 70 70.1 60.5 37.5 66 8.5 31 88.6 94.5 27 Landuse cover protective comparable to that of the local Development ground cover remnant vegetation and habitat Percent ground cover provided structure by live annual plants is less than Annual plants <% 0 2 1 1.5 6.5 1.5 3 12 2 0 55.5 comparable or comparable to that of the local with the local remnant vegetation remnant Percent ground cover provided vegetation Cryptogam by cryptogams (eg mosses, % 1 8 12.5 18 4.5 11.5 0 10 0 0 0 cover lichens) is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Percent ground cover provided by stones or rocks (> 5cm Rock % 0 0 0 0 3.5 2.5 3.5 6.5 1 0 0 diameter) is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Percent ground cover provided by fallen branches and logs Log % 0 1 0 0.5 1 0 1.5 0 0 0 0 (>5cm) is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Percentage of bare ground is Bare ground less than or comparable to that < % 1 2 9.5 4 29 4 67.5 29 6.5 0.5 5.5 of the local remnant vegetation Percent ground cover provided Perennial by live perennial vegetation plant cover (< (<0.5m in height) is % 23 29 6.9 15.5 18 14.5 16 11.5 1.9 5 12 0.5m) comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Total groundcover is the sum of protective ground cover Total Ground components (as described % 98 100 90.5 96 71 96 32.5 71 93.5 99.5 94.5 Cover above) and that it is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Woodland Rehabilitation Ecological Performance Primary Performance Secondary Performance ecosystem measure ecosystem BEL4 BEL5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Phase Targets Indicators Indicators Indicators component (desirable) range 2013

Ground Vegetation The abundance of native cover contains a species per square metre diversity diversity of averaged across the site species per Native provides an indication of the square meter understorey heterogeneity of the site and > species/m2 7 8 4.8 7.6 0.8 1 1 3 3 0.8 3 comparable to abundance that it has more than or an that of the local equal number of native species remnant as the local remnant vegetation vegetation The abundance of exotic species per square metre averaged across the site provides an Exotic indication of the heterogeneity of understorey < species/m2 1 1 1 0.8 4.2 2.6 5.2 4.8 1.8 0.2 4.8 the site and that it has less than abundance or an equal number of native species as the local remnant vegetation Native Native ground Percent The percent ground cover ground cover ground cover abundance of native species cover abundance is provided by (<0.5m) compared to exotic abundance comparable to native species is comparable to the % 86.7 88.7 87.5 90.3 20 28.6 24.6 36.6 58.6 80 27 that of the local vegetation reference sites and remnant <0.5m tall demonstrating a sustained vegetation positive trend towards target values Ecosystem The vegetation The number of shrubs or growth and is maturing juvenile trees <0.5m in height natural and/or natural shrubs and provides an indication of recruitment recruitment is juvenile trees establishment success and/or No./area 29 63 17 194 4 3 1 35 67 29 1 occurring at 0 - 0.5m in natural ecosystem recruitment rates similar to height and that it is comparable to those of the that of the local remnant local remnant vegetation vegetation The number of shrubs or juvenile trees 0.5-1m in height provides shrubs and an indication of establishment juvenile trees success, growth and/or natural No./area 22 31 6 72 0 4 0 39 16 13 1 0.5 - 1m in ecosystem recruitment and that it height is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Woodland Rehabilitation Ecological Performance Primary Performance Secondary Performance ecosystem measure ecosystem BEL4 BEL5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Phase Targets Indicators Indicators Indicators component (desirable) range 2013

The number of shrubs or juvenile trees 1-1.5m in height provides shrubs and an indication of establishment juvenile trees success, growth and/or natural No./area 7 28 0 21 0 5 0 28 37 4 2 1 - 1.5m in ecosystem recruitment and that it height is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation The number of shrubs or juvenile trees 1.5-2m in height provides shrubs and an indication of establishment juvenile trees success, growth and/or natural No./area 2 14 1 1 0 4 0 14 23 9 2 1.5 - 2m in ecosystem recruitment and that it height is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation The number of shrubs or juvenile trees >2m in height provides an shrubs and indication of establishment juvenile trees success, growth and/or natural No./area 15 41 14 17 0 3 0 25 42 106 6 >2m in height ecosystem recruitment and that it is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Ecosystem The vegetation Projected foliage cover structure is developing provided by perennial plants in vertical the 0.5 - 2m vertical height Foliage cover structure and stratum indicates the % cover 7 15 18 23 0 21 0 18.5 37 2 1 0.5 - 2 m complexity community structure is comparable to comparable to that of the local that of the local remnant vegetation remnant vegetation Projected foliage cover provided by perennial plants in the 2 - 4m Foliage cover vertical height stratum indicates % cover 5 15 30 24 0 15 0 14 45 8 0 2 - 4m the community structure is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Projected foliage cover provided by perennial plants in the 4 -6m Foliage cover vertical height stratum indicates % cover 16 25 37 22 0 8 0 7 42 32 0 4 - 6m the community structure is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Projected foliage cover provided by perennial plants > Foliage cover 6m vertical height stratum % cover 28 61 6 23 0 8 0 7 20 61 0 >6m indicates the community structure is comparable to that

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Aspect or Unit of Woodland Rehabilitation Ecological Performance Primary Performance Secondary Performance ecosystem measure ecosystem BEL4 BEL5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Phase Targets Indicators Indicators Indicators component (desirable) range 2013

of the local remnant vegetation

Tree Vegetation The diversity of trees or shrubs diversity contains a with a stem diameter >5cm is diversity of comparable to the local remnant species/area 2 4 6 2 0 3 0 1 6 4 1 maturing tree vegetation. Species used in and shrubs rehabilitation will be endemic to species the local area comparable to Tree diversity The percentage of maturing that of the local trees and shrubs with a stem remnant diameter >5cm dbh which are vegetation local endemic species and % 100 100 100 100 0 100 0 100 93 58 100 these percentages are comparable to the local remnant vegetation Tree density Vegetation The density of shrubs or trees contains a with a stem diameter > 5cm is Tree density No./area 16 37 30 25 0 6 0 1 42 67 1 density of comparable to that of the local maturing tree remnant vegetation and shrubs species Average tree diameter of the tree comparable to population provides a measure of that of the local Average dbh age, (height) and growth rate and cm 10 17 10 11 0 8 0 6 7 10 7 remnant that it is trending towards that of vegetation the local remnant vegetation. Ecosystem The vegetation The percentage of the tree health is in a population which are live condition Live trees individuals and that the % population 97.3 100 96.7 100 0 100 0 100 100 98.5 100 comparable to percentage is comparable to that of the local the local remnant vegetation remnant The percentage of the tree vegetation. population which are in healthy Healthy trees condition and that the % population 24 44 53.3 20 0 100.0 0 100 92.9 47.8 100 percentage is comparable to the local remnant vegetation The percentage of the tree population which are in a Medium medium health condition and that % population 56 68 33.3 80 0 0.0 0 0 5 44.8 0 health the percentage is comparable to the local remnant vegetation The percentage of the tree Advanced population which are in a state of <% population 0 5 10.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 6.0 0 dieback advanced dieback and that the percentage is less than or

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Aspect or Unit of Woodland Rehabilitation Ecological Performance Primary Performance Secondary Performance ecosystem measure ecosystem BEL4 BEL5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Phase Targets Indicators Indicators Indicators component (desirable) range 2013

comparable to the local remnant vegetation

The percentage of the tree population which are dead Dead Trees (stags) and that the percentage <% population 0 3 3.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.5 0 is less than or comparable to the local remnant vegetation The percentage of the tree population which have mistletoe provides an indication of Mistletoe community health and habitat % population 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 value and that the percentage is comparable to the local remnant vegetation The presence of reproductive structures such as buds, flowers or fruit provides evidence that the ecosystem is Flowers/fruit: maturing, capable of % population 5 25 6.7 4 0 66.7 0 0 2.4 10.4 0 Trees recruitment and can provide habitat resources comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

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9 Pasture rehabilitation sites: Ecological trends and performance against a selection of primary ecological performance indicators

9.1 Landscape Function Analyses

9.1.1 Landscape Organisation

A patch is an area within an ecosystem where resources such as soil and litter tend to accumulate, while areas where resources are mobilised and transported away are referred to as interpatches. Landscape Organisation Indices (LOI) are calculated by the length of the patches divided by the length of the transect to provide an index or percent of the transect which is occupied by functional patch areas (Tongway and Hindley 2004).

All three grassland reference sites maintain a high patch area with no bare areas where resources could be lost and therefore continued to maintain a Landscape Organisation Index (LOI) of 100% (Figure 9-1). While all six pasture rehabilitation sites were characterised as complete functional pasture patches and scored an LOI of 100% last year, BEL2 suffered a dramatic decline due to the establishment of a pipeline which ran diagonally across the site, resulting in a lower patch area and LOI of 62% this year.

100 90 80 70 60 2010 50 2011 40 2012 30 2013

Landscape Organisation Index (%) Index Organisation Landscape 20 10 0 BEL2 BEL3 NB4 SB2 SB4 SB5 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03

Figure 9-1. Landscape organisation indices recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the pasture reference sites during 2010 - 2013.

9.1.2 Soil surface assessments

9.1.2.1 Stability

There has been no consistent trend in changes in landscape stability across the range of monitoring sites since 2010 but typically most sites have tended to demonstrate a small improvement or negligible

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change. This year a marginal decline in stability was recorded in the three pasture reference sites and subsequently the target stability range decreased to 73.9 – 83.3 (Figure 9-2).

Site BEL3 fell within the target range and SB4 was very close with and index of 73.5 but the remaining rehabilitation sites did not meet these stability targets. Due to the disturbances created by the construction of a pipeline through the site, BEL2 has had a significant decline in landscape stability and was now 16.2 LFA units than the required stability target.

100 90 80 70

60 2010 50 2011 LFA indexLFA 40 2012 30 2013 20 10 0 BEL2 BEL3 NB4 SB2 SB4 SB5 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03

Figure 9-2. Comparison of LFA stability indices between the rehabilitation monitoring sites and the pasture reference sites 2010 - 2013.

9.1.2.2 Infiltration

Similarly there has been no consistent trend in changes in infiltration since 2010 and since last year most changes have been marginal or insignificant (Figure 9-3). In 2013 the target infiltration range has slightly increased to 51.1 – 60.8 however no rehabilitation site met this target this year, despite BEL2 having good infiltration capacity last year.

In most sites there was less cover of perennial plants, increased soil surface hardness and typically some slaking was evident. There may also have been less cryptogams and litter cover and lower rates of litter decomposition compared to the reference sites. In some sites erosion and deposition was also observed. BEL2 had suffered extensive disturbance during the construction of a pipeline through the site. Despite these shortfalls the newest rehabilitation sites SB4 and SB5 have continued to demonstrate an increasing trend, but NB4 has shown a declining infiltration trend.

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100 90 80 70 60 2010 50 2011

LFA IndexLFA 40 2012 30 2013 20 10 0 BEL2 BEL3 NB4 SB2 SB4 SB5 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03

Figure 9-3. Comparison of LFA infiltration indices between the revegetation monitoring sites and the pasture reference sites

9.1.2.3 Nutrient recycling

The nutrient recycling indices followed very similar trends to the infiltration indices and this year nutrient recycling in the reference sites had increased to provide new range of 52.7 – 56.2 (Figure 9-4). In 2013, no rehabilitation site met this target despite BEL2 having good infiltration capacity last year as the site was highly disturbed after the construction of a pipeline through the site.

All sites except BEL2 and NB4 have however demonstrated an increasing trend in nutrient recycling capacity largely due to increased cover of perennial plants, increasing levels of dead leaf litter and higher rates of decomposition and in some sites cryptogams were also more abundant. The declining trend occurring within NB4 however may indicate the need for management intervention if this trend continues.

100 90 80 70 2010 60 50 2011 2012

LFA IndexLFA 40 30 2013 20 10 0 BEL2 BEL3 NB4 SB2 SB4 SB5 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03

Figure 9-4. Comparison of LFA nutrient indices between the revegetation monitoring sites and the pasture reference sites from 2010 - 2013.

9.1.3 LFA Summary

In summary, most of the pasture rehabilitation sites appear to be establishing reasonably well but with increased ecological function recorded in the reference sites, the minimum targets had increased this

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year such that no rehabilitation site met these targets, with the exception of BEL3 which reached minimum stability targets.

All sites with the exception of BEL2 which had been highly disturbed after the recent construction of a pipeline showed negligible change or marginal improvements in ecological function with the exception of NB4 which was demonstrating a declining trend. The functional capacity of the sites also appears to fluctuate with the seasonal conditions and with the extent of macropod grazing and activity. The two newest rehabilitation areas SB4 and SB5 had the least ecological function in 2011 and these sites have shown a significant increase in patch area and ecological function largely due to the excellent establishment of the perennial pasture grasses. Some examples of the different ground covers in the pasture monitoring sites are provided in Table 9-1.

Table 9-1. Different ground covers occurring within the pasture monitoring sites in 2013. BEL2: Bare disturbed soil surface after pipe construction BEL3: Dense cover of perennial grasses

NB4: Rank Chloris gayana tussocks, cryptogams, bare patches SB2: Dense cover of tall rank Chloris gayana tussocks

SB4: Dense cover of exotic pasture grasses and Galenia SB5: Dense cover of exotic pasture grasses

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RPast01: Dense cover of perennial native grasses RPast02: Dense cover of perennial native grasses

RPast03: Dense cover of exotic and native perennial grasses

9.2 Tree density

No trees or shrubs with a dbh >5cm were present in any pasture site.

9.3 Shrubs and recruitment

Shrubs are generally absent from grassland areas but one A. falcata and one Angophora floribunda continued to be recorded in NB4 and RPast01 respectively. There was also one noxious Lycium ferocissimum recorded in SB5 this year. All pasture rehabilitation sites therefore met this ecological target (Figure 9-5).

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10 9 8

7 6 2010 5 2011 4 No. individuals 2012 3 2013 2 1 0

Figure 9-5. Total shrubs recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the pasture reference sites 2010 - 2013.

9.4 Total ground cover

Total ground cover, which is a combination of leaf litter, annual plants, cryptogams, rocks, logs and live perennial plants (<0.5m in height) remained high in the pasture reference sites and 100% cover continued to be recorded in all three sites (Figure 9-6).

Since 2010 there has been no consistent trend in changes in total ground cover in the rehabilitation sites with most changes being relatively minor, except in SB5 between 2011 and 2012 where a significant improvement was observed. In BEL2 there was a dramatic decrease in total ground cover due to the construction of a pipeline through a large portion of the site. While high ground cover was recorded in all pasture sites SB4 and SB5 were the only sites to meet the 100% cover although BEL3 and SB2 were close with 97.0 and 97.5% respectively.

100 90 80

70 60 2010

50 2011 40 2012

% Ground Cover % Cover Ground 30 2013 20 10 0 BEL2 BEL3 NB4 SB2 SB4 SB5 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03

Figure 9-6. Total ground cover recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the pasture reference sites 2010 - 2013.

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9.5 Structural composition

The structural composition recorded in the pasture monitoring sites in 2013 is provided in Figure 9-7. Perennial plant cover (<0.5m in height) provided 37 – 58.5% of the ground cover on average in the reference sites and this year SB4 and SB5 were the only rehabilitation sites which contained the required minimum of 37% perennial plant cover as they had developed into well established exotic pastures. Dead plants and leaf litter (litter) continued to be the dominant form of ground cover in the remaining rehabilitation sites.

The perennial pasture species in SB4 and SB5 tended to be younger and were actively growing with macropod grazing kept the pasture species short and more vigorous. In contrast, older rehabilitation sites such as NB4 and SB4 on the North and South Blakefield Waste Emplacements, most litter and perennial cover was derived from the tall rank cover of Chloris gayana which also provided some limited projected foliage cover greater than 0.5m in height. In BEL2 and BEL3, there were mixed native and exotic pasture species and numerous annual and perennial weeds. The construction of a pipeline through BEL2 has resulted in a significant area of bare soils exposed.

Since 2010 there has been some limited cover provided by annual plants in some of the older rehabilitation sites with the majority of this cover being provided by Plantago lanceolata or Senecio madagascariensis. While 6.5 – 8.5% of annual plant cover was recorded in the reference sites this year, there was no annual plant cover recorded in NB4, SB4 or SB5. Cryptogams were common in low abundance in one of the reference sites and this year they occurred in BEL2, BEL3 and NB4 and provided 0.5 – 9.0% of the ground cover on average. Logs and rocks were not recorded in the pasture sites.

200% 100

180% 80 Perennial <0.5m 160% 60 Bare

140% 40 Log

120% 20 Rock Cryptogam 100% 0 Annuals 80% -20 Litter 60% -40 0.5-2.0m Percent Cover Ground Percent Percent Canopy Cover Canopy Percent 2.0-4.0m 40% -60 4.0-6.0m 20% -80 >6.0m 0% -100

Figure 9-7. Average percent ground cover and projected foliage cover recorded in the pasture monitoring sites in 2013.

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9.6 Floristic diversity

9.6.1 Total species diversity

Since 2010 there has been no consistent trend in changes in floristic diversity across the range of pasture monitoring sites but most changes have been influenced by seasonal conditions and grazing pressure by macropods (or in RPast03 by cattle), but increased competition by the more dominant vegetation has also resulted in a decline in diversity in some sites (NB4, SB2, SB4 and SB5), while grazing has lead to an increase diversity in some sites (BEL2 and BEL3).

The less disturbed reference sites RPast01 and RPast02 continue to provide a very high diversity target but RPast03 was a more modified site which provided a much lower diversity target, with the target range being 30 – 48 species per 20x50m monitoring plot this year (Figure 9-8).

Of the rehabilitation sites, BEL2 and BEL3 continued to fall within this diversity range with 39 and 41 species respectively. Site SB4 and SB5 continued to have a very low diversity as the vigorous pasture species have become very dominant, and in these sites there were eight and seven species recorded respectively this year.

60

50

40

2010 30 2011

No. Species No. 2012 20 2013

10

0 BEL2 BEL3 NB4 SB2 SB4 SB5 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03

Figure 9-8. Total species diversity recorded in the pasture sites 2010 - 2013.

9.6.2 Native species diversity

Native species in the pasture reference sites continued to be more common than exotic species in two of the reference sites and this year this was also the case in BEL2, however the opposite was true for the remaining rehabilitation sites (Figure 9-9, Figure 9-10). There were 13 – 31 native species recorded in the reference sites with BEL2 and BEL3 continuing to meet this target this year with 21 and 17 species respectively. There was only one native species recorded in sites SB4 and SB5 with the remaining sites having six or less native species (Figure 9-9).

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45

40

35

30

2010 25 2011 20

No. Species No. 2012 15 2013 10

5

0 BEL2 BEL3 NB4 SB2 SB4 SB5 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03

Figure 9-9. Native species diversity recorded in the pasture sites 2010 - 2013.

9.6.3 Exotic species diversity

The diversity of exotic species in the reference sites had slightly increased this year and ranged from 16 - 17 species and this increase in species was also observed in BEL2 and BEL3 and these sites were weedier than desired. In the remaining rehabilitation sites a decrease in exotic species diversity was recorded and they contained acceptable level of exotic species (Figure 9-10).

This year there were no consistent trends in the changes in diversity however the fluctuating seasonal conditions, selective browsing and degree of grazing pressure, disturbances creating additional germination niches, density of the dominant species combined with some degree of sampling variability are likely to have some influence of the species diversity recorded in the monitoring sites. The construction of a pipeline through BEL2 also had an impact in this site. The results however typically indicate there is a lack of plant diversity within numerous rehabilitation sites with the most floristically deficient sites being recorded in the rehabilitation areas on the North and South Blakefield Waste Emplacements.

45

40

35

30

2010 25 2011 20

No. Species No. 2012 15 2013 10

5

0 BEL2 BEL3 NB4 SB2 SB4 SB5 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03

Figure 9-10. Exotic species diversity recorded in the pasture sites 2010 - 2013.

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9.7 Percent endemic ground cover

In 2012, the percent endemic ground cover was included as an additional ecological indicator to provide some measure of the cover abundance of the native vegetation. In the pasture reference sites native species provided 47.8 – 85.8% of the total live plant cover and with 48.3% endemic cover BEL2 was the only rehabilitation site which fell within this target range, while SB5 was close with 41.5% endemic plant cover. Native plant cover was exceptionally low to absent in NB4 and SB2 which had 2% and 0% endemic plant cover respectively

100 90

80 70 60

50 2012 40 2013 30

% Endemic Ground Cover Cover % Ground Endemic 20 10 0 BEL2 BEL3 NB4 SB2 SB4 SB5 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03

Figure 9-11. Percent endemic ground cover recorded in the pasture monitoring sites 2012 - 2013.

9.8 Most common species

The number of species recorded across the range of rehabilitation sites has ranged from 71 – 88 species since 2010 with 51 – 63% of these being exotic species (Table 9-2).

Table 9-2. Summary of the number of species recorded in the rehabilitation monitoring sites since 2010. Year No. sites Total species % Exotic species 2010 7 82 56 2011 8 88 63 2012 8 71 51 2013 6 79 56

The perennial grasses Chloris gayana and Cynodon dactylon were the most common species this year and so was Gomphocarpus fruticosus and these were found in five of the six rehabilitation sites (Table 9-3). Other very common species included Galenia pubescens and Pennisetum clandestinum. Some common species which were present within the rehabilitation sites but not recorded in the reference sites included Galenia pubescens and Pennisetum clandestinum. While Gomphocarpus fruticosus and Galenia pubescens are perennial weeds common in the local area, the perennial grasses were sown as part of the rehabilitation program. A full list of species recorded in the pasture monitoring sites is provided in Appendix 1.

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Table 9-3. Species that were recorded in at least three of the six pasture rehabilitation sites in 2013.

Common SB2 SB4 SB5 NB4 Total Habit BEL2 BEL3 exotic

Family Scientific Name Name RPast01 RPast02 RPast03 Poaceae * Chloris gayana Rhodes Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1

Poaceae Cynodon dactylon Couch g 1 1 1 1 1 5 1

Gomphocarpus ss 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 Asteraceae * fruticosus Swan Plant Aizoaceae * Galenia pubescens Galenia ss 1 1 1 1 4

Pennisetum g 1 1 1 1 4 Poaceae * clandestinum Kikuyu Grass Scarlet h 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 Primulaceae * Anagallis arvensis Pimpernel Bothriochloa g 1 1 1 3 1 1 Poaceae decipiens Redgrass Gamochaeta h 1 1 1 3 1 1 Asteraceae * americana Cudweed Plantaginaceae * Plantago lanceolata Ribwort h 1 1 1 3 1 1 1

Senecio h 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 Asteraceae * madagascariensis Fireweed Paddy's ss 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 Malvaceae * Sida rhombifolia Lucerne

9.9 Vegetation composition

The composition of the vegetation as categorised by nine different growth forms is given in Figure 9-12. The natural pasture communities are largely dominated by herbs (15 – 28 species) and grasses (11 – 15 species) and may have had up to five different sub-shrubs and up to two species of reeds and/or ferns. The less modified and older rehabilitation sites BEL2 and BEL3 met all community composition targets, except the absence of sub-shrubs in BEL2. The remaining pasture rehabilitation sites were highly deficient in herb and grass diversity and lacked fern representatives.

60

50

40

30 No. Species 20

10

0

Trees Shrubs Sub-shrubs Herbs Grass Reeds Vines Ferns Cactus

Figure 9-12. Composition of the vegetation recorded at the rehabilitation sites compared to the pasture reference sites in 2013.

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9.10 Rill Assessment

A rill assessment was undertaken despite most rills being much smaller (< 30cm in width or depth) than warranted to be recorded as prescribed by Nichols (2005). To identify potential rills of concern we have selected the dimensions of 10cm x 30cm (0.03m2) as the minimum value of concern. The sum of the cross-sectional areas of rills recorded in the pasture rehabilitation sites is provided in Figure 9-13.

A large rill which has continued to exceed the minimum value for concern has been recorded in site NB4 since 2010 and this year it had a cross-sectional area of 0.09 m2. One other site SB5 also had a large rill in 2011, but this has since become well vegetated and has stabilised. No other active rills were observed in the remaining rehabilitation sites in any monitoring year.

0.25

0.2

2010 0.15 2011

0.1 2012 sectional area (m2) area sectional 2013

Cross - 0.05

0 BEL2 BEL3 NB4 SB2 SB4 SB5 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03

Figure 9-13. Sum of the cross-sectional area of the rills recorded in the pasture monitoring sites 2010 - 2013.

9.11 Soil analyses

9.11.1 pH

Figure 9-14 shows the pH recorded in the pasture rehabilitation sites compared to the pasture reference sites and prescribed “desirable” levels in medium or clay loam soils. There has been no consistent trend in changes in pH across the pasture sites but in most cases any change has been relatively minor.

The overall range within the pasture reference sites has slightly decreased over the last year to provide a range of 6.00 – 6.27. The low pH levels indicate the soils from the local grazing pastures are slightly acidic but remain within the desirable agricultural range. This year no rehabilitation site had slightly acidic soils but the soils in BEL2 and BEL3 were neutral and within the desirable range. The remaining rehabilitation sites had soils which were moderately (NB4, SB2) to strongly (SB4, SB5) alkaline, with the pH demonstrating an increasing trend in SB4 and SB5 which may have implications for plant growth and development.

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10 9 8 7

6 5 4 3 pH (1:5 water) 2 1 0

2010 2011 2012 2013 Low desirable range High desirable range

Figure 9-14.Comparison of pH values recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the pasture reference sites and desirable levels.

9.11.2 Conductivity

Figure 9-15 shows the Electrical Conductivity (EC) recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the pasture reference sites as well as the “desirable” level provided by the laboratory in medium or clay loam soils. Since 2010 there was no consistent change in EC levels across the pasture sites and there has been little change occurring within the reference sites. EC ranges recorded within the pasture reference sites continued to be much lower than desirable levels (<0.150 dS/cm) indicating low levels of soluble salts and low soil salinity in the local grazing pastures. This year the natural EC range was 0.052 – 0.065 dS/cm in the reference sites.

No rehabilitation site contained ‘natural’ levels of salts but BEL3, NB4 and SB2 were relatively close and site BEL2 remained well below the acceptable level of 0.150 dS/cm and this year met this ecological target.

Rehabilitation sites SB4 and SB5 have had excessively high EC levels in previous years and in 2012 when the soil EC was converted to ECe, a measure of soil salinity (EC (dS/m) x conversion factor 8.6 in clay loam soils) the soils in SB4 were slightly saline with an ECe of 2.25. In SB5 which had an ECe of 7.40 the soils were moderately saline (Slavich and Petterson 1993). These high salinity concentrations could be in part be attributed to the application of gypsum used to treat soil sodicity. This year there has been a significant reduction in EC in these two sites but both continued to have a higher EC than desired, but the soils were now within a non saline range. The declining trend within many of the rehabilitation sites may in part be attributed high rainfall activity and leaching of soluble salts from the soil profile.

Improved spoil classification prior to use on rehabilitation sites is recommended as increasing salinity levels may have severe impacts on plant growth and establishment including osmotic effect, ion toxicity or both.

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3.500

3.000

2.500

2.000

1.500

1.000

0.500 Electrical conductivity (dS/m) conductivity Electrical

0.000

2010 2011 2012 2013 Desirable (<)

Figure 9-15. Comparison of conductivity values recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the upper and lower values from grassland reference sites and desirable levels.

9.11.3 Organic Matter

Organic Matter (OM) levels within the three pasture reference sites continued to exceed the desirable levels and this year provided an OM target of 5.2 – 8.4% (Figure 9-16) indicating high levels of litter and humus development within their soil profiles.

In BEL2 there has been a rather large increase in OM which is a positive ecological development, while in SB5 there was a declining trend but both sites met the target OM range this year. The remaining sites BEL3, NB4, SB2 and SB4 had low in OM levels but these levels are expected to increase over time. These sites however could have been enhanced via the addition of organic ameliorants, mulches and successful establishment of cover crops and ground cover species in the initial rehabilitation process.

10.00 9.00 8.00 7.00

6.00 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 Organic Matter (%) Matter Organic 1.00 0.00

2010 2011 2012 2013 Desirable (>)

Figure 9-16.Comparison of organic matter recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to pasture reference sites and desirable levels.

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9.11.4 Phosphorous

Since 2010, there has been little change in the phosphorous (P) levels in the pasture reference sites and these continued to be significantly lower than the desirable agricultural level with P concentrations of 10 - 13 mg/kg.7 (Figure 9-17), reflecting the low fertility status of the native grasslands in the local area. There has been no consistent trend in the changes in P concentrations in the rehabilitation areas and this year all rehabilitation sites except NB4 which had a very low P of 7 mg/kg, had more P than the reference sites and fell within the natural and desirable levels. As P levels are typically very low in the Bulga area, the addition of artificial fertilisers is not encouraged as unnatural increases in fertility levels are more likely to promote growth of undesirable weeds rather than invigorate growth of desirable native species which are adapted to naturally low fertility soils.

70.0

60.0

50.0

40.0

30.0

20.0

10.0

Phosphorous (Colwell (Colwell mg/kg) Phosphorous 0.0

2010 2011 2012 2013 Desirable

Figure 9-17. Comparison of Phosphorous levels recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the pasture reference sites and desirable levels.

9.11.5 Exchangeable Sodium Percentage

Sodicity refers to a significant proportion of Sodium in soil compared to other cations with soil considered to be sodic when there is sufficient sodium to interfere with its structural stability which often interferes with plant growth. Sodic soils tend to suffer from poor soil structure including hard soil, hardpans, surface crusting and rain pooling on the surface, which can affect water infiltration, drainage, plant growth, cultivation and site accessibility.

The reference sites continued to have a low ESP which has shown little change since 2010 and this year provided a target range of 1.75 – 3.13% (Figure 9-18). ESP recorded in the rehabilitation sites BEL2 and BEL3 have also shown little change and these remained within the natural ESP range indicating the soils are non sodic and have a limited capacity to readily disperse. Site SB2 has demonstrated a small but increasing trend since 2010 and this year only just fell below the desirable threshold with an ESP of 4.89%.

Sites NB4, SB4 and SB5 however have demonstrated a much higher and greater variability in ESP since 2010. This year however all three sites have demonstrated a dramatic reduction in ESP but with ESPs of 7.24, 5.27 and 6.79% respectively, continued to have sodic soils (Isbell 1996).

Soil testing prior to use on rehabilitation areas would identify potentially sodic material and provide an indication of the level of amelioration required or allow alternative more suitable material to be obtained.

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Additional application of gypsum is likely to be required to improve soil structure, however due to excessive pH and extreme salinity levels in numerous cases, this requires careful revision. Rehabilitation using more appropriate substrate materials is highly recommended and should be undertaken where possible.

18.00

16.00 14.00 12.00 10.00 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00

Exchangeable Sodium percentage (%) percentage Sodium Exchangeable 0.00

2010 2011 2012 2013 Desirable (<)

Figure 9-18. Comparison of ESP recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the pasture reference sites and desirable levels.

9.11.6 Other soil test results

The full results of the soil analysis are provided in Appendix 4 but a summarised version highlighting abnormal results recorded in the riparian monitoring sites is provided in Table 9-4. The results indicate there are numerous elements which occur at elevated levels within the rehabilitation sites however many of these also have been recorded at elevated levels within the pasture reference sites suggesting various elements and heavy metals may naturally occur at high levels around the Bulga Complex and may be the result of the long agricultural and mining history of the area.

All rehabilitation sites tended to show high (red) to excessive (brown) concentrations of at least one of the elements/heavy metals tested. In particular there may have been elevated levels of levels of Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Manganese or Iron. In 2012 there were also exceptionally high levels of Sulfur recorded in SB4 and SB5 with SB5 having concentrations which exceeded 100 times the recommended levels. Sulfur did not appear elevated in any of the monitoring sites this year.

While Magnesium, Potassium and Iron were found in very high concentrations in most rehabilitation sites, exceptionally high concentrations of these elements were also recorded in most of the pasture reference sites. The high concentrations of these various elements and heavy metals may have however the potential to limit plant growth and full ecosystem development.

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Table 9-4. Summarised soil analyses highlighting abnormal test results in the pasture monitoring sites in 2013. Medium Soil e.g Method Nutrient Units BEL2 BEL3 NB4 SB2 SB4 SB5 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03 Clay Loam Calcium Ca 1123 662 1066 810 1716 2388 634 662 333 750 Morgan 1 Magnesium Mg mg/kg 376 312 520 434 421 252 282 344 92 105 Potassium K 272 195 107 161 223 192 193 164 138 75 Zinc Zn 13.7 4.1 1.4 2.1 2.3 7.1 10.7 8.9 6.1 5.0 Manganese Mn 65 11 3 9 3 2 33 38 16 22 DTPA mg/kg Iron Fe 472 120 40 49 24 18 167 241 303 22 Copper Cu 2.1 0.7 0.3 0.5 0.7 2.0 0.7 1.1 0.7 2.0 CaCl2 Silicon Si mg/kg 63 47 16 51 19 4 56 61 31 45 20 - 50 Total Acid Extractable Zinc Zn mg/kg 67 31 25 31 40 79 59 46 17 Zn Brown = exceptionally high; Red = very high; Yellow = moderately high; Green = slightly high

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9.12 Pasture rehabilitation site performance towards meeting ecological targets

Table 9-5 indicates the performance of the rehabilitation monitoring sites against a selection of proposed Primary and Secondary Performance Indicators developed for pasture sites during the 2013 monitoring period. The selection of indicators have been presented in order of ecosystem successional processes, beginning with landform establishment (orange) and ending with indicators of ecosystem stability (blue). The range values will be amended annually.

Rehabilitation sites meeting or exceeding the range values of their representative community type have been identified with a shaded colour box and are therefore deemed to have met the respective ecological target. In the case of “growth medium development”, upper and lower soil property indicators are also based on results obtained from the respective reference sites sampled in 2013. In some cases, the site may not fall within ranges based on these data, but may be within “desirable” levels as prescribed by the agricultural industry. If this scenario occurs, the rehabilitation site has been identified using a striped shaded box to indicate that it falls within “desirable” ranges but does not fall within specified targets using the adopted methodology.

Table 9-5. Performance of the pasture rehabilitation monitoring sites against a selection of proposed Primary and Secondary Performance Indicators.

Aspect or Unit of Pasture Rehabilitation Ecological Performance NB4 ecosystem Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement ecosystem BEL2 BEL3 SB2 SB4 SB5 Phase Targets Indicators (BM13) component (desirable) range 2013

Performance indicators are quantified by the range of values obtained from replicated reference sites Lower Upper 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 Phase2: Landform Landform Landform slope, suitable for establishment gradient final landuse Landform is generally compatible and stability and generally Slope within the context of the local Degrees (<14°) 1 6 3 1 14 9 1 10 compatible topography. with surrounding topography Landform Landform is Based on key physical, biological function functional and and chemical characteristics the performing as LFA stability index provides an it was LFA Stability indication of the sites stability and % 73.9 83.3 57.7 74.5 67.5 71.0 73.5 70.0 designed to that it is comparable to or trending do towards that of the local remnant vegetation Based on key physical, biological and chemical characteristics the LFA infiltration index provides an LFA indication of the sites infiltration % 51.1 60.8 39.7 46.2 40.3 48.2 49.9 46.8 Infiltration capacity and that it is comparable to or trending towards that of the local remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Pasture Rehabilitation Ecological Performance NB4 ecosystem Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement ecosystem BEL2 BEL3 SB2 SB4 SB5 Phase Targets Indicators (BM13) component (desirable) range 2013

Based on key physical, biological and chemical characteristics the LFA nutrient recycling index LFA Nutrient provides an indication of the sites % 52.7 56.2 34.4 48.0 36.9 48.8 50.2 47.8 recycling ability to recycle nutrient and that it is comparable to or trending towards that of the local remnant vegetation The Landscape Organisation Index LFA provides a measure of the ability of Landscape the site to retain resources and that % 100 100 62 100 100 100 100 100 organisation it is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Active Areas of Provides an assessment of the erosion active erosion No. number of gullies or rills occurring in a No. 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 are limited Rills/Gullies 50m transect and that these are limited and stabilising Provides an assessment of the Cross- extent of soil loss due to gully and sectional m2 0 0 0 0 0.090 0 0 0 rill erosion and that it is limited area of rills and/or is stabilising Phase 3: Soil Soil properties pH is typical of that of the Growth chemical, are suitable surrounding landscape or falls pH pH (5.6-7.3) 6.0 6.3 6.7 6.6 7.83 7.8 8.78 8.93 medium physical for the within desirable ranges provided by development properties establishment the agricultural industry and and Electrical Conductivity is typical of amelioration maintenance that of the surrounding landscape or EC < dS/cm (<0.150) 0.052 0.065 0.13468 0.08451 0.08251 0.08111 0.19265 0.191 of selected fall within desirable ranges provided vegetation by the agricultural industry species Organic Carbon levels are typical of that of the surrounding landscape, Organic increasing or fall within desirable % (>4.5) 5.2 8.4 9.0 4.2 3.1 4.1 3.2 7.5 Matter ranges provided by the agricultural industry Available Phosphorus is typical of that of the surrounding landscape Phosphorous mg/kg (50) 10.5 13.1 30.5 18.4 6.6 33.5 14.8 17.4 or fall within desirable ranges provided by the agricultural industry Nitrate levels are typical of that of the surrounding landscape or fall within Nitrate mg/kg (>12.5) 1.2 3.5 4.6 2.7 1.4 2.1 2.5 1.2 desirable ranges provided by the agricultural industry Cation Exchange Capacity is typical of that of the surrounding landscape CEC Cmol+/kg (>14) 4.8 13.4 17.3 11.7 9.6 14.8 16.9 17.9 or fall within desirable ranges provided by the agricultural industry

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Aspect or Unit of Pasture Rehabilitation Ecological Performance NB4 ecosystem Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement ecosystem BEL2 BEL3 SB2 SB4 SB5 Phase Targets Indicators (BM13) component (desirable) range 2013

Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (a measure of sodicity) is typical of that ESP of the surrounding landscape or fall % (<5) 1.7 3.1 2.7 2.1 7.2 4.9 5.3 6.8 within desirable ranges provided by the agricultural industry Phase 4: Vegetation Vegetation The diversity of shrubs and juvenile Ecosystem& diversity contains a trees with a stem diameter <5cm is species/area 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 Landuse diversity of comparable to that of the local Establishment species remnant vegetation. Diversity of comparable to The percentage of shrubs and that of the shrubs and juvenile trees juvenile trees with a stem diameter local remnant <5cm dbh which are local endemic % population 100 100 na na 100 na na na vegetation species and these percentages are comparable to the local remnant vegetation The total number of live plant species Total species provides an indication of the floristic No./area 30 48 39 41 21 10 8 7 richness diversity of the site and is comparable to the local remnant vegetation The total number of live native plant Native species provides an indication of the species native plant diversity of the site and >No./area 13 31 21 17 6 4 1 1 richness that it is greater than or comparable to the local remnant vegetation The total number of live exotic plant species provides an indication of Exotic the exotic plant diversity of the site species

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Aspect or Unit of Pasture Rehabilitation Ecological Performance NB4 ecosystem Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement ecosystem BEL2 BEL3 SB2 SB4 SB5 Phase Targets Indicators (BM13) component (desirable) range 2013

growth forms The number of shrub species comparable to regardless of age comprising the Shrubs No./area 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 1 that of the vegetation community is comparable local remnant to that of the local remnant vegetation vegetation The number of sub-shrub species comprising the vegetation community Sub-shrubs No./area 2 5 0 3 3 2 3 2 is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of herbs or forb species comprising the vegetation Herbs No./area 15 28 20 23 11 5 1 0 community is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of grass species comprising the vegetation Grass No./area 11 15 13 11 4 3 4 4 community is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of reed, sedge or rush species comprising the vegetation Reeds No./area 0 2 5 1 0 0 0 0 community is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of vines or climbing species comprising the vegetation Vines No./area 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 community is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of ferns comprising the Ferns vegetation community is comparable No./area 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of cactus comprising the Cactus vegetation community is comparable No./area 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 to that of the local remnant vegetation The number of aquatic species comprising the vegetation community Aquatic No./area 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Phase 5: Protective Ground layer Ecosystem & ground contains Percent ground cover provided by Landuse cover protective Litter cover dead plant material is comparable to % 33 55 47.5 41.5 61 73 43 48.5 Development ground cover that of the local remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Pasture Rehabilitation Ecological Performance NB4 ecosystem Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement ecosystem BEL2 BEL3 SB2 SB4 SB5 Phase Targets Indicators (BM13) component (desirable) range 2013

and habitat Percent ground cover provided by live structure annual plants is less than or Annual plants <% 6 9 6.5 14.5 0 2 0 0 comparable comparable to that of the local with the local remnant vegetation remnant Percent ground cover provided by vegetation Cryptogam cryptogams (eg mosses, lichens) is % 0 7 0.5 9 7.5 0 0 0 cover comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Percent ground cover provided by stones or rocks (> 5cm diameter) is Rock % 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Percent ground cover provided by fallen branches and logs (>5cm) is Log % 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Percentage of bare ground is less Bare ground than or comparable to that of the local < % 0 0 30 3 4.5 2.5 0 0 remnant vegetation Percent ground cover provided by Perennial live perennial vegetation (<0.5m in plant cover (< % 37 59 15.5 32 27 22.5 57 51.5 height) is comparable to that of the 0.5m) local remnant vegetation Total groundcover is the sum of protective ground cover Total Ground components (as described above) % 100 100 70 97 95.5 97.5 100 100 Cover and that it is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Ground Vegetation The abundance of native species per cover contains a square metre averaged across the diversity diversity of Native site provides an indication of the species per understorey heterogeneity of the site and that it > species/m2 6 11 4.8 4.4 0.2 0 0.6 1 square meter abundance has more than or an equal number of comparable to native species as the local remnant that of the vegetation local remnant The abundance of exotic species per vegetation square metre averaged across the Exotic site provides an indication of the understorey heterogeneity of the site and that it < species/m2 3 7 5.6 7.4 3.8 3 2.6 1.6 abundance has less than or an equal number of native species as the local remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Pasture Rehabilitation Ecological Performance NB4 ecosystem Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement ecosystem BEL2 BEL3 SB2 SB4 SB5 Phase Targets Indicators (BM13) component (desirable) range 2013

Native Native ground Percent The percent ground cover abundance ground cover ground cover of native species (<0.5m) compared cover abundance is provided by to exotic species is comparable to the abundance comparable to native reference sites and demonstrating a % 48 86 48.3 44.4 2 0 10.5 41.5 that of the vegetation sustained positive trend towards local remnant <0.5m tall target values vegetation Ecosystem The growth and vegetation is The number of shrubs or juvenile natural maturing shrubs and trees <0.5m in height provides an recruitment and/or natural juvenile trees indication of establishment success No./area 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 recruitment is 0 - 0.5m in and/or natural ecosystem recruitment occurring at height and that it is comparable to that of the rates similar local remnant vegetation to those of the local remnant vegetation The number of shrubs or juvenile shrubs and trees 0.5-1m in height provides an juvenile trees indication of establishment success, No./area 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 - 1m in growth and/or natural ecosystem height recruitment and that it is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of shrubs or juvenile shrubs and trees 1-1.5m in height provides an juvenile trees indication of establishment success, No./area 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 1.5m in growth and/or natural ecosystem height recruitment and that it is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of shrubs or juvenile shrubs and trees 1.5-2m in height provides an juvenile trees indication of establishment success, No./area 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.5 - 2m in growth and/or natural ecosystem height recruitment and that it is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of shrubs or juvenile trees >2m in height provides an shrubs and indication of establishment success, juvenile trees No./area 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 growth and/or natural ecosystem >2m in height recruitment and that it is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Pasture Rehabilitation Ecological Performance NB4 ecosystem Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement ecosystem BEL2 BEL3 SB2 SB4 SB5 Phase Targets Indicators (BM13) component (desirable) range 2013

Ecosystem The structure vegetation is Projected foliage cover provided by perennial plants in the 0.5 - 2m developing Foliage cover vertical height stratum indicates the % cover 0 0 0 9.5 12.5 14.5 12 0 vertical 0.5 - 2 m structure and community structure is comparable to complexity that of the local remnant vegetation comparable to that of the local remnant Projected foliage cover provided by perennial plants in the 2 - 4m vertical vegetation Foliage cover height stratum indicates the % cover 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 4m community structure is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

Projected foliage cover provided by perennial plants in the 4 -6m vertical Foliage cover height stratum indicates the % cover 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 - 6m community structure is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Projected foliage cover provided by perennial plants > 6m vertical height Foliage cover stratum indicates the community % cover 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 >6m structure is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Tree Vegetation The diversity of trees or shrubs with a diversity contains a stem diameter >5cm is comparable to diversity of the local remnant vegetation. Species species/area 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 maturing tree used in rehabilitation will be endemic and shrubs to the local area species Tree diversity comparable to The percentage of maturing trees and that of the shrubs with a stem diameter >5cm dbh which are local endemic species local remnant % 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 vegetation and these percentages are comparable to the local remnant vegetation Tree density Vegetation contains a The density of shrubs or trees with a density of Tree density stem diameter > 5cm is comparable No./area 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 maturing tree to that of the local remnant vegetation and shrubs species Average tree diameter of the tree comparable to population provides a measure of that of the Average dbh age, (height) and growth rate and that cm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 local remnant it is trending towards that of the local vegetation remnant vegetation.

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Aspect or Unit of Pasture Rehabilitation Ecological Performance NB4 ecosystem Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement ecosystem BEL2 BEL3 SB2 SB4 SB5 Phase Targets Indicators (BM13) component (desirable) range 2013

Ecosystem The The percentage of the tree population health vegetation is which are live individuals and that the Live trees % population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 in a condition percentage is comparable to the local comparable to remnant vegetation that of the local remnant The percentage of the tree population vegetation. which are in healthy condition and Healthy trees % population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 that the percentage is comparable to the local remnant vegetation The percentage of the tree population which are in a medium health Medium condition and that the percentage is % population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 health comparable to the local remnant vegetation The percentage of the tree population which are in a state of advanced Advanced dieback and that the percentage is <% population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 dieback less than or comparable to the local remnant vegetation The percentage of the tree population which are dead (stags) and that the Dead Trees percentage is less than or <% population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 comparable to the local remnant vegetation The percentage of the tree population which have mistletoe provides an indication of community health and Mistletoe % population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 habitat value and that the percentage is comparable to the local remnant vegetation The presence of reproductive structures such as buds, flowers or fruit provides evidence that the Flowers/fruit: ecosystem is maturing, capable of % population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Trees recruitment and can provide habitat resources comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

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10 Riparian rehabilitation sites: Ecological trends and performance against a selection of primary ecological performance indicators

10.1 Landscape Function Analyses

10.1.1 Landscape Organisation

A patch is an area within an ecosystem where resources such as soil and litter tend to accumulate, while areas where resources are mobilised and transported away are referred to as interpatches. Landscape Organisation Indices (LOI) are calculated by the length of the patches divided by the length of the transect to provide an index or percent of the transect which is occupied by functional patch areas (Tongway and Hindley 2004).

The two riparian reference sites were not prime examples of functional riparian ecological communities however intact systems within the lease area were limited and these two ecological sites were chosen to provide at least some comparison for the rehabilitation sites on the northern drainage. While the drainage channels were incised with extensive bank erosion in areas within BM16, the reference sites did contain intact and functional floodplains and associated woodland communities. This year an increase in functional area had occurred within BM16 but in BM17, there was a slight loss. The resultant LOIs ranged between 92 – 93% (Figure 10-1, Table 10-1).

The adjacent slopes in BEL6 had originally been engineered into a bare, trough and bank sequence as a result of preparation for a tree planting program with the troughs being vital in retaining resources in the early establishment phases. This year much of these sloping areas had become reasonably well vegetated resulting in a reduction in the importance of the trough and bank sequences and an overall increase in “grassy” and functional patch area. The resultant LOI therefore has continued to increase from 82 – 86% but this site did not yet meet LOI targets of the riparian sites.

100 90 80 70 2010 60 2011 50 2012 40 2013 30 20

Landscape Organisation (%) Index Organisation Landscape 10 0 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Figure 10-1. Landscape organisation indices recorded at BEL6 compared to the riparian reference sites BM16 and BM17 2010 - 2013.

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10.1.2 Soil surface assessments

10.1.2.1 Stability

The stability within the riparian reference site BM16 have slightly decreased, while it had slightly increased in BM17 and this year provided a slightly lower but larger stability range of 67.9 – 78.1 (Figure 10-2). BEL6 has demonstrated a slight but increasing trend since 2010 and this year fell within the target range with a stability index of 71.1.

100 90 80 70

60 2010 50 2011 40 2012 LFA Index LFA 30 2013 20 10 0 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Figure 10-2. Comparison of LFA stability indices between BEL6 and the riparian reference sites 2010-2013.

10.1.2.2 Infiltration

There was a marginal improvement in infiltration capacity within the riparian reference sites this year which provided a new target range of 48.9 – 49.1 (Figure 10-3). Infiltration capacity recorded within BEL6 has typically demonstrated a slight but overall increasing trend and this year it an infiltration index of 43.5 but remained short of meeting this ecological target.

100 90 80 70

60 2010 50 2011 40 2012 LFA Index LFA 30 2013 20 10 0 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Figure 10-3. Comparison of LFA infiltration indices between BEL6 and the riparian reference sites 2010 - 2013.

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10.1.2.3 Nutrient recycling

A similar trend in nutrient recycling capacity was also observed but a marginal increase was recorded in BM16 while a minor decline was evident in BM17 providing a nutrient recycling target of 48.5 – 49.5 (Figure 10-4). BEL6 has demonstrated an improvement in nutrient recycling capacity since 2010 and this year had an LFA nutrient recycling index of 46.6 but remained just short of meeting this ecological target again this year.

100 90 80 70

60 2010 50 2011 40 2012 LFA Index LFA 30 2013 20 10 0 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Figure 10-4. Comparison of LFA nutrient indices between the BEL6 and the riparian reference sites 2010 - 2013.

10.2 LFA summary

The creek bed and banks in BEL6 continued to be overall very stable, with good infiltration and nutrient recycling capacity due to the high density of perennial grasses and rushes and high levels of litter decomposition and very stable soils. There were however numerous small sinkholes (created by subsidence?) along the creek banks and in 2013 these have significantly increased in number and size and require amelioration.

Across much of the slopes the rate of vegetation establishment has been very patchy and large bare areas have persisted across the site largely due to undesirable soil characteristics which have created hostile conditions for plant establishment. This in conjunction with a range of other ecological shortfalls suggests that BEL6 requires additional rehabilitation intervention to ensure that it more satisfactorily replicates the structure, function and composition riparian communities in the local area and that this restoration project will meet riparian ecological targets and associated completion criteria.

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Table 10-1. Examples of the creek profiles and ground covers within the riparian monitoring sites in 2013. Site Creek Profile Ground Cover BEL6:

Intact creek channel. Noxious Juncus acutus abundant within the creek bed. Tunnel erosion was occurring on the rehabilitated creek banks and requires urgent amelioration.

BM16

Actively eroding creek banks, excellent ground cover within the upper banks and woodland floodplain.

BM17

Intact creek with a reduced diversity of aquatic plants this year, excellent ground cover within the woodland floodplains and slopes

10.3 Tree density

The stem density of trees (trees and shrubs >5cm dbh) had marginally increased in BM16 and had remained unchanged in BM17 resulting in a target range of 17 – 51 trees within the 20x20m monitoring quadrat (Figure 10-5). This year a single individual Casuarina glauca with a dbh>5cm was recorded for the first time. The most abundant species within the reference sites were Allocasuarina luehmannii (BM16) and Casuarina glauca (BM17) but there were some representatives of Eucalyptus tereticornis and E. crebra in BM16.

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60

50

40 2010 30 2011

No. individuals 2012 20 2013

10

0 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Figure 10-5. Tree densities (>5cm dbh) at site BEL6 compared to the riparian reference sites 2010 - 2013.

10.4 Shrubs and recruitment

There was a significant increase in the number of shrubs recorded in both riparian reference sites since 2010 due to natural recruitment and suckering, with an additional increase recorded in BM16 this year. In 2013 there was a density of juvenile trees and shrubs which range between 248 – 380 individuals per 20 x 20m quadrat (Figure 10-6) which translates into very high stem densities in the order of 6200 – 9500 per hectare. As these sites are dense regrowth areas and contain a very high stem density they may not represent desirable rehabilitation densities as they are unlikely to be advantageous in the longer term. Nonetheless, BEL6 contained a significantly lower shrub and juvenile tree population than the reference sites and maintained a population of 33 individuals.

While all species were considered endemic, the species and species composition in BEL6 are not consistent with the adjacent remnant riparian vegetation or with the reference sites with some exceptions. Improved selection of species and planted in a composition which will ultimately blend into within the adjacent remnant vegetation is recommended. In BEL6, this translates into a community dominated by Casuarina glauca planted in relatively high densities along the riparian fringe with an E. moluccana woodland on the sloping banks.

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350

300

250 2010 200 2011

No. individuals 150 2012

100 2013

50

0 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Figure 10-6. Total shrubs recorded at BEL6 compared to the riparian reference sites 2010 - 2013.

10.5 Total ground cover

Total ground cover, which is a combination of leaf litter, annual plants, cryptogams, rocks, logs and live perennial plants (<0.5m in height) has marginally decreased in the reference sites over the past year which now ranged between 88 - 97% (Figure 10-7). In BEL6, a reduction in total ground cover was also observed and with 85% ground cover did not quite meet this ecological target this year. While the bed and banks in the reference sites continue to be active, the creek bed in BEL6 was particularly stable. Conversely the gently sloping banks within BEL6 retained large but declining bare patches which continued to suffer sheet erosion, despite the data not actually capturing the heterogeneity very well in this site.

100 90 80

70 60 2010

50 2011 40 2012

% Ground Cover % Cover Ground 30 2013 20 10 0 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Figure 10-7. Total ground cover recorded at BEL6 compared to the riparian reference sites 2010 - 2013.

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10.6 Structural composition

The structural composition of the riparian woodlands is the average of 10 repeated measurements recorded along the vegetation transect with the results for 2013 given in Figure 10-8. The two reference sites were quite different in terms of the composition of the ground covers where dead leaf litter was dominant in BM16 while perennial vegetation was more dominant in BM17. There has also been a significant increase in perennial cover in BM17 this year due to the absence of grazing as many of the Casuarina glauca saplings and Lantana camara bushes had regrown and ground cover plants had re- established of the dead patches caused by weed spraying last year. Both sites however had a small contribution from annual plants and cryptogams and in BM17 fallen logs and branches provide additional habitat features. In comparison, the ground cover in BEL6 was dominated by a combination of litter and annual plants, with some over also provided by cryptogams and perennial plants such as Cynodon dactylon.

The reference site also contained a various proportions of foliage cover in all 2m vertical height increments and had well developed tree canopies which exceeded 6m in height (Table 10-2). BEL6 however had some low foliage cover 0.5 – 2.0m in height due to the tall Juncus acutus growing within the drainage channel and this year there was a small percentage of cover 2.0 – 4.0m due to a planted tubestock. Due to the immaturity of the site BEL6 did not meet similar projected foliage targets, and due to the comparatively low densities of trees and shrubs it is unlikely that BEL6 would ever meet these projected foliage cover targets unless plant densities are increased.

200% 100

180% 80 Perennial <0.5m 160% 60 Bare

140% 40 Log Rock 120% 20 Cryptogam 100% 0 Annuals

80% -20 Litter 0.5-2.0m

Percent Cover Ground Percent 60% -40 Percent Canopy Cover Canopy Percent 2.0-4.0m 40% -60 4.0-6.0m

20% -80 >6.0m

0% -100 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Figure 10-8. Average percent ground cover and projected foliage cover recorded in the riparian monitoring sites in 2013.

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Table 10-2. Structure and composition of the riparian monitoring sites in 2013. BEL6:

Some tubestock remained stunted and chlorosed and on the upper slope bare eroding patches persisted. The tubestock at the toe of the slope have performed the best but some had died. There was an inappropriate selection of species and planting densities. BM16

Riparian regrowth woodland with a very diverse understorey. The bed and banks were also relatively stable further along the channel but were weedy. There were dense patches of Bulloak regrowth.

BM17

Regrowth Swamp Oak woodland with extensive regeneration. This site was also relatively stable, despite the floods washing away a lot of the aquatic vegetation. There was also relatively high species diversity.

10.7 Floristic Diversity

10.7.1 Total species diversity

The total number of live plant species recorded in the riparian reference sites continued to be very high and while there was a slight decrease in BM16 there was a marginal increase in BM17 as the site recovered after targeted spraying of the Lantana camara and Lycium ferocissimum. In 2013 there were 68 - 83 species recorded in the two reference sites. This year there was a small increase in species diversity in BEL6 however with 44 species, this rehabilitation site continued to lack the required diversity of species (Figure 10-9). While species diversity was comparably very high to other monitoring sites, this was primarily due to the increased variety of habitats, increased levels of weed invasion both from

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increased disturbance and from influx of weeds from the upper drainage catchment. While species diversity may have been high, there tended to be a low cover and abundance of these species.

100 90 80 70

60 2010 50 2011

No. Species No. 40 2012 30 2013 20 10 0 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Figure 10-9. Total species diversity recorded from 2010 to 2012 in the riparian monitoring sites.

10.7.2 Native species diversity

There were similar trends occurred in native species richness with the target number of native species being 39 - 61 species and BEL6 fell short of meeting this target with only 22 species despite and increase of four native species year (Figure 10-10). Native species were much more common in both of the reference sites, while this year BEL6 had an equivalent diversity of native (Figure 10-10) and exotic (Figure 10-11) species.

80

70

60

50 2010 40 2011 2012 No. Species No. 30 2013 20

10

0 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Figure 10-10. Native species diversity recorded from 2010 to 2012 in the riparian monitoring sites.

10.7.3 Exotic species diversity

There was little change in the diversity of exotic species in the reference sites this year and there were 22 – 29 exotic species recorded. Alternatively, BEL6 has had a marginal reduction in the number of

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exotic species, and with 22 exotic species it contained an appropriate number of weed species (Figure 10-11). However in BEL6 there continued to be significantly more exotic than native species.

70

60

50

40 2010 2011 30

No. Species No. 2012 20 2013

10

0 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Figure 10-11. Exotic species diversity recorded 2010 to 2013 in the riparian monitoring sites.

10.8 Percent endemic ground cover

In 2012, the percent endemic ground cover was included as an additional ecological indicator to provide some measure of the cover abundance of the native vegetation and an indication of its weediness. In the riparian reference sites native species provided 57.3 – 81.7% of the total live plant cover. In BEL6 endemic plant cover had increased from 34 – 37.9% but remained weedier than desired.

100 90

80 70 60

50 2012 40 2013 30

% Endemic Ground Cover Cover % Ground Endemic 20 10 0 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Figure 10-12. Percent endemic ground cover recorded in the riparian monitoring sites 2012 - 2013.

10.9 Most common species

In 2013 there was a total of 45 species recorded the riparian rehabilitation site BEL6 and of these 23 (51%) species were exotic species. Species that were recorded in BEL6 and both reference sites is given in Table 10-3. The table indicates that 17 species were common to all riparian monitoring sites

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and 11 of these were exotic species. While Eucalyptus tereticornis was planted as tubestock into BEL6, the remaining species are naturally occurring.

Table 10-3. Species that were recorded in BEL6 and both riparian reference sites in 2013.

6

Family Scientific Name Common Name EL Total Habit B BM16 BM17 exotic

Primulaceae * Anagallis arvensis Scarlet Pimpernel h 1 1 1 3 Asteraceae * Aster subulatus Wild Aster h 1 1 1 3 Poaceae Bothriochloa decipiens Redgrass g 1 1 1 3 Adiantaceae Cheilanthes sieberi subsp. sieberi Rock Fern f 1 1 1 3 Poaceae * Chloris gayana Rhodes Grass g 1 1 1 3 Asteraceae * Cirsium vulgare Spear Thistle h 1 1 1 3 Asteraceae * Conyza spp. Fleabane h 1 1 1 3 Poaceae Cymbopogon refractus Barbed-wire Grass g 1 1 1 3 Poaceae Cynodon dactylon Couch g 1 1 1 3 Poaceae Eragrostis brownii Brown's Lovegrass g 1 1 1 3 Myrtaceae Eucalyptus tereticornis Forest Red Gum t 1 1 1 3 Asteraceae * Gamochaeta americana Cudweed h 1 1 1 3 Asteraceae * Hypochaeris radicata Flatweed h 1 1 1 3 Juncaceae * Juncus acutus Spiny Rush r 1 1 1 3 Plantaginaceae * Plantago lanceolata Ribwort h 1 1 1 3 Asteraceae * Senecio madagascariensis Fireweed h 1 1 1 3 Poaceae * Setaria gracilis Slender Pigeon Grass g 1 1 1 3

10.10 Vegetation composition

The composition of the vegetation as categorised by ten different growth forms is given in Figure 10-13. These riparian communities are dominated by herbs (39 – 40 species) and grasses (14 – 21 species) and contained a lower diversity of trees (2 – 5 species), shrubs (3-6 species) and sub-shrubs (4-5 species). There were 2 – 4 species of reeds, 2 species of ferns and two aquatic species continued to be recorded in BM17.

In BEL6 there was an appropriate number of tree, shrub and reed species compared to the reference sites but the site lacked the diversity of the ground cover species including herbs, grasses and ferns. The species of trees and shrubs planted as tubestock were also not considered to be entirely appropriate to these riparian ecosystems.

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90

80

70

60

50

No. Species 40

30

20

10

0 BEL6 BM16 BM17

Trees Shrubs Sub-shrubs Herbs Grass Reeds Vines Ferns Cactus Aquatic

Figure 10-13. Composition of the vegetation recorded at BEL6 compared to the riparian reference sites in 2013.

10.11 Rill assessment

No rills exceeding the dimensions of 10cm x 30cm (0.03m2) were recorded in any year. There has however been active tunnel erosion occurring within the creek bed and banks of BEL6. This year these subsidence holes/tunnels have significantly increased in size and require urgent amelioration.

10.12 Soil analyses

10.12.1 pH

Figure 10-14 shows the pH recorded in the riparian rehabilitation site compared to the pH values recorded in the riparian reference sites and prescribed “desirable” levels in medium or clay loam soils. There have been only marginal changes in the soil pH recorded in the reference sites with most changes likely to be the result of inherent site and sampling variability, but this year a marginal increase was observed.

This year the soil pH in the two riparian reference sites was 6.10 – 6.58 indicating the soils were slightly acidic and they continued to fall within the desirable agricultural levels. In BEL6 there was a marginal reduction in soil pH this year however with a pH of 8.77, continued to far exceed the desirable levels with strongly alkaline soils (Bruce & Rayment). The extensive site disturbance and deep ripping practices has exposed the subsoils which as the data indicate, have less desirable soil characteristics such as elevated levels of EC and ESP. Additional erosion and deposition within the site is likely to have led to further changes. In future rehabilitation projects site disturbance in natural grassland and riparian areas should be kept to an absolute minimum to ensure the structural integrity of the existing ecosystems are ensured.

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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 pH (1:5 water) 2 1 0 BEL 6 BM16 BM17 2010 2011 2012 2013 Low desirable range High desirable range

Figure 10-14.Comparison of pH values recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the riparian reference sites and desirable levels.

10.12.2 Conductivity

Figure 10-15 shows the Electrical Conductivity (EC) recorded in the riparian rehabilitation site compared to the riparian reference sites and “desirable” agricultural levels. There have been no consistent trend in the changes in EC in the reference sites and while BM16 remained well below the desirable, BM17 has tended to show an increasing trend this year resulting in an expanding EC target range of 0.036 – 0.56 dS/cm, with BM17 having higher than desirable EC concentrations this year.

Since 2011 there has been an increasing trend in EC levels recorded in BEL6 and with an EC of 0.552 dS/cm continued to far exceed the target and desirable ranges. When converted to ECe, a measure of soil salinity (EC (dS/m) x conversion factor 8.6 in clay loam soils) BEL6 now had moderately saline soils (Slavich and Petterson 1993). While the reasons for this increasing trend in EC are not known, increased EC levels were also recorded within BM17. One likely explanation is their lower topographic position within the landscape which tends to accumulate mobile salts rather than lose them during rainfall events.

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1 Electrical conductivity (dS/m) conductivity Electrical 0 BEL 6 BM16 BM17 2010 2011 2012 2013 Desirable (<)

Figure 10-15. Comparison of conductivity values recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the upper values from the riparian reference sites and desirable levels.

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10.12.3 Organic Matter

The level of Organic Matter (%) has been variable within the reference sites probably as a result of inherent site and sampling variability but this year both reference sites had a slightly decreased OM content and thus provided a lower target range of 3.1 – 4.0% which was slightly lower than the desirable threshold (Figure 10-16).

A marginal reduction was also recorded in BEL6 with a small but declining trend developing since 2011 and with only 0.9% OM remained well below the target levels. In most cases OM naturally accumulate over time as the ground cover plants and other vegetation become well established however this process could have been accelerated via the addition of organic ameliorants and successful establishment of cover crops and ground cover species in the initial rehabilitation process. In addition the high pH and EC may be adversely affecting the rate of plant establishment and the site would benefit from further intervention.

10.00 9.00 8.00

7.00 6.00 5.00 4.00 3.00

Organic Matter (%) Matter Organic 2.00 1.00 0.00 BEL 6 BM16 BM17 2010 2011 2012 2013 Desirable (>)

Figure 10-16.Comparison of organic matter recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to riparian reference sites and desirable levels.

10.12.4 Phosphorous

There has negligible change in the already very low Phosphorous concentrations recorded in the reference sites and these remained well below the desirable agricultural level indicating that the native soils on the riparian floodplains are naturally low in fertility. In 2013 the reference sites provided a lower level of 4 - 6 mg/kg. An increasing trend appears to be developing in at BEL6 and this year and it was almost four times higher than local levels and continued to meet this ecological target (Figure 10-17).

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70

60

50

40

30

20

Phosphorous (Colwell (Colwell mg/kg) Phosphorous 10

0 BEL 6 BM16 BM17 2010 2011 2012 2013 Desirable

Figure 10-17. Comparison of Phosphorous levels recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the riparian reference sites and desirable levels.

10.12.5 Exchangeable Sodium Percentage

Sodicity refers to a significant proportion of Sodium in soil compared to other cations with soil considered to be sodic when there is sufficient sodium to interfere with its structural stability which often interferes with plant growth. Sodic soils tend to suffer from poor soil structure including hard soil, hardpans, surface crusting and rain pooling on the surface, which can affect water infiltration, drainage, plant growth, cultivation and site accessibility.

ESP has tended to show an increasing trend in the reference sites however there was a minor reduction recorded in BM16 this year, resulting in an expanded target ESP range of 2.54 – 9.94. While BM16 remained well below the desirable threshold, BM17 far exceeded it and thus had soils which were sodic. ESP in BEL6 has also increased since 2011 and with an ESP of 18.7% this year the soils were highly sodic. BEL6 would benefit from the addition of gypsum after further investigation to enhance site stability and encourage plant establishment.

35.00

30.00

25.00

20.00

15.00

10.00

5.00

Exchangeable Sodium percentage (%) percentage Sodium Exchangeable 0.00 BEL 6 BM16 BM17 2010 2011 2012 2013 Desirable (<)

Figure 10-18. Comparison of ESP recorded in the rehabilitation sites compared to the riparian reference sites and desirable levels.

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10.12.6 Other soil test results

The full results of the soil analysis are provided in Appendix 5 but a summarised version highlighting abnormal results recorded in the riparian monitoring sites is provided in Table 10-4. The results indicate there are elevated levels of Calcium and Magnesium within the rehabilitation site BEL6 however Magnesium levels were also slightly elevated in the two reference sites BM16 and BM17, suggesting Magnesium may naturally occur at elevated levels around the Bulga Complex and may be the result of the long agricultural and mining history of the area. The high to excessively high concentrations of Calcium and Magnesium in BEL6 however may have the potential to limit plant growth and full ecosystem recovery, but these levels have demonstrated a significant decline since 2012. Future monitoring of these sites including soil testing is likely to determine the level of amelioration required if required at all.

Potassium, Manganese, Silicon and Zinc were also found in slightly elevated levels in the reference sites and there were moderately high levels of Iron.

Table 10-4. Summarised soil analyses highlighting abnormal test results in the riparian monitoring sites in 2013. Medium Soil e.g Method Nutrient Units BEL6 BM16 BM17 Clay Loam Calcium Ca 1373 458 447 750 Morgan 1 Magnesium Mg mg/kg 498 275 189 105 Potassium K 95 104 116 75 Manganese Mn 7 19 27 22 DTPA mg/kg Iron Fe 19 47 122 22 CaCl2 Silicon Si mg/kg 24 51 48 45 20 - 50 Total Acid Extractable Zinc Zn mg/kg 19 52 23 Zn Brown = exceptionally high; Red = very high; Yellow = moderately high; Green = slightly high

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10.13 Riparian rehabilitation site performance towards meeting ecological targets

Table 10-5 indicates the performance of the rehabilitation monitoring sites against a selection of proposed Primary and Secondary Performance Indicators developed for riparian sites during the 2013 monitoring period. The selection of indicators have been presented in order of ecosystem successional processes, beginning with landform establishment (orange) and ending with indicators of ecosystem stability (blue). The range values will be amended annually.

Rehabilitation sites meeting or exceeding the range values of their representative community type have been identified with a shaded colour box and are therefore deemed to have met the respective ecological target. In the case of “growth medium development”, upper and lower soil property indicators are also based on results obtained from the respective reference sites sampled in 2013. In some cases, the site may not fall within ranges based on these data, but may be within “desirable” levels as prescribed by the agricultural industry. If this scenario occurs, the rehabilitation site has been identified using a striped shaded box to indicate that it falls within “desirable” ranges but does not fall within specified targets using the adopted methodology.

Table 10-5. Performance of the riparian rehabilitation monitoring site against a selection of proposed Primary and Secondary Performance Indicators.

Aspect or Unit of Rehabilitation Performance Riparian ecosystem ecosystem Ecological Targets Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement BEL6 Phase Indicators range 2013 component (desirable)

Performance indicators are quantified by the range of values obtained from replicated reference sites Lower Upper 2013 Phase2: Landform Landform suitable for final Landform slope, gradient landuse and generally Landform is generally compatible within the establishment compatible with surrounding Slope Degrees (<14°) 4 5 5 and stability topography context of the local topography.

Landform Landform is functional and function performing as it was Based on key physical, biological and chemical designed to do characteristics the LFA stability index provides LFA Stability an indication of the sites stability and that it is % 67.9 78.1 71.1 comparable to or trending towards that of the local remnant vegetation

Based on key physical, biological and chemical characteristics the LFA infiltration index LFA Infiltration provides an indication of the sites infiltration % 48.9 49.1 43.5 capacity and that it is comparable to or trending towards that of the local remnant vegetation

Based on key physical, biological and chemical characteristics the LFA nutrient recycling index LFA Nutrient provides an indication of the sites ability to % 48.5 49.5 46.6 recycling recycle nutrient and that it is comparable to or trending towards that of the local remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Rehabilitation Performance Riparian ecosystem ecosystem Ecological Targets Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement BEL6 Phase Indicators range 2013 component (desirable)

The Landscape Organisation Index provides a LFA Landscape measure of the ability of the site to retain % 92 93 86 organisation resources and that it is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

Active erosion Areas of active erosion are Provides an assessment of the number of gullies limited No. Rills/Gullies or rills occurring in a 50m transect and that these No. 0 0 0 are limited and stabilising

Provides an assessment of the extent of soil Cross-sectional loss due to gully and rill erosion and that it is m2 0 0 0 area of rills limited and/or is stabilising Phase 3: Growth Soil chemical, Soil properties are suitable pH is typical of that of the surrounding medium physical for the establishment and pH landscape or falls within desirable ranges pH (5.6-7.3) 6.1 6.6 8.77 development properties and maintenance of selected provided by the agricultural industry amelioration vegetation species Electrical Conductivity is typical of that of the EC surrounding landscape or fall within desirable < dS/cm (<0.150) 0.036 0.156 0.522 ranges provided by the agricultural industry Organic Carbon levels are typical of that of the surrounding landscape, increasing or fall within Organic Matter desirable ranges provided by the agricultural % (>4.5) 3.1 4.0 0.9 industry

Available Phosphorus is typical of that of the surrounding landscape or fall within desirable Phosphorous mg/kg (50) 3.9 6.2 23.3 ranges provided by the agricultural industry

Nitrate levels are typical of that of the surrounding Nitrate landscape or fall within desirable ranges provided mg/kg (>12.5) 1.0 2.7 1.6 by the agricultural industry

Cation Exchange Capacity is typical of that of the CEC surrounding landscape or fall within desirable Cmol+/kg (>14) 7.8 8.7 16.2 ranges provided by the agricultural industry

Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (a measure of sodicity) is typical of that of the surrounding ESP % (<5) 2.5 9.9 18.7 landscape or fall within desirable ranges provided by the agricultural industry

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Aspect or Unit of Rehabilitation Performance Riparian ecosystem ecosystem Ecological Targets Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement BEL6 Phase Indicators range 2013 component (desirable)

Phase 4: Vegetation Vegetation contains a Ecosystem& diversity diversity of species The diversity of shrubs and juvenile trees with a Landuse comparable to that of the stem diameter <5cm is comparable to that of species/area 4 8 10 the local remnant vegetation. Establishment local remnant vegetation Diversity of shrubs and juvenile trees The percentage of shrubs and juvenile trees with a stem diameter <5cm dbh which are local % population 84 100 100 endemic species and these percentages are comparable to the local remnant vegetation

The total number of live plant species provides an Total species indication of the floristic diversity of the site and is No./area 68 83 44 richness comparable to the local remnant vegetation

The total number of live native plant species Native species provides an indication of the native plant diversity >No./area 39 61 22 richness of the site and that it is greater than or comparable to the local remnant vegetation

The total number of live exotic plant species Exotic species provides an indication of the exotic plant

Vegetation Vegetation contains a density density of species Density of The density of shrubs or juvenile trees with a comparable to that of the shrubs and stem diameter < 5cm is comparable to that of No./area 248 380 33 local remnant vegetation juvenile trees the local remnant vegetation Ecosystem The vegetation is comprised The number of tree species regardless of age composition by a range of growth forms comprising the vegetation community is Trees No./area 2 5 5 comparable to that of the comparable to that of the local remnant local remnant vegetation vegetation The number of shrub species regardless of age comprising the vegetation community is Shrubs No./area 3 6 5 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of sub-shrub species comprising the Sub-shrubs vegetation community is comparable to that of the No./area 4 5 1 local remnant vegetation

The number of herbs or forb species comprising Herbs the vegetation community is comparable to that No./area 39 40 20 of the local remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Rehabilitation Performance Riparian ecosystem ecosystem Ecological Targets Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement BEL6 Phase Indicators range 2013 component (desirable)

The number of grass species comprising the Grass vegetation community is comparable to that of No./area 14 21 10 the local remnant vegetation

The number of reed, sedge or rush species Reeds comprising the vegetation community is No./area 2 4 2 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of vines or climbing species Vines comprising the vegetation community is No./area 0 0 0 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of ferns comprising the vegetation Ferns community is comparable to that of the local No./area 2 2 1 remnant vegetation

The number of cactus comprising the vegetation Cactus community is comparable to that of the local No./area 0 0 0 remnant vegetation

The number of aquatic species comprising the Aquatic vegetation community is comparable to that of the No./area 0 2 0 local remnant vegetation Phase 5: Protective Ground layer contains Ecosystem & ground cover protective ground cover and Percent ground cover provided by dead plant Landuse habitat structure Litter cover material is comparable to that of the local remnant % 35 62 36.5 Development comparable with the local vegetation remnant vegetation Percent ground cover provided by live annual Annual plants plants is less than or comparable to that of the <% 2 4 24 local remnant vegetation

Percent ground cover provided by cryptogams (eg Cryptogam mosses, lichens) is comparable to that of the local % 6 10 9.5 cover remnant vegetation

Percent ground cover provided by stones or rocks Rock (> 5cm diameter) is comparable to that of the local % 0 0 0 remnant vegetation

Percent ground cover provided by fallen branches Log and logs (>5cm) is comparable to that of the local % 1 7 0.5 remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Rehabilitation Performance Riparian ecosystem ecosystem Ecological Targets Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement BEL6 Phase Indicators range 2013 component (desirable)

Percentage of bare ground is less than or Bare ground < % 3 12 15 comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

Percent ground cover provided by live perennial Perennial plant vegetation (<0.5m in height) is comparable to % 18 43 14.5 cover (< 0.5m) that of the local remnant vegetation

Total groundcover is the sum of protective Total Ground ground cover components (as described above) % 88 97 85 Cover and that it is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation Ground cover Vegetation contains a diversity diversity of species per The abundance of native species per square square meter comparable to Native metre averaged across the site provides an that of the local remnant understorey indication of the heterogeneity of the site and > species/m2 5.0 8 2.2 vegetation abundance that it has more than or an equal number of native species as the local remnant vegetation

The abundance of exotic species per square Exotic metre averaged across the site provides an understorey indication of the heterogeneity of the site and that < species/m2 2.6 4 4.2 abundance it has less than or an equal number of native species as the local remnant vegetation

Native ground Native ground cover Percent ground The percent ground cover abundance of native cover abundance is comparable to cover provided species (<0.5m) compared to exotic species is abundance that of the local remnant by native comparable to the reference sites and vegetation vegetation demonstrating a sustained positive trend % 57.3 81.7 37.9 <0.5m tall towards target values

Ecosystem The vegetation is maturing growth and and/or natural recruitment is The number of shrubs or juvenile trees <0.5m in natural occurring at rates similar to shrubs and height provides an indication of establishment recruitment those of the local remnant juvenile trees success and/or natural ecosystem recruitment No./area 56 106 16 vegetation 0 - 0.5m in and that it is comparable to that of the local height remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Rehabilitation Performance Riparian ecosystem ecosystem Ecological Targets Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement BEL6 Phase Indicators range 2013 component (desirable)

The number of shrubs or juvenile trees 0.5-1m in shrubs and height provides an indication of establishment juvenile trees success, growth and/or natural ecosystem No./area 62 104 7 0.5 - 1m in recruitment and that it is comparable to that of the height local remnant vegetation

The number of shrubs or juvenile trees 1-1.5m in shrubs and height provides an indication of establishment juvenile trees 1 success, growth and/or natural ecosystem No./area 24 81 3 - 1.5m in height recruitment and that it is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

The number of shrubs or juvenile trees 1.5-2m in shrubs and height provides an indication of establishment juvenile trees success, growth and/or natural ecosystem No./area 14 59 2 1.5 - 2m in recruitment and that it is comparable to that of the height local remnant vegetation

The number of shrubs or juvenile trees >2m in shrubs and height provides an indication of establishment juvenile trees success, growth and/or natural ecosystem No./area 42 80 5 >2m in height recruitment and that it is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

Ecosystem The vegetation is structure developing vertical structure Projected foliage cover provided by perennial plants in the 0.5 - 2m vertical height stratum and complexity comparable Foliage cover indicates the community structure is % cover 17 24 7.5 to that of the local remnant 0.5 - 2 m vegetation comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

Projected foliage cover provided by perennial Foliage cover plants in the 2 - 4m vertical height stratum % cover 16 17 3 2 - 4m indicates the community structure is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

Projected foliage cover provided by perennial Foliage cover plants in the 4 -6m vertical height stratum % cover 8 21 0 4 - 6m indicates the community structure is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Rehabilitation Performance Riparian ecosystem ecosystem Ecological Targets Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement BEL6 Phase Indicators range 2013 component (desirable)

Projected foliage cover provided by perennial Foliage cover plants > 6m vertical height stratum indicates the % cover 29 48 0 >6m community structure is comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

Tree diversity Vegetation contains a diversity of maturing tree The diversity of trees or shrubs with a stem diameter >5cm is comparable to the local remnant and shrubs species species/area 1 3 1 comparable to that of the vegetation. Species used in rehabilitation will be local remnant vegetation endemic to the local area Tree diversity The percentage of maturing trees and shrubs with a stem diameter >5cm dbh which are local % 100 100 100 endemic species and these percentages are comparable to the local remnant vegetation

Tree density Vegetation contains a density of maturing tree and The density of shrubs or trees with a stem shrubs species comparable Tree density diameter > 5cm is comparable to that of the local No./area 18 62 1 to that of the local remnant remnant vegetation vegetation Average tree diameter of the tree population provides a measure of age, (height) and growth Average dbh cm 12 17 6 rate and that it is trending towards that of the local remnant vegetation. Ecosystem The vegetation is in a health condition comparable to that The percentage of the tree population which are of the local remnant Live trees live individuals and that the percentage is % population 82 94 100 vegetation. comparable to the local remnant vegetation

The percentage of the tree population which are Healthy trees in healthy condition and that the percentage is % population 0 22 100 comparable to the local remnant vegetation

The percentage of the tree population which are in a medium health condition and that the Medium health % population 50 68 0 percentage is comparable to the local remnant vegetation The percentage of the tree population which are in Advanced a state of advanced dieback and that the <% population 15 22 0 dieback percentage is less than or comparable to the local remnant vegetation The percentage of the tree population which are Dead Trees dead (stags) and that the percentage is less than <% population 6 18 0 or comparable to the local remnant vegetation

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Aspect or Unit of Rehabilitation Performance Riparian ecosystem ecosystem Ecological Targets Primary Performance Indicators Secondary Performance Indicators measurement BEL6 Phase Indicators range 2013 component (desirable)

The percentage of the tree population which have mistletoe provides an indication of community Mistletoe % population 0 0 0 health and habitat value and that the percentage is comparable to the local remnant vegetation

The presence of reproductive structures such as buds, flowers or fruit provides evidence that Flowers/fruit: the ecosystem is maturing, capable of % population 3 17 0 Trees recruitment and can provide habitat resources comparable to that of the local remnant vegetation

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11 Management recommendations

The results of the 2013 monitoring program have been summarised in Table 11-1 which aims to identify any shortfalls associated with the individual rehabilitation areas and provide some management recommendations that will assist in improving long-term rehabilitation outcomes, and in some cases, provide specific management actions required to ensure ecological targets will be met. In some cases, there were issues that were consistent across most sites and these have also been discussed below.

Table 11-1. Sites summary and management recommendation Site Site summary and issues associated with long-term management outcomes Management requirements Priority Overall rehabilitation strategy Lack of a well developed and refined rehabilitation management strategy that addresses final In 2010-2011 a Land Management Plan has been prepared which addresses a range High landuse objectives and management requirements. of issues and management actions associated with management and rehabilitation within the Bulga Coal Complex (Xstrata 2011). Despite the development of this plan and improved rehabilitation objectives and implementation strategies, current monitoring sites have been rehabilitated under a past management regime subsequently leaving a range of issues which require addressing or amelioration in order to meet primary ecological targets. In addition the rehabilitation strategies should consider the management and use of natural resources occurring within non disturbed (buffer lands) and established revegetation areas (eg for seed collection). Implement the revised “Land Management Plan” taking into considerations management recommendations and strategies provided in this report. The final landuse strategy for most of the rehabilitation areas are native woodlands or native Many existing rehabilitation sites have demonstrated some improvement in High grasslands (with some strategic grazing management), therefore the mix of pasture species ecological function however, there continues to be many ecological aspects which as used in previous years will no longer be appropriate. will require amelioration via active management intervention if they are to replicate the structure, function and composition of the local native woodland communities. In particular the undesirable soil characteristics, low species diversity and non conforming community composition and species selection tends to indicate that many existing sites require rehabilitation intervention.

The use of exotic pasture species in future rehabilitation should be limited to the appropriate annual cover crops which will provide some rapid vegetative cover. Cynodon dactylon a proven native rehabilitation species should be used with in conjunction with a complement of local native grasses which could be harvested off site as seed or contained within a seed-bearing native pasture hay. Unless the species mixes are improved it will be difficult if not impossible to reach many of the ecological targets related to species diversity and the wrong composition of species will have a significant bearing on the establishment and development of the overstorey vegetation and longer-term sustainability targets All rehabilitation sites Reducing ecological function and integrity within undisturbed native grasslands in preparation Minimise any disturbance in native grassland areas as ecological function, diversity High for revegetation and/or tree planting activities (Eg BEL6, Dam01 and in areas subjected to and composition will be severely compromised with increased risks of further

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Site Site summary and issues associated with long-term management outcomes Management requirements Priority subsidence repair). degradation such as erosion, weed invasion and unbeneficial substrate characteristics. Rather spot spraying and hand planting tubestock directly into native grasslands or limiting deep ripping and spraying in narrow rows (~1m wide) will more rapidly achieve ecological outcomes. Over abundance of macropods selectively grazing palatable species. Extensive networks of Erect a series of exclosures (at least 50x20m in size) in high concentration areas to High tracks and/or camps that reduce ground cover and in some cases may initiate or accelerate exclude macropods to monitor the impact and extent of browsing on the vegetation. erosion. This will enable a quantitative assessment to be made and provide evidence of and for a control program to be implemented. Request advice from relevant experts and authorities. Trial the use and feasibility of electric fencing or chemical deterents in problematic areas. Lack of suitable and stable topsoil material. Numerous areas on the rehabilitation waste Establish a working relationship with the mining engineers and planners and provide High emplacements were highly alkaline, sodic and saline, including newly established pastures input and feedback into rehabilitation design and topsoil management. Improved on the South Blakefield Waste Emplacement. planning and management of soils from pre-clearance and stockpiles areas. Undertake soil tests prior to stockpiling and again before application onto the rehabilitation area. Discard or bury inappropriate soils. If possible, spread native topsoil directly onto rehabilitation areas. Undertake trials incorporating or utilising organic materials (OGM, Biosolids, woodchips etc) and mulches (native pasture hay, weed free straw). Develop a network and/or maintain relations with industry experts, researchers or other mining companies undertaking successful rehabilitation and/or rehabilitation trials. Lack of suitable ground cover species and species diversity, combined with the threat of Revise ground cover species mixes such that ground cover, diversity and High Galenia invasion. composition targets will be met. While ground cover targets were generally adequate and improving, species composition, diversity and abundance targets were typically poor. Improved species selection is required. Additional rehabilitation strategies should also include harvesting and/or baling native pasture seed and hay from existing native grassland areas. Spread along the contour of new rehabilitation areas or bare and eroding areas on older sites. This will provide immediate surface protection and initiate ecosystem recovery processes, including the colonisation of desired ground cover species. It should also reduce the likelihood of Galenia infestation, providing high levels of litter and perennial cover are achieved. Utilise sterile cover crops in the early establishment phase. The results of the soil tests indicate there continued to be elevated levels of Magnesium, Undertake soil tests of spoil material prior to constructing rehabilitated landforms. High Potassium and Iron in many of the rehabilitation areas. While reference sites also showed Continue to monitor these sites to determine changes or trends. higher than desirable levels in numerous cases reflecting the natural occurrence of the elements in the local area, these levels were typically exceeded on numerous rehabilitation areas which may affect plant growth and establishment. In 2012 there were also elevated levels of Sulfur, Lead and Arsenic. Full soil results are provided in Appendices 3 (Woodland sites), 4 (Pasture sites) and 5 (Riparian and reference sites). Woodland rehabilitation The establishment of trees and shrubs not necessarily endemic to the local area may lead to Revise species mixes to establish ‘specific’ vegetation communities using species High an ecosystem that is not representative of the local remnant vegetation and may impact on found only within the natural associations from within the local area: utilise species

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Site Site summary and issues associated with long-term management outcomes Management requirements Priority meeting ecological targets. Some non endemic species could potentially become invasive. listed within the reference sites and those identified within target vegetation communities (eg Peake 2006, Umwelt, DnA Environmental). Successful tree seeding does not necessarily translate into successful rehabilitation in the Revise seeding rates to establish an appropriate density of trees (and shrubs) to High longer term as high stems densities can limit ground cover, and reduce the likelihood for ensure high ground cover levels and open grassy clearings are maintained for future future population recruitment. recruitment events. The species selections are not representative of specific vegetation associations, and are not Refine (and reduce) seed mixes to species found naturally occurring within specific High chosen to suit their preferred habitat requirements. vegetation communities: utilise species listed within the reference sites (eg DnA Environmental 2010 - 2013), most suited to the resultant rehabilitation area and those previously identified within target vegetation communities (eg Peake 2006). For example, the waste dumps would be more suited to vegetation assemblages such as those occurring on the rockier, less productive and marginal agricultural areas, that is, predominantly Narrow-leaved Ironbark – Grey Box communities, while the smaller drainage lines are dominated by Swamp Oak. Exotic perennial pasture species are likely to limit tree and shrub germination, growth and Discontinue the use of exotic perennial pasture species in woodland rehabilitation High development and prevent natural recruitment in the longer term. The woodland will be areas. Use sterile cover crops and native perennial ground covers. unsustainable in the longer-term.

Low diversity of native ground cover species and low native species abundance Revise seed mixes to incorporate a variety of native ground cover species, especially native grasses and discontinue the use of exotic perennial species. Lack of critical habitat elements within woodland revegetation areas. Secure elements of critical habitat (trees, tree hollows, logs etc) and keystone Medium species (those difficult to propagate, rare or locally uncommon) from areas to be cleared and distribute within woodland rehabilitation sites. Nesting boxes suited to specific fauna species could be erected into the more established sites. Potential lack of local endemic seed of a desired selection of species. Establish a well developed seed collection program that targets a range of local Medium endemic native species that will form the foundation of the desired ecological community, including native trees, shrubs, grasses and herbs. Harvest and store summer and winter active growing grasses. Consider establishing seed production areas for future seed collection, particularly for species that may be difficult to collect, are uncommon or seed availability is limited. Manage native grasslands for seed/hay harvesting purposes. Plastic mesh tree guards littering the site Use 2L cardboard milk cartons with two threaded bamboo stakes as a preferred High choice of tree guard with low maintenance requirements in the longer-term. The cardboard will decompose and not contaminate the site. General Pasture rehabilitation Unsustainable under proposed long-term land use. Probably not capable of supporting Improve soil/substrate, pasture quality and diversity using a blend of more desirable High grazing enterprises due to unstable spoil material and low pasture quality and diversity. perennial pasture species. Discontinue the use of Chloris gayana (Rhodes Grass). Consider other land use options, such as increasing the area for conservation as per the new Land Management Plan (Xstrata 2011). Limited ability to implement strategic grazing regime and control vegetative growth, if Implement a well planned and designed mobile fencing program. The primary aim Medium required would be to trample the litter and rank vegetation down to form a protective litter cover. Feeding cattle with strategically placed hay bales on bare and eroding areas

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Site Site summary and issues associated with long-term management outcomes Management requirements Priority could also be beneficial as they spread out the hay, create microsites and create a more level surface topography and trample down loose spoil materials. Overgrazing should be strictly avoided. In accessible areas, slashing and/or baling these pastures for use in rehabilitation should be undertaken. Consider other land use options, such as increasing the area for conservation as per the new Land Management Plan (Xstrata 2011). Individual Rehabilitation sites North Blakefield Waste Emplacement NB4 A pasture rehabilitation area with dense rank vegetation dominated by Rhodes Grass with a Due to the proposed changes in final landuse to native woodlands this site is likely to Medium declining landscape function. Total and native species diversity was low and exotic species require complete rehabilitation intervention. dominated the site and it was weedier than desired. Litter cover was good but total ground cover and perennial plant cover continued to fall short of meeting ecological targets. The The more active rills and bare patches could be ameliorated using crushed waste pasture was similar in composition to the reference sites but lacked the diversity of herbs and rock in combination with native pasture or weed free mulches. This site could benefit grasses. The soils were slightly alkaline and low in organic matter and phosphorous and the from an application of gypsum according to recommended levels. Continue to high ESP indicates the soils are highly sodic. There continues to be one active rill. monitor the site as it develops. NB5 Woodland rehabilitation area sown to woodland trees and shrubs and mixed pasture species The exotic perennial pasture species are likely to limit tree and shrubs growth and Medium in September 2012. The area contained scattered rock mounds, timber logs piles and large development and prevent natural recruitment in the longer term. Discontinue the use tree stags were erected to create wildlife habitat. The site was dominated by perennial of exotic perennial pasture species. pasture species and there was a very low to nil establishment of trees or shrubs. The entire rehabilitation area was being planted with tubestock of native woodland species during June This site could benefit from an application of gypsum according to recommended 2013. The soils were moderately alkaline, slightly saline, sodic and low in organic matter and levels. Continue to monitor the site as it develops. nitrate. South Blakefield Waste Emplacement SB1 A woodland rehabilitation area planted with a variety of native tubestock (after a failed tree This site could benefit from an application of gypsum, according to recommended Medium seeding attempt?). in 2012 a mirror image site was established due to the destruction of the levels. Ameliorate the bare erosion areas using native pasture or weed free hay. original quadrat. The site contained bare scalded areas but had reasonable level of Increase the juvenile tree and shrub population density via a tree replacement ecological function which remained short of meeting LFA targets. Total ground cover had program. Remove existing tree guards and continue to monitor the site as it improved but there was a reduction in perennial plants cover and these targets were not met. develops. The more active rills and bare patches could be ameliorated using crushed There was relatively high total species diversity b there were too few natives and too many waste rock and/or native pasture or weed free hay. exotic species. Exotic species were dominated the understorey. The site overall contained an appropriate number of tree, shrub and sub-shrub species which met several structural diversity and habitat targets, but the planting density was too low. There was a lack of herb and grass diversity. The soils were moderately alkaline, sodic and low in organic matter and nitrate. While three active rills were recorded in 2012, these has stabilised. SB2 A pasture rehabilitation area with dense rank pasture dominated by Rhodes Grass and was Due to the proposed changes in final landuse to native woodlands this site is likely to Medium floristically deficient and a potential bushfire hazard. The ground cover was dominated by require complete rehabilitation intervention. dead litter material and a low cover of active perennial grass growth. While total ground cover was good it did not quite meet total ground cover targets. No active rills were recorded but The bare patches could be ameliorated using crushed waste rock in combination with there were some bare areas across the slope. The site was relatively stable and functional native pasture or weed free mulches. and while it had met some LFA targets in the past it fell short of meeting LFA SSA targets this year. The soils were slightly alkaline and deficient in organic matter.

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Site Site summary and issues associated with long-term management outcomes Management requirements Priority SB4 A relatively new (2010) pasture rehabilitation site on the flat top of the waste dump. The Due to the proposed changes in final landuse to native woodlands this site is likely to Medium troughs and banks had become well established with perennial grasses and the site now had require complete rehabilitation intervention. excellent total ground cover. Ecological function had significantly improved but due to the immaturity of the site, it did not yet meet the LFA targets. The site was low in species diversity and lacked the variety of herb and grass diversity. The site was almost completely dominated by exotic pasture species. This site had strongly alkaline and had elevated EC which were slightly saline last year. The soils were also deficient in organic matter and were borderline sodic. SB5 A relatively new (2010) pasture rehabilitation site with the troughs and banks now relatively Due to the proposed changes in final landuse to native woodlands this site is likely to Medium well vegetated with perennial grasses which now provided excellent ground cover, but lacked require complete rehabilitation intervention. the required diversity of herbs and grasses. The site was dominated by exotic pasture species The site has significantly improved in ecological function but remained short of meeting LFA targets. This site had strongly alkaline and sodic soils, and while EC levels were elevated there was a large reduction in EC recorded this year. Since 2012 there have been no active rills. SB6 Woodland rehabilitation area sown to woodland trees and shrubs and exotic pasture This site could benefit from an application of gypsum according to recommended September 2012. The area contained scattered rock mounds, timber logs piles and large tree levels. Over sowing with a blend of more desirable perennial pasture species to stags were erected to create wildlife habitat. The site contained scattered to sparse ground improve diversity indicators and apply native pasture or weed free hay over the bare cover vegetation and there was a very low to nil establishment of trees or shrubs. The entire scalded areas. Continue to monitor the site as it develops. rehabilitation area was being planted with tubestock of native woodland species during June 2013. This site was situated above a wetland area and was within a lower lying drainage depression. The troughs and banks formed after cross ripping had almost disappeared due to extensive movement of the dispersive soils. The soils were very strongly alkaline, possibly saline, sodic and low in organic matter. Southern Extension Waste Emplacement SE1 Newly established (2009?) tree seeded area with good establishment of a variety of tree and This site could benefit from an application of gypsum according to recommended High shrub species. Due to its immaturity the site retains a trough and bank sequence which was levels. Over sowing with a blend of more desirable perennial pasture species to becoming established with perennial vegetation. Since 2012 LFA stability targets were met improve diversity indicators and apply native pasture or weed free hay over the bare but the site continued to be low in infiltration and nutrient recycling capacity. Ground cover scalded areas. Continue to monitor the site as it develops. was relatively good but it has decreased this and due to bare scalded patches and unvegetated banks it did not meet total ground cover or perennial vegetation targets. There was low species diversity and there were too many exotic species. There was a lack of herb and grass species. Galenia was no longer being recorded along the vegetation transect after spraying in 2010-2011. There have no active rills since 2012. The soils were moderately alkaline, slightly saline, low in organic matter and sodic. SE3 A tree seeded area (200x?) with an appropriate density and diversity of native trees and Continue to monitor the site as it develops. Medium shrubs, with numerous individuals in all height classes indicating good growth rates and recent germination. Forty-two individuals now had a dbh >5cm which provided good structural diversity and increased habitat attributes with some trees having reproductive structures in the past. The understorey was dominated by litter and perennial ground cover was very low and declining. While there was low total and native species richness, there was

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Site Site summary and issues associated with long-term management outcomes Management requirements Priority an acceptable number of exotic species, but the understorey was dominated by exotic plants. There was a low number of few sub-shrubs, herbs, grasses and ferns. The site was relatively stable in previous years but has shown a declining trend and fell short of meeting all LFA targets this year. There was no active rilling recorded this year. The soils were neutral but low in phosphorous. Other Bulga Rehabilitation areas BM11 1991 Direct seeded woodland site subsided once. This site was ecologically functional in Tree thinning is likely to reduce competition levels and improve the quality of the Medium terms of LFA targets relating to infiltration and nutrient recycling and while stability has trees and shrubs, and lead to an increase in understorey abundance and diversity. increased this year it remained negligibly short of meeting stability targets. The density of The disturbance however, is likely to promote invasion by exotic species, but may shrubs and juvenile trees exceeded local woodland targets but most of these were small also promote the establishment of dormant native understorey species. Natural spindly and much stressed juvenile tree species, thus there was a lack of shrub diversity. The recruitment was also not evident, but rather high competition levels combined with densities of mature trees also greatly exceeded those of the reference sites and 58% of the heavy predation by macropods, rabbits and pigs has restricted growth of some tree population were non endemic species. There was good canopy cover provided the individuals. Pest and feral animal control is warranted. mature trees but there was limited perennial ground cover and species diversity was very low, but there were also few weeds. The site however contained ground cover dominated by leaf litter which met total ground cover targets. The soils continued to be low in nitrate. Dam01 This revegetation project incorporated spraying, deep ripping/cultivation and tubestock This site should not have been subjected to the high degree of disturbance which High planting in September 2010. This year there has been significant improvement in ecological has resulted in severely reducing its ecological resilience and function and increased function with the site now meeting LOI and LFA stability targets. This however was largely risk of weed invasion, erosion and has compromised the structure and composition due to the colonisation of annual weeds which have invaded this disturbed site and while of the protective ground cover vegetation. Rather spot spraying and hand planting ground cover had dramatically improved it remained short of meeting total and perennial directly into native grasslands or limiting deep ripping and spraying in narrow rows ground cover targets. There was an appropriate diversity of juvenile trees but there was a (~1m wide) would have been more appropriate and resulted in achieving ecological lack of shrub species. The overall tree and shrub planting density was too low. There was objective more rapidly in the first instance. To achieve ecological targets, increase low total and native species richness and exotic species dominated the site. There were also the juvenile tree and shrub population density by planting tubestock of local trees and too few shrub herbs and grasses. Due to the immaturity of the site most structural diversity shrubs associated with E. tereticornis ecosystems. The use of milk cartons with two targets continue to be unmet. The soil characteristics were similar to those in the reference bamboo stakes as tree guards is recommended, rather than plastic mesh. The sites or within desirable levels. perennial broadleaf leaves may require spot-spraying. Bulga Underground Operations rehabilitation sites BEL2 This site was an area of natural pasture rehabilitated after subsidence and this year there Implement feral animal control program (including pigs and rabbits). Continue to Medium was a dramatic reduction in many ecological indicators due to the establishment of a pipeline monitor the site as it develops. which ran diagonally across the site. It was overall stable and moderately functional but continued to fall short in meeting any LFA indices. The floristic diversity and composition was compatible with that of the reference sites and therefore met all targets associate with species diversity and community composition, except there was a higher abundance of exotic species. This year total and perennial ground cover targets were not met. There were no anomalies associated with the soil analyses. A mature eucalypt had died in the near vicinity over the past year. The area is heavily grazed by macropods, rabbits and feral pigs. BEL3 This site was an area of pasture rehabilitation after subsidence and subsidence repair. This Continue to monitor the site as it develops. Medium site was relatively functional but fell short in meeting LFA infiltration and nutrient recycling targets despite having good stability and 100% LOI. It contained an appropriate diversity of species, but the understorey was dominated by exotic species. The cover provided by the

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Site Site summary and issues associated with long-term management outcomes Management requirements Priority perennial vegetation was too low and annual plant cover was too high. The electrical conductivity was slightly elevated but remained within acceptable levels and organic matter levels continued to be low. The area is heavily grazed by macropods. BEL4 This tree seeded site was particularly functional and while it met all LFA related ecological Continue to monitor the site as it develops. Low targets in 2010 it was slightly lower in stability in the past two years and this year fell short of meeting LOI targets. It contained relatively high total floristic diversity and while it was low in native species diversity, it contained an appropriate number of weeds. While total ground cover was high there was a decline in total cover and there was a lack of perennial ground cover vegetation. There was an appropriate diversity of trees and shrubs however density of shrubs and juvenile trees was marginally low, despite some recent recruitment. There has been good growth and development of the trees and shrubs, with the site having a structure that fits within the required targets, except that it did not yet contain a well developed canopy > 6m in height. There were 30 individuals with a tree status, however some of the more mature acacias were declining in health or had died with borers being responsible for some tree deaths. In terms of species composition, this site was similar to the reference sites, but contained slightly fewer sub-shrub and herb species. There were few issues associated with the soil analyses but ESP levels had increased above the threshold. BEL5 This site was an area of regrowth Bulloak woodland after subsidence and subsidence repair. Feral pigs and high macropod numbers need to be addressed. Continue to monitor Low The site was stable and ecologically functional meeting all LFA targets this year. There was the site as it develops. high competition levels in the more dense Bulloak patches combined with extensive predation and usage of the area by macropods and pigs, with many tracks and camps throughout the area. There was good perennial and total ground cover however these targets were not met this year due to the animal disturbances. It contained high total floristic diversity and while the understorey was dominated by native species with a high floral diversity, exotic species were too abundant. While the diversity of juvenile trees and shrubs were appropriate there was a very high stem density largely due to the sporadic and recent recruitment events and Bulloak suckering evident by the range of heights of the shrubs and juvenile trees. There was an appropriate density and diversity of mature trees which provided adequate structural complexity and habitat including individual which continued reproductive structures. In terms of species composition, this site was similar to the reference sites and met most community composition targets. There were few issues associated with the soil analyses. BEL6 This riparian revegetation project incorporated deep ripping and tubestock planting along the Despite the improvement occurring at this site, there continues to be many ecological High banks of the northern drainage line, after subsidence repairs in 2009. Due to the relative aspects which will require amelioration via active management intervention if it is to immaturity of the area, many performance targets have not been met, but are likely to replicate the structure, function and composition of the local riparian communities. In improve over time with some intervention. The understorey was often dominated by Couch particular the undesirable soil characteristics, low species diversity and non but the troughs and banks created by the deep ripping continued to be an important conforming community composition and species selection in combination the urgent functional component of the site. The site has continued to improve in ecological function but requirement to amend the deepening subsidence erosion tends to indicate that this remained short of LFA targets. The site was floristically deficient and lacked the diversity of site requires complete rehabilitation intervention. High alkalinity and salinity levels sub-shrubs, herbs, grass and fern species. While there was an appropriate diversity of may be assisted through increased organic matter via the establishment of the juvenile trees and shrubs, there was a very low density, and these continued to decline due vegetation as well as the application of hay mulch and an application of gypsum. to mortality. The selection of species was also not strictly compatible with the existing riparian Total and perennial ground cover needs to be improved via over sowing with native

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Site Site summary and issues associated with long-term management outcomes Management requirements Priority woodlands occurring along the drainage line. There was a lack of perennial ground cover but perennial species, combined with a sterile cover crop especially in bare areas not due to improved cover of dead leaf litter, total ground cover targets have improved but associate with the monitoring transect line. Due to the soils being highly sodic, deep remained short of the target. Exotic species were abundant and dominated the ground cover. ripping should be avoided in future revegetation projects along this section of the Due to the immaturity of the sites many structural diversity and habitat complexity targets drainage line. Limit disturbance as far as practical. The species planted should have not yet been met. This year however one individual was recorded as a tree. The soils complement and be consistent with those naturally occurring along the drainage line were very strongly alkaline, moderately saline, highly sodic and very low in organic matter. (ie dominated by Casuarina glauca (Swamp Oak)). The existing narrow vegetation The noxious Spiny Rush was dominant within the drainage line. The various sinkholes and corridor could be enhanced by seeding and/or supplementary planting with a range tunnel erosion occurring along the creek bed and banks have significantly expanded. There of appropriate riparian woodland species to widen the riparian corridor. Spiny Rush were windrows of cleared trees stacked on the upper banks of the revegetation area (reason may require control. This site will require supplementary tree planting and improved for this?). ground cover in order to meet ecological targets. The sinkholes and tunnel erosion require urgent amelioration.

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12 Management summary and conclusion

Previous approval documents focused on the establishment of a predominantly cattle grazing post mine land use for the Bulga Coal Complex. Proposed rehabilitation nominated that 70% of all rehabilitation should be pasture species and 30% should be native woodland species. Subsequently, existing pasture rehabilitation areas are predominantly comprised of exotic pastures species. Rehabilitation objectives at the Bulga Coal Complex have recently been altered such that the final land uses for the rehabilitated waste emplacements include the establishment of woodland communities and habitat corridors where appropriate and providing for grazing on areas where the soil types can support productive native pastures.

In 2010 the most important requirement was the need to develop a long-term comprehensive rehabilitation management plan according to final landuse objectives and best practice rehabilitation guidelines, including classification and testing of spoil material prior to application and revegetation, refinement of tree seeding mixes and densities such that they be compatible with the desired community type (reference sites) and improved selection of ground cover species. Most of these aspects have now been addressed in the draft Land Management Plan (Xstrata 2011) and through the implementation of this plan better rehabilitation outcomes should be expected. In addition, Bulga Underground Operations have prepared a series of detailed rehabilitation and monitoring procedures associated with drill pad consolidation, pipeline rehabilitation and subsidence repair by which contractors associated with these activities can easily follow and implement.

Despite the improved planning processes, most rehabilitation areas have been implemented under past management and rehabilitation regimes which are subsequently reflected in the ecological outcomes and ongoing management requirements. Many existing rehabilitation sites have demonstrated some improvement in ecological function however there continues to be many ecological aspects which will require amelioration via active management intervention if they are to replicate the structure, function and composition of the local native woodland and grassland communities. In particular the undesirable soil characteristics, low species diversity and non conforming community composition and species selection tends to indicate that many existing sites require complete rehabilitation intervention.

Disturbance to areas of native grassland areas (such as those in the northern drainage line and the dam offset area) should have been minimised prior to tree planting as the ecological function, diversity and composition of the very functional native ecosystems have been severely compromised with increased risks of further degradation such as erosion, weed invasion and unbeneficial substrate characteristics. Rather spot spraying and hand planting directly into native grasslands or limiting deep ripping and spraying in narrow rows (~1m wide) will more rapidly achieve ecological outcomes and completion criteria targets. There is a need to clearly define revegetation techniques based on the relevant completion criteria and ecological targets.

Numerous rehabilitation areas continue to have inadequate topsoil material and with highly alkaline, sodic and saline soils in numerous sites especially on the mine spoil dumps, there is a need for improved topsoil testing, management and amelioration, particularly when topsoil is limited. Consideration needs also to be given to the current and future management of the waste emplacements and surrounding buffer areas in terms of reducing fire risk. Ongoing management strategies that aim to stimulate perennial vegetation (especially native grasses where applicable) and enhance ecosystem function and biodiversity as well as assist with weed and feral animal control is required. This may incorporate a combination of techniques including tree thinning, over sowing or

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additional planting with desirable species and fuel reduction. The long-term success and the ability to meet ecological targets will largely depend on the capacity of the native perennial plants to drive the ecological function, integrity and sustainability of the site. Strategic grazing could be considered as a useful tool to achieve some of these aims but requires the appropriate knowledge, planning and infrastructure if it is to be accomplished successfully. In some areas on the Northern and Southern Waste Emplacements, large areas of exotic pastures dominated by Chloris gayana will need further intervention and this may involve complete rehabilitation into native woodland communities.

Species selection and seeding (and/or planting) densities need also to be refined to reflect the composition, structure and diversity of the target community. These communities may need to vary across the rehabilitation areas according to final land use, soil type and topography and should be consistent with those occurring within the local environment using species found only within the natural associations from within the local area or those previously identified within target the vegetation communities. For example, the waste emplacements would be more suited to vegetation assemblages such as those occurring on the rockier, less productive and marginal agricultural areas, that is, predominantly Eucalyptus creber (Narrow-leaved Ironbark) – E. moluccana (Grey Box) communities, while the smaller drainage lines are dominated by Casuarina glauca (Swamp Oak) for example. Rehabilitation areas can also be used as “seed orchards” once established, but there must be an appropriate selection and abundance of local endemic species to satisfy best practice revegetation guidelines and this requires a good seed collection program and/or reliable source of seed.

All restoration works, including those on rehabilitation areas should use local native species or local soils, hay and other materials to limit the spread and potential invasion of weeds, or restrict the use of introduced pasture species to those that are non invasive. The use of Chloris gayana (Rhodes Grass) is one example of a species that is used widely in mine rehabilitation, with potentially significant adverse environmental impacts, and is now found within several of the ecological sites around the Bulga Complex. This species has been recommended for listing as a noxious weed and should also be included in the weed control programs, as should other recommended noxious species and environmental weeds. All rehabilitation plans should be revised to exclude invasive species such as Chloris gayana and Pennisetum clandestinum (Kikuyu) and aim to incorporate more native perennial grasses and other ground cover flora. Areas dominated by Chloris gayana and Pennisetum clandestinum may need further rehabilitation intervention to remain consistent with the new LMP final land use objectives and ensure ecological targets will be met.

In BEL6, a riparian restoration project, the rate of vegetation establishment has been very patchy across the slopes and large bare areas have persisted across the site largely due to undesirable soil characteristics which have created hostile conditions for plant establishment. There were however numerous small sinkholes (created by subsidence?) along the creek banks and over the past two years these have significantly increased in number and size and require amelioration. This in conjunction with a range of other ecological shortfalls suggests that BEL6 requires additional rehabilitation intervention to ensure that it more satisfactorily replicates the structure, function and composition riparian communities in the local area and that this restoration project will meet riparian ecological targets and associated completion criteria.

Investigative trials which assess the effectiveness of incorporating or utilising organic materials such as Organic Growth Medium (OGM) and Biosolids would be beneficial. Trials of locally harvested native pasture hay bearing mature seeds (which could be managed and sourced on-site) as a useful mulching treatment to determine what rate of application and in what spatial distribution better erosion control and native plant establishment can be obtained should be undertaken. The hay should provide temporary and essential soil surface protection, organic matter required for microbial and nutrient

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recycling processes, reduce the risk of weed invasion (including Galenia?) as well as provide native ground cover seeds. Effective rehabilitation methods used on other mining sites should also be investigated.

Feral and pest animals and noxious weeds also require monitoring and targeted control programs need to be implemented. High numbers of macropods (and pigs) were observed across the Bulga Complex and are potentially degrading the vegetation and impacting on conservation and biodiversity goals. Small exclusion areas to exclude grazing animals especially macropods in high concentration areas will assist in quantifying the impact and extent of browsing on the vegetation and provide information on the need for and level of management intervention required in consultation with advice from relevant experts and authorities. Consider the feasibility of using electric fencing or chemical deterents in sensitive high impact areas.

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13 References

Bruce, R.C. and Rayment, G.E. 1982. Analytical Methods and Interpretations Used by the Agricultural Chemistry Branch for Soil and Land Use Surveys, Bulletin No. QB2004, Dept of Primary Industries, Brisbane, Qld.

Bureau of Meteorology (2013). Monthly Climate Statistics for 'JERRYS PLAINS POST OFFICE' [061086], 1884 to 2011. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_061086.shtml Accessed 24th July 2013.

DnA Environmental (2010a). Rehabilitation Monitoring Methodology and Quality Control Plan for the Bulga Complex, Singleton NSW.

DnA Environmental (2010b). 2010 Bulga Complex rehabilitation monitoring report” for the Bulga Complex, Singleton NSW.

DnA Environmental (2010c). 2010 Bulga Complex ecological monitoring report for the Bulga Complex, Singleton NSW.

DnA Environmental (2011a). 2011 Bulga Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report, for the Bulga Coal Complex, Singleton NSW.

DnA Environmental (2011b). 2011 Bulga Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring: Individual Site Descriptions, for the Bulga Coal Complex, Singleton NSW.

DnA Environmental (2011c). 2011 Bulga Complex ecological monitoring report for the Bulga Complex, Singleton NSW.

DnA Environmental (2012). 2012 Bulga Complex ecological monitoring report for the Bulga Complex, Singleton NSW.

Gibbons (2002). Methodology for the Grassy Box Woodlands Benchmarking Project in southern NSW Murray-Darling Basin. CSIRO, Canberra.

Gibbons, P., Briggs, S.V., Ayers, D.A., Doyle, S., Seddon, J., McElhinny, C., Jones, N. Simes, R. and Doody, J.S. (2008a). Rapidly quantifying reference conditions in modified landscapes. Journal of Biological Conservation.

Gibbons, P., Briggs, S.V., Ayers, D.A., Seddon, J., Doyle, S. and Briggs J.S. (2008b). Biometric 2.0. A terrestrial Biodiversity Assessment Tool for the NSW Native Vegetation Assessment Tool. Operations Manual. NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change, C/- CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, GPO Box 284, Canberra ACT 2601.

Isbell, R.F. (1996). The Australian Soil Classification. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.

Nichols, O.G. (2005) Development of Rehabilitation Completion Criteria for Native Ecosystem Establishment on Coal Mines in the Hunter Valley. ACARP Project No. C13048 Australian Centre for Minerals Extension and Research PO Box 883, Kenmore QLD 4069.

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NSW I&I: Department of Industry and Investment (2010). Rehabilitation and Environmental Management Plan (REMP) Guidelines. Consultation Draft V2.0, June 2010. Minerals and Energy Division, Mineral Resources Branch. Maitland, NSW.

NSW T&I: Resources and Energy (2012). ESG3: Mining Operations Plan (MOP) guidelines. December 2012. NSW Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services – Division of Resources and Energy.

Peake, T. (2006). The vegetation of the Central Hunter Valley of New South Wales. A report on the findings of the Hunter Remnant Vegetation Project. Volume 1: Main report Version 2.2. Hunter – Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority.

Slavich, P.G. and Petterson, G.H. 1993. Estimating the electrical conductivity of saturated paste extracts from 1:5 soil:water suspensions and texture. Australian Journal of Soil Research 31, 73-81.

Tongway, David J., and Norman L. Hindley. 1995. Manual for Soil Condition Assessment of Tropical Grasslands. 60 p. Canberra: CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology.

Tongway, D. & Hindley, N. (1996). Landscape Function Analysis. Understanding more about your landscape. A method for monitoring landscape productivity. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems. CD Version 3.1

Tongway, D. & Hindley, N. (2003). Indicators of Ecosystem Rehabilitation Success. Stage Two – Verification of EFA Indicators. Final Report for the Australian Centre for Mining Environmental Research. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems In association with Ben Seaborn CMLR, University of Queensland

Tongway, DJ and Hindley, NL 2004. Landscape Function Analysis: Methods for monitoring and assessing landscapes, with special reference to minesites and rangelands. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra. www.cse.csiro.au/research/efa/index.htm

Umwelt, (2003). Bulga Coal Complex Continued Underground Operations, Environmental Impact Statement. Volume 1 Main Text. July 2003.

Xstrata Coal (2011) DRAFT Bulga Coal Landscape Management Plan. September 2011. Project No 1010-059

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SE1 SE3 SB1 SB2 SB4 SB5 SB6 NB4 NB5 Bel2 Bel3 Bel4 Bel5 Bel6 Habit BM11 exotic Group Family Scientific Name Common Name DAM01 Dicotyledon Aizoaceae * Galenia pubescens Galenia ss 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Apiaceae Centella asiatica Pennywort h 1 Dicotyledon Apiaceae * Ciclospermum leptophyllum Slender Celery h 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Aster subulatus Wild Aster h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Bidens pilosa Cobbler's Peg h 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Calocephalus sonderi Pale Beautyheads h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Calotis cuneifolia Purple Burr Daisy h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Calotis lappulacea Yellow Burr Daisy h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Carthamus lanatus Saffron Thistle h 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Cassinia quinquefaria Cassinia s 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Chrysocephalum apiculatum Common Everlasting h 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Cirsium vulgare Spear Thistle h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Conyza spp. Fleabane h 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Cotula australis Common Cotula h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Facelis retusa h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Gamochaeta americana Cudweed h 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Gomphocarpus fruticosus Swan Plant ss 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Hypochaeris microcephala White Flatweed h 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Hypochaeris radicata Flatweed h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Lagenophora gracilis Slender Lagenophora h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Minuria leptophylla Minnie Daisy h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Richardia humistrata h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Richardia stellaris h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Senecio madagascariensis Fireweed h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Senecio spp. h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Solenogyne bellioides h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Sonchus asper Prickly Sowthistle h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Sonchus oleraceus Milk Thistle h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Tagetes minuta Stinking Roger h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Vittadinia cuneata Fuzzweed h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Vittadinia spp. Fuzzweed h 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Xanthium occidentale Nagoora Burr h 1

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SE1 SE3 SB1 SB2 SB4 SB5 SB6 NB4 NB5 Bel2 Bel3 Bel4 Bel5 Bel6 Habit BM11 exotic Group Family Scientific Name Common Name DAM01 Dicotyledon Brassicaceae * Lepidium africanum Peppercress h 1 Dicotyledon Brassicaceae * Lepidium bonariense h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Brassicaceae * Lepidium spp. h 1 Dicotyledon Brassicaceae * Sisymbrium erysimoides Smooth Mustard h 1 Dicotyledon Brassicaceae * Sisymbrium spp. h 1 Dicotyledon Brunoniaceae Brunonia australis Blue Pincushion h 1 Dicotyledon Cactaceae * Opuntia aurantiaca Tiger Pear c 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Cactaceae * Opuntia stricta Common Prickly Pear c 1 Dicotyledon Campanulaceae Wahlenbergia spp. Bluebell h 1 Dicotyledon Caryophyllaceae * Paronychia brasiliana Chilean Whitlow Wort h 1 1 Dicotyledon Caryophyllaceae * Petrorhagia nanteuilii Proliferous Pink h 1 Dicotyledon Caryophyllaceae * Spergularia rubra Sandspurry h 1 Dicotyledon Casuarinaceae Allocasuarina luehmannii Bulloak t 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Casuarinaceae Casuarina glauca Swamp Oak t 1 Dicotyledon Chenopodiaceae Atriplex semibaccata Creeping Saltbush ss 1 1 Dicotyledon Chenopodiaceae Einadia nutans subsp. linifolia Climbing Saltbush h 1 Dicotyledon Chenopodiaceae Einadia nutans subsp. nutans Climbing Saltbush h 1 1 Dicotyledon Chenopodiaceae Enchylaena tomentosa Ruby Saltbush ss 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Chenopodiaceae Maireana microphylla Eastern Cottonbush ss 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Clusiaceae Hypericum gramineum Small St. John's Wort h 1 Dicotyledon Convolvulaceae Dichondra repens Kidney Weed h 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Epacridaceae Lissanthe strigosa Peach Heath s 1 1 Dicotyledon Euphorbiaceae Breynia oblongifolia Coffee Bush s 1 Dicotyledon Euphorbiaceae Chamaesyce drummondii Caustic Weed h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) Daviesia genistifolia Broom Bitter Pea s 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) Glycine clandestina Climbing Glycine h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) Glycine tabacina Variable Glycine h 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) Kennedia procurrens Purple Running Pea v 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Medicago arabica Spotted Medic h 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Medicago polymorpha Burr Medic h 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Medicago sativa Lucerne h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Medicago spp. A Medic h 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Melilotus indicus Hexham Scent h 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Trifolium arvense Haresfoot Clover h 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Trifolium campestre Hop Clover h 1 1

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SE1 SE3 SB1 SB2 SB4 SB5 SB6 NB4 NB5 Bel2 Bel3 Bel4 Bel5 Bel6 Habit BM11 exotic Group Family Scientific Name Common Name DAM01 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Trifolium repens White Clover h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Trifolium spp. A Clover h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Trifolium subterraneum Subterraneum Clover h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Vicia villosa Vetch h 1 1 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) Acacia amblygona Fan Wattle 1 1 1 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) Acacia buxifolia Box-leaved Wattle 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) Acacia cultriformis Knife-leaf Wattle 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) Acacia decurrens Early black Wattle 1 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) Acacia falcata A Wattle 1 1 1 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) Acacia implexa Hickory 1 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) Acacia leiocalyx subsp. leiocalyx Curracabah 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) Acacia longifolia Sydney Golden Wattle 1 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) Acacia mearnsii Black Wattle 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) Acacia parvipinnula Silver-stemmed Wattle 1 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) Acacia pendula? Myall 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) Acacia salicina Willow Wattle 1 1 1 1 1 Fabaceae s Dicotyledon (Mimosoideae) * Acacia saligna Golden Wreath Wattle 1 Dicotyledon Geraniaceae Erodium crinitum Blue Storksbill h 1 Dicotyledon Geraniaceae * Erodium spp. h 1 Dicotyledon Geraniaceae Geranium solanderi Native Geranium h 1 1 Dicotyledon Haloragaceae Myriophyllum spp. Milfoil h 1 Dicotyledon Lamiaceae Mentha satureioides Native Pennyroyal h 1 1 Dicotyledon Lamiaceae * Stachys arvensis Stagger Weed h 1 Dicotyledon Linaceae * Linum trigynum French Flax h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Malvaceae * Modiola caroliniana Red-flowered Mallow h 1 1 1 1

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SE1 SE3 SB1 SB2 SB4 SB5 SB6 NB4 NB5 Bel2 Bel3 Bel4 Bel5 Bel6 Habit BM11 exotic Group Family Scientific Name Common Name DAM01 Dicotyledon Malvaceae Sida corrugata Corrugated Sida h 1 Dicotyledon Malvaceae * Sida rhombifolia Paddy's Lucerne ss 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Malvaceae Sida subspicata Spiked Sida ss 1 Dicotyledon Myoporaceae Eremophila debilis Amulla ss 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Angophora floribunda Rough-barked Apple t 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Callistemon citrinus Crimson Bottlebrush s 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Callistemon linearis Bottlebrush s 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Callistemon rigidus s 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Callistemon salignus Willow Bottlebrush s 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae * Corymbia citriodora Lemon-scented Gum t 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Corymbia maculata Spotted Gum t 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus albens White Box t 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus blakelyi Blakely's Red Gum t 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus bridgesiana Apple Box t 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae * Eucalyptus cladocalyx Sugar Gum t 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus crebra Narrow-leaf Ironbark t 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus melanophloia Silver-leaved Ironbark t 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus melliodora Yellow Box t 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus moluccana Grey Box t 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus nubila Blue-leaved Ironbark t 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus punctata Grey Gum t 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus rubida Candlebark t 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus sideroxylon? Mugga Ironbark t 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus tereticornis Forest Red Gum t 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Leptospermum juniperinum s 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Leptospermum polygalifolium s 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Melaleuca spp. s 1 Dicotyledon Oxalidaceae Oxalis perennans Yellow Wood-sorrel h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Oxalidaceae Oxalis spp. h 1 Dicotyledon Phytolaccaceae * Phytolacca octandra Inkweed h 1 Dicotyledon Pittosporaceae Bursaria spinosa Native Blackthorn s 1 Dicotyledon Plantaginaceae * Plantago lanceolata Ribwort h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Plantaginaceae Plantago varia Variable Plantain h 1 1 Dicotyledon Polygonaceae Rumex brownii Swamp Dock h 1 Dicotyledon Polygonaceae Rumex tenax Shiny Dock h 1

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SE1 SE3 SB1 SB2 SB4 SB5 SB6 NB4 NB5 Bel2 Bel3 Bel4 Bel5 Bel6 Habit BM11 exotic Group Family Scientific Name Common Name DAM01 Dicotyledon Primulaceae * Anagallis arvensis Scarlet Pimpernel h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Rubiaceae Asperula conferta Common Woodruff h 1 1 Dicotyledon Sapindaceae Dodonaea triquetra Large-leaf Hopbush s 1 Dicotyledon Solanaceae * Lycium ferocissimum African Boxthorn s 1 Dicotyledon Solanaceae * Solanum nigrum Blackberry Nightshade h 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Unidentified Unidentified shrub seedling s 1 Dicotyledon Verbenaceae * Verbena litoralis Coastal Verbena h 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Verbenaceae * Verbena rigida Veined Verbena h 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Anthericaceae Laxmannia compacta h 1 Monocotyledon Cyperaceae Carex inversa Knob Sedge r 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Cyperaceae Fimbristylis dichotoma Common Fringe Rush r 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Cyperaceae Schoenus apogon Common Bog Rush r 1 Monocotyledon Iridaceae * Romulea rosea Onion Grass h 1 Monocotyledon Juncaceae * Juncus acutus Spiny Rush r 1 Monocotyledon Juncaceae Juncus spp. A Rush r 1 Monocotyledon Juncaceae Juncus usitatus r 1 1 Monocotyledon Lomandraceae Lomandra filiformis Wattle Mat-rush h 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Lomandraceae Lomandra multiflora Many-flowered Mat-rush h 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Phormiaceae Dianella revoluta Native Flax Lily h 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Aristida ramosa Threeawn Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Aristida vagans Wire Grass g 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Austrodanthonia sp. Wallaby Grass g 1 1 1 1 Austrostipa scabra subsp. g Monocotyledon Poaceae scabra Rough Speargrass 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Avena spp. Oats g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Axonopus fissifolius Narrow-leaf Carpet Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Bothriochloa decipiens Redgrass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Chloris gayana Rhodes Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Chloris truncata Windmill Grass g 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Chloris ventricosa Tall Windmill Grass g 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Cymbopogon refractus Barbed-wire Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Cynodon dactylon Couch g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Dichanthium sericeum Queensland Bluegrass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Dichelachne micrantha Shorthair Plumegrass g 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Digitaria spp. g 1 1

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SE1 SE3 SB1 SB2 SB4 SB5 SB6 NB4 NB5 Bel2 Bel3 Bel4 Bel5 Bel6 Habit BM11 exotic Group Family Scientific Name Common Name DAM01 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Echinochloa crus-galli Barnyard Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Echinochloa esculenta Japanese Millet g 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Echinopogon ovatus Forest Hedgehog Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Enteropogon acicularis Curly Windmill Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Entolasia marginata Bordered Panic g 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Eragrostis brownii Brown's Lovegrass g 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Eragrostis leptostachya Paddock Lovegrass g 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Eriochloa pseudoacrotricha Early Spring Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Lolium perenne Perennial Ryegrass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Lolium rigidum Wimmera Ryegrass g 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Melinis repens Red Natal Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Microlaena stipoides Weeping Rice-grass g 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Panicum effusum Hairy Panic g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Panicum maximum Guinea Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Panicum queenslandicum Coolibah Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Panicum simile g 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Panicum spp. g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Paspalum dilatatum Paspalum g 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Pennisetum clandestinum Kikuyu Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Phalaris aquatica Phalaris g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Setaria gracilis Slender Pigeon Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 South African Pigeon g Monocotyledon Poaceae * Setaria sphacelata Grass 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Setaria spp. Pigeon Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Sporobolus creber Western Rat's-tail Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Themeda triandra Kangaroo Grass g 1 Pteridophyta Adiantaceae Cheilanthes distans Bristly Cloak fern f 1 1 1 Cheilanthes sieberi subsp. Pteridophyta Adiantaceae Rock Fern f 1 1 1 1 1 sieberi

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Group Family exotic Scientific Name Common Name Habit RWood01 RWood02 RWood03 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03 BM16 BM17 Dicotyledon Apiaceae Centella asiatica Pennywort h 1 1 Dicotyledon Apiaceae * Ciclospermum leptophyllum Slender Celery h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Arctotheca calendula Capeweed h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Aster subulatus Wild Aster h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Bidens pilosa Cobbler's Peg h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Calocephalus sonderi Pale Beautyheads h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Calotis lappulacea Yellow Burr Daisy h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Cassinia arcuata Chinese Shrub s 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Chrysocephalum apiculatum Common Everlasting h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Cirsium vulgare Spear Thistle h 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Conyza spp. Fleabane h 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Cotula australis Common Cotula h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Euchiton sphaericus Japanese Cudweed h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Facelis retusa h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Gamochaeta americana Cudweed h 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Glossocardia bidens Cobbler's Tack h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Gomphocarpus fruticosus Swan Plant ss 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Hypochaeris microcephala White Flatweed h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Hypochaeris radicata Flatweed h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Lagenophora gracilis Slender Lagenophora h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Minuria leptophylla Minnie Daisy h 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Richardia stellaris h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Senecio diaschides h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Senecio madagascariensis Fireweed h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Sonchus oleraceus Milk Thistle h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae * Taraxacum officinale Dandelion h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Vernonia cinerea var. cinerea h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Vittadinia cuneata Fuzzweed h 1 Dicotyledon Asteraceae Vittadinia spp. Fuzzweed h 1 1 Dicotyledon Boraginaceae Cynoglossum australe Forget-me-not h 1

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Group Family exotic Scientific Name Common Name Habit RWood01 RWood02 RWood03 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03 BM16 BM17 Dicotyledon Brassicaceae * Coronopus didymus Lesser Swinecress h 1 Dicotyledon Brassicaceae * Lepidium spp. h 1 Dicotyledon Brunoniaceae Brunonia australis Blue Pincushion h 1 1 Dicotyledon Cactaceae * Opuntia stricta Common Prickly Pear c 1 Dicotyledon Campanulaceae Wahlenbergia gracilis Sprawling Bluebell h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Campanulaceae Wahlenbergia stricta Tall Bluebell h 1 Dicotyledon Caryophyllaceae * Paronychia brasiliana Chilean Whitlow Wort h 1 1 Dicotyledon Casuarinaceae Allocasuarina luehmannii Bulloak t 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Casuarinaceae Casuarina glauca Swamp Oak t 1 Dicotyledon Chenopodiaceae Atriplex semibaccata Creeping Saltbush ss 1 Dicotyledon Chenopodiaceae Chenopodium spp. h 1 Dicotyledon Chenopodiaceae Einadia nutans subsp. linifolia Climbing Saltbush h 1 Dicotyledon Chenopodiaceae Enchylaena tomentosa Ruby Saltbush ss 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Chenopodiaceae Maireana enchylaenoides Wingless Fissure Weed h 1 1 Dicotyledon Chenopodiaceae Maireana microphylla Eastern Cottonbush ss 1 1 Dicotyledon Clusiaceae Hypericum gramineum Small St. John's Wort h 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Convolvulaceae Convolvulus erubescens Australian Bindweed h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Convolvulaceae Dichondra repens Kidney Weed h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Crassulaceae Crassula sieberiana Austral Stonecrop h 1 1 Dicotyledon Euphorbiaceae Chamaesyce drummondii Caustic Weed h 1 1 Dicotyledon Euphorbiaceae Phyllanthus hirtellus Thyme Spurge ss 1 Dicotyledon Euphorbiaceae Phyllanthus virgatus A Spurge ss 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) Daviesia genistifolia Broom Bitter Pea s 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) Desmodium brachypodum Large Tick trefoil ss 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) Desmodium varians Slender Tick-trefoil h 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) Glycine clandestina Climbing Glycine h 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) Glycine tabacina Variable Glycine h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Medicago spp. A Medic h 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Faboideae) * Trifolium spp. A Clover h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Mimosoideae) Acacia amblygona Fan Wattle s 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Mimosoideae) Acacia falcata A Wattle s 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Mimosoideae) Acacia implexa Hickory s 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Mimosoideae) Acacia parvipinnula Silver-stemmed Wattle s 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Mimosoideae) Acacia podalyriifolia Mt Morgan Wattle s 1

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 132 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report

Group Family exotic Scientific Name Common Name Habit RWood01 RWood02 RWood03 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03 BM16 BM17 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Mimosoideae) Acacia salicina Willow Wattle s 1 1 Dicotyledon Fabaceae (Mimosoideae) * Acacia saligna Golden Wreath Wattle s 1 Dicotyledon Geraniaceae Erodium crinitum Blue Storksbill h 1 Dicotyledon Geraniaceae Geranium solanderi Native Geranium h 1 Dicotyledon Goodeniaceae Velleia paradoxa Spur Velleia h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Lamiaceae Ajuga australis Australian Bugle h 1 1 Dicotyledon Lamiaceae Mentha satureioides Native Pennyroyal h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Linaceae * Linum trigynum French Flax h 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Lobeliaceae Pratia purpurascens Whiteroot h 1 1 Dicotyledon Malvaceae * Modiola caroliniana Red-flowered Mallow h 1 Dicotyledon Malvaceae Sida corrugata Corrugated Sida h 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Malvaceae * Sida rhombifolia Paddy's Lucerne ss 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Malvaceae Sida subspicata Spiked Sida ss 1 Dicotyledon Myoporaceae Eremophila debilis Amulla ss 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Myoporaceae Myoporum montanum Western Boobialla s 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Angophora floribunda Rough-barked Apple t 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus crebra Narrow-leaf Ironbark t 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus moluccana Grey Box t 1 1 Dicotyledon Myrtaceae Eucalyptus tereticornis Forest Red Gum t 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Oleaceae Notelaea spp. Native Olive s 1 1 Dicotyledon Oxalidaceae Oxalis exilis h 1 1 Dicotyledon Oxalidaceae Oxalis perennans Yellow Wood-sorrel h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Plantaginaceae Plantago debilis Plantain h 1 Dicotyledon Plantaginaceae * Plantago lanceolata Ribwort h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Plantaginaceae Plantago varia Variable Plantain h 1 Dicotyledon Plantaginaceae Veronica plebeia Trailing Speedwell h 1 1 Dicotyledon Primulaceae * Anagallis arvensis Scarlet Pimpernel h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Rubiaceae Asperula conferta Common Woodruff h 1 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Rubiaceae Opercularia diphylla Stinkweed h 1 Dicotyledon Santalaceae Exocarpos strictus Dwarf Cherry s 1 Dicotyledon Sapindaceae Dodonaea triquetra Large-leaf Hopbush s 1 Dicotyledon Sapindaceae Dodonaea viscosa subsp. cuneata Wedge-leaf Hopbush s 1 1 Dicotyledon Schrophulariaceae Brunoniella australis Blue Trumpet h 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Solanaceae * Lycium ferocissimum African Boxthorn s 1

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 133 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report

Group Family exotic Scientific Name Common Name Habit RWood01 RWood02 RWood03 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03 BM16 BM17 Dicotyledon Solanaceae Solanum cinereum Narrawa Burr h 1 Dicotyledon Solanaceae Solanum ferocissimum Spiny Potato Bush h 1 Dicotyledon Solanaceae * Solanum nigrum Blackberry Nightshade h 1 1 Dicotyledon Solanaceae * Withania somnifera Winter Cherry s 1 1 Dicotyledon Stackhousiaceae Stackhousia viminea Slender Stackhousia h 1 1 Dicotyledon Thymelaeaceae Pimelea curviflora Curved Rice Flower ss 1 Dicotyledon Unidentified Unidentified shrub seedling s 1 Dicotyledon Verbenaceae * Lantana camara Lantana s 1 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Verbenaceae * Verbena bonariensis Purpletop h 1 Dicotyledon Verbenaceae * Verbena litoralis Coastal Verbena h 1 1 1 Dicotyledon Verbenaceae * Verbena rigida Veined Verbena h 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Anthericaceae Caesia parviflora Pale Grass-Lilly h 1 Monocotyledon Anthericaceae Laxmannia compacta h 1 1 Monocotyledon Cyperaceae Carex inversa Knob Sedge r 1 1 Monocotyledon Cyperaceae Cyperus bifax r 1 Monocotyledon Cyperaceae Fimbristylis dichotoma Common Fringe Rush r 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Iridaceae * Romulea rosea Onion Grass h 1 1 Monocotyledon Juncaceae * Juncus acutus Spiny Rush r 1 1 Monocotyledon Juncaceae Juncus spp. A Rush r 1 Monocotyledon Juncaginaceae Triglochin dubia Small Water Ribbons a 1 Monocotyledon Juncaginaceae Triglochin procerum Water Ribbons a 1 Monocotyledon Lomandraceae Lomandra filiformis Wattle Mat-rush h 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Lomandraceae Lomandra multiflora Many-flowered Mat-rush h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Phormiaceae Dianella caerulea h 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Phormiaceae Dianella revoluta Native Flax Lily h 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Aristida ramosa Threeawn Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Aristida vagans Wire Grass g 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Austrodanthonia bipartita Wallaby Grass g 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Austrodanthonia eriantha Hill Wallaby Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Austrodanthonia racemosa Wallaby Grass g 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Austrostipa scabra subsp. falcata Speargrass g 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Austrostipa verticillata Slender Bamboo Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Axonopus fissifolius Narrow-leaf Carpet Grass g 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Bothriochloa decipiens Redgrass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 134 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report

Group Family exotic Scientific Name Common Name Habit RWood01 RWood02 RWood03 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03 BM16 BM17 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Chloris gayana Rhodes Grass g 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Chloris truncata Windmill Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Chloris ventricosa Tall Windmill Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Cymbopogon refractus Barbed-wire Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Cynodon dactylon Couch g 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Dichelachne micrantha Shorthair Plumegrass g 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Digitaria spp. g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Ehrharta erecta Panic Veldtgrass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Enteropogon acicularis Curly Windmill Grass g 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Entolasia marginata Bordered Panic g 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Eragrostis brownii Brown's Lovegrass g 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Eragrostis lacunaria Purple Lovegrass g 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Eragrostis leptostachya Paddock Lovegrass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Eriochloa pseudoacrotricha Early Spring Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Hyparrhenia hirta Coolatai Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Microlaena stipoides Weeping Rice-grass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Panicum maximum Guinea Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Panicum queenslandicum Coolibah Grass g 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Panicum simile g 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Paspalidium constrictum Knottybutt Grass g 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Paspalum dilatatum Paspalum g 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Phragmites australis Common Reed r 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae * Setaria gracilis Slender Pigeon Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Sporobolus creber Western Rat's-tail Grass g 1 1 1 1 1 Monocotyledon Poaceae Themeda triandra Kangaroo Grass g 1 1 Pteridophyta Adiantaceae Cheilanthes distans Bristly Cloak fern f 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pteridophyta Adiantaceae Cheilanthes sieberi subsp. sieberi Rock Fern f 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 135 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report Appendix 3. 2013 Comprehensive Soil Analyses – Woodland Rehabilitation Sites ROUTINE AGRICULTURAL SOIL ANALYSIS REPORT 33 soil samples supplied by DnA Environmental on 26/06/2013- Lab Job No. C7147 Sandy Heavy Medium Light Soil Soil Soil e.g Soil Bel4 Bel5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 e.g Site e.g Clay e.g Loamy Clay Loam Loam Sand Indicative guidelines only- refer Method Nutrient Units C7147/13 C7147/14 C7147/8 C7147/2 C7147/6 C7147/9 C7147/10 C7147/30 C7147/1 Note 6 Calcium Ca 250 268 1404 588 1081 558 608 794 1146 1150 750 375 175 Magnesium Mg 180 272 517 354 525 492 413 621 418 160 105 60 25 Morgan 1 mg/kg Potassium K 130 167 129 118 108 149 136 154 203 113 75 60 50 Phosphorus P 2.1 2.3 4.7 1.8 1.1 2.0 1.6 3.8 3.0 15 12 10 5.0 45note 24note 20note Bray1 2.4 5.0 15.9 4.6 3.7 3.2 1.5 5.7 6.2 30note 8 8 8 8 Colwell Phosphorus P mg/kg 17 14 26 13 17 13 4 23 13 80 50 45 35 90note 48note 40note Bray2 4 9 41 9 12 6 2 21 8 60note 8 8 8 8 Nitrate Nitrogen 1.2 1.2 0.8 2.5 2.5 1.8 1.3 1.1 3.9 15 13 10 10 N KCl Ammonium Nitrogen mg/kg 3.5 4.2 3.2 3.6 2.7 3.2 2.9 4.9 4.0 20 18 15 12 Sulfur S 5.6 8.2 221.5 7.0 38.9 18.6 4.3 6.1 9.2 10.0 8.0 8.0 7.0 pH units 5.85 5.81 8.08 7.92 9.01 7.64 7.25 6.83 6.84 6.5 6.5 6.3 6.3 1:5 Water Conductivity dS/m 0.035 0.046 0.375 0.083 0.179 0.134 0.052 0.106 0.067 0.200 0.150 0.120 0.100 Calculation Organic Matter % OM 5.3 7.0 3.8 2.8 3.6 3.8 5.3 7.3 6.0 >5.5 >4.5 >3.5 >2.5 cmol+/Kg 2.56 2.63 9.21 4.78 6.20 4.77 5.53 7.82 12.09 Ammonium Calcium Ca kg/ha 1147 1180 4133 2146 2782 2143 2482 3510 5428 Acetate + Calculations mg/kg 512 527 1845 958 1242 957 1108 1567 2423 3125 2150 1000 375 Magnesium Mg cmol+/Kg 2.28 3.49 5.72 4.39 5.49 6.33 5.58 9.19 6.10

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 136 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report Heavy Medium Light Sandy Bel4 Bel5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Soil Soil e.g Soil Soil

kg/ha 620 951 1558 1194 1496 1724 1520 2503 1661

mg/kg 277 425 696 533 668 769 679 1117 741 290 200 145 75 cmol+/Kg 0.60 0.81 0.58 0.60 0.48 0.76 0.65 0.71 1.50 Potassium K kg/ha 527 711 509 522 418 667 566 621 1318 mg/kg 235 317 227 233 187 298 253 277 588 235 190 150 100 cmol+/Kg 0.33 0.32 0.96 0.59 1.49 0.89 0.15 0.58 0.35 Sodium Na kg/ha 172 163 493 306 770 461 79 297 180 mg/kg 77 73 220 137 344 206 35 132 80 69 60 51 25 cmol+/Kg 0.08 0.08 0.04 0.02 0.04 0.03 0.03 0.07 0.01 KCl Aluminium Al kg/ha 16 16 9 4 8 7 6 13 1 mg/kg 7 7 4 2 4 3 3 6 1 54 45 41 14 cmol+/Kg 0.59 0.61 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Acidity Hydrogen H+ kg/ha 13 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Titration mg/kg 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 5 5 2 Effective Cation Exchange Calculation cmol+/Kg 6.44 7.94 16.51 10.38 13.71 12.79 11.94 18.37 20.05 20 14 7 4 Capacity (ECEC) Calcium Ca 39.7 33.1 55.8 46.1 45.2 37.3 46.3 42.6 60.3 77 76 69 60 Magnesium Mg 35.4 44.0 34.7 42.3 40.1 49.5 46.8 50.1 30.4 12 12 16 20 Base Potassium K 9.3 10.2 3.5 5.7 3.5 6.0 5.4 3.9 7.5 3 4 5 8 Saturation % Calculations Sodium - ESP Na 5.2 4.0 5.8 5.7 10.9 7.0 1.3 3.1 1.7 2 2 3 3 Aluminium Al 1.2 1.0 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.0 7 7 7 9 Hydrogen H+ 9.2 7.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Calculation Calcium/ Magnesium Ratio ratio 1.1 0.8 1.6 1.1 1.1 0.8 1.0 0.9 2.0 6.4 6.3 4.3 3.0 Zinc Zn 3.0 3.3 2.4 1.0 1.6 2.4 3.8 4.2 2.6 6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 DTPA mg/kg Manganese Mn 20 17 3 5 2 9 5 15 20 25 22 18 15

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 137 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report Heavy Medium Light Sandy Bel4 Bel5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Soil Soil e.g Soil Soil

Iron Fe 211 345 27 31 17 37 46 166 64 25 22 18 15

Copper Cu 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.5 0.7 1.5 1.4 2.4 2.0 1.6 1.2 Boron B 0.17 0.37 0.49 0.28 0.23 0.27 0.19 0.28 0.81 2.0 1.7 1.4 1.0 CaCl2 mg/kg Silicon Si 35 51 7 30 6 39 27 36 71 50 45 40 35

LECO IR Total Carbon C % 3.01 3.99 2.18 1.60 2.04 2.16 3.03 4.15 3.44 >3.1 >2.6 >2.0 >1.4 Analyser Total Nitrogen N % 0.18 0.24 0.10 0.07 0.06 0.11 0.13 0.77 0.23 >0.30 >0.25 >0.20 >0.15 10- Calculation Carbon/ Nitrogen Ratio ratio 16.4 16.3 22.5 22.0 32.8 20.2 23.9 5.4 15.2 10-12 10-12 10-12 12

Basic Texture Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Clay Loam Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Clay Loam ......

Basic Colour Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish ...... Calculation Chloride Estimate equiv. ppm 22 30 240 53 115 86 33 68 43 ...... Calcium Ca 763 785 3,561 1,399 3,671 1,530 1,548 2,388 3,079 1,000 - 10,000 Ca Magnesium Mg 456 756 2,091 1,186 2,670 1,526 1,636 1,933 2,906 500 - 5,000 Mg Total Acid Potassium K mg/kg 884 1,198 1,092 1,170 1,094 1,232 1,212 1,523 3,461 200 - 2,000 K Extractable Sodium Na 119 113 637 270 832 277 105 187 151 100 - 500 Na Sulfur S 185 257 384 137 180 155 258 213 272 100 - 1,000 S Total Acid Phosphorus P mg/kg 157 235 129 115 83 125 75 273 273 400 - 1,500 P Extractable Zinc Zn 18 34 39 24 47 38 39 65 58 20 - 50 Zn Manganese Mn 171 254 174 112 230 258 131 303 543 200 - 2,000 Mn Iron Fe 13,455 53,551 19,053 21,117 23,243 43,670 22,411 19,090 30,925 1,000 - 50,000 Fe Total Acid Copper Cu mg/kg 3.4 6.9 7.5 4.9 9.6 6.3 6.5 15.0 17.8 20 - 50 Cu Extractable Boron B <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 3 2 - 50 B Silicon Si 619 990 543 766 596 699 687 918 781 1,000 - 3,000 Si Aluminium Al 4,397 7,275 6,311 6,235 5,280 6,734 5,221 4,063 17,557 2,000 - 50,000 Al Total Acid Molybdenum Mo mg/kg 0.6 0.9 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.9 0.7 0.7 1.1 0.5 - 3 Mo

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 138 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report Heavy Medium Light Sandy Bel4 Bel5 NB5 SB1 SB6 SE1 SE3 BM11 DAM01 Soil Soil e.g Soil Soil Extractable Cobalt Co 3 7 6 4 6 5 6 10 14 5 - 50 Co

Selenium Se <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 0.6 <0.5 <0.5 1.2 0.1 - 2.0 Se Cadmium Cd <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 < 5 Cd Lead Pb 10 15 13 11 13 18 13 14 19 < 75 Pb Arsenic As 4 9 6 5 6 8 6 6 13 < 25 As Total Acid Chromium Cr mg/kg 6 16 6 8 6 9 7 6 22 <25 Cr Extractable Nickel Ni 2 5 7 5 8 5 5 13 21 <150 Ni Mercury Hg <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 < 3.75 Hg Silver Ag <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 .. Ag

EAL Soil Testing Notes Calculations

1. All results as dry weight - 40oC oven dried soil crushed to <2mm 1. For conductivity 1 dS/m = 1 mS/cm = 1000 µS/cm 2. Methods from Rayment and Lyons, 2011. Soil Chemical Methods 2. 1 cmol+/Kg = 1 meq/100g; 1 Lb/Acre = 2 ppm (parts per million); kg/ha = 2.24 x ppm; mg/kg = ppm 3. Conversions for 1 cmol+/Kg = 230 Kg/Hectare Sodium, 780 Kg/Ha Potassium, 240 Kg/Ha Magnesium, 400 Kg/Ha 3. Soluble Salts included in Exchangeable Cations - NO PRE-WASH Calcium 4. 'Morgan 1 Extract' adapted from 'Science in Agriculture', 'Non-Toxic Farming' and Lamonte Soil Handbook. 4. Organic Matter = %C x 1.75 5. Guidelines for phosphorus have been reduced for Australian soils 5. Chloride Estimate = EC x 640 (most likely over-estimate) 6. Indicative guidelines are based on 'Albrecht' and 'Reams' concepts 6. ECEC = sum of the exchangeable cations cmol+/Kg 7. Total Acid Extractable Nutrients indicate a store of nutrients 7. Base saturation calculations = (cation cmol+/Kg) /ECEC x 100 8. Contaminant Guides based on 'Residential with gardens and accessible soil including childrens daycare centres, 8. Ca/Mg ratio from the exchangeable cmol+/Kg results preschools, primary schools, town houses or villas' (NSW EPA 1998). 9. Information relating to testing colour codes is available on Sheet 2 - "Understanding you soil results"

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 139 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report Understanding your EAL soil results

Soil Acidity - Is the water pH >6.5 or CaCl2 pH >5.5 – hence no major problem. >7pH indicates alkaline soil. Soil with pH below 4.5 often has high kg/ha

exchangeable hydrogen and aluminium (and likely high % exchangeable H and Al).

Cation Exchange Capacity - Using the ECEC or CEC is the soil heavy, medium, light or sandy? In particular, compare the exchangeable Calcium and

Potassium in kg/ha to suggested guidelines.

Soil Salinity - Is the electrical conductivity (EC) above texture guidelines (ie. > 0.2dS/m heavy soil) – hence indicates possible salinity issue. If the

Exchangeable Sodium Percentage or % Exchangeable Sodium > 5% then possible salt issue. With high EC the chloride is also likely to be elevated.

Ca/Mg Ratio - Above 5 indicates good soil structure. Ratio 1 – 5 suggests addition of calcium to assist soil structure. Ratio <1 (ie. far higher magnesium)

often indicates high clay soil and possibly a sub-soil. Compaction and poor water infiltration is a likely indication of the cation imbalance.

Organic Matter - Refer to guidelines - >5.5% indicates good organic carbon and organic matter in the soil. Total Carbon to Total Nitrogen ratio should be

around 12:1 – If higher then suggests depletion of organic nitrogen.

Phosphorus - Are the levels of Bray I (plant available)/Bray II (exchangeable P) below or above the guidelines. At, above or near guidelines suggests no

need for P addition.

Solubles - Nitrate, ammonium and sulfur – compare to guidelines for soil type. Leachable nutrients hence may be further down soil profile.

Micronutrients - Plant available Iron, Manganese, Copper and Zinc – compare to guidelines to assess if relatively low or high. Iron and manganese availability

is significantly influenced by soil pH (acid soils often have very high soluble iron). Leaf testing is ideal for confirming potential issues with micronutrients.

Boron - A micronutrient extracted as plant available – compare to guidelines but be aware boron is very leachable and could be elevated down the soil profile.

Acid Extractable Nutrients - If total available nutrients were analysed then use numbers as a guide to compare to assess store of nutrients.

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 140 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report Appendix 4. 2013 Comprehensive Soil Analyses – Pasture Rehabilitation Sites ROUTINE AGRICULTURAL SOIL ANALYSIS REPORT 33 soil samples supplied by DnA Environmental on 26/06/2013- Lab Job No. C7147

Heavy Medium Light Sandy Soil Soil e.g Soil Soil e.g Bel2 Bel3 NB4 SB2 SB4 SB5 Site e.g Clay e.g Loamy Clay Loam Loam Sand Indicative guidelines only- refer Method Nutrient Units C7147/11 C7147/12 C7147/7 C7147/3 C7147/4 C7147/5 Note 6 Calcium Ca 1123 662 1066 810 1716 2388 1150 750 375 175 Magnesium Mg 376 312 520 434 421 252 160 105 60 25 Morgan 1 mg/kg Potassium K 272 195 107 161 223 192 113 75 60 50 Phosphorus P 3.9 3.5 1.3 4.7 2.5 2.0 15 12 10 5.0 45note 24note Bray1 1.1 5.3 2.7 14.5 9.7 12.8 30note 8 20note 8 8 8 Colwell Phosphorus P mg/kg 31 18 7 33 15 17 80 50 45 35 90note 48note Bray2 3 12 6 37 20 36 60note 8 40note 8 8 8 Nitrate Nitrogen 4.6 2.7 1.4 2.1 2.5 1.2 15 13 10 10 N KCl Ammonium Nitrogen mg/kg 12.1 5.8 2.8 5.2 1.7 2.2 20 18 15 12 Sulfur S 19.1 20.4 11.4 6.7 69.2 68.6 10.0 8.0 8.0 7.0 pH units 6.65 6.62 7.83 7.80 8.78 8.93 6.5 6.5 6.3 6.3 1:5 Water Conductivity dS/m 0.135 0.085 0.083 0.081 0.193 0.191 0.200 0.150 0.120 0.100 Calculation Organic Matter % OM 9.0 4.2 3.1 4.1 3.2 7.5 >5.5 >4.5 >3.5 >2.5 cmol+/Kg 10.71 6.27 4.95 7.39 10.21 13.04

Ammonium Acetate + Calcium Ca kg/ha 4810 2816 2220 3316 4581 5856 Calculations mg/kg 2147 1257 991 1480 2045 2614 3125 2150 1000 375 Magnesium Mg cmol+/Kg 4.84 4.23 3.36 5.76 4.87 2.88

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kg/ha 1316 1153 914 1567 1325 785 mg/kg 588 515 408 700 591 350 290 200 145 75 cmol+/Kg 1.21 0.94 0.58 0.88 0.89 0.75 Potassium K kg/ha 1059 827 512 772 777 655 mg/kg 473 369 228 344 347 292 235 190 150 100 cmol+/Kg 0.47 0.25 0.70 0.72 0.89 1.22 Sodium Na kg/ha 243 130 359 372 458 627 mg/kg 109 58 160 166 205 280 69 60 51 25 cmol+/Kg 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.01 0.02 0.01 KCl Aluminium Al kg/ha 4 6 7 3 4 3 mg/kg 2 3 3 1 2 1 54 45 41 14 cmol+/Kg 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Acidity Titration Hydrogen H+ kg/ha 0 0 0 0 0 0 mg/kg 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 5 5 2 Calculation Effective Cation Exchange Capacity (ECEC) cmol+/Kg 17.25 11.73 9.62 14.76 16.87 17.91 20 14 7 4 Calcium Ca 62.1 53.5 51.4 50.0 60.5 72.9 77 76 69 60 Magnesium Mg 28.0 36.1 34.9 39.0 28.9 16.1 12 12 16 20

Base Saturation Potassium K 7.0 8.0 6.1 6.0 5.3 4.2 3 4 5 8 % Calculations Sodium - ESP Na 2.7 2.1 7.2 4.9 5.3 6.8 2 2 3 3 Aluminium Al 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.1 7 7 7 9 Hydrogen H+ 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Calculation Calcium/ Magnesium Ratio ratio 2.2 1.5 1.5 1.3 2.1 4.5 6.4 6.3 4.3 3.0 Zinc Zn 13.7 4.1 1.4 2.1 2.3 7.1 6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 DTPA mg/kg Manganese Mn 65 11 3 9 3 2 25 22 18 15

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Iron Fe 472 120 40 49 24 18 25 22 18 15 Copper Cu 2.1 0.7 0.3 0.5 0.7 2.0 2.4 2.0 1.6 1.2 Boron B 0.47 0.27 0.18 0.36 0.19 0.19 2.0 1.7 1.4 1.0 CaCl2 mg/kg Silicon Si 63 47 16 51 19 4 50 45 40 35 Total Carbon C % 5.12 2.41 1.74 2.31 1.82 4.28 >3.1 >2.6 >2.0 >1.4 LECO IR Analyser Total Nitrogen N % 0.38 0.18 0.08 0.12 0.07 0.13 >0.30 >0.25 >0.20 >0.15 Calculation Carbon/ Nitrogen Ratio ratio 13.4 13.3 20.8 20.0 26.6 32.1 10-12 10-12 10-12 10-12

Basic Texture Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Clay Loam Clay Loam Sandy Soil ......

Basic Colour Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish Grey ...... Calculation Chloride Estimate equiv. ppm 86 54 53 52 123 122 ...... Calcium Ca 2,919 1,545 1,822 2,054 5,761 7,008 1,000 - 10,000 Ca Magnesium Mg 1,058 764 1,248 1,445 2,352 3,157 500 - 5,000 Mg Total Acid Extractable Potassium K mg/kg 1,698 1,414 1,012 1,403 1,290 1,650 200 - 2,000 K Sodium Na 156 106 432 232 411 1,637 100 - 500 Na Sulfur S 429 218 132 175 183 250 100 - 1,000 S Total Acid Extractable Phosphorus P mg/kg 259 176 99 224 128 112 400 - 1,500 P Zinc Zn 67 31 25 31 40 79 20 - 50 Zn Manganese Mn 964 157 126 238 215 212 200 - 2,000 Mn Iron Fe 21,108 14,535 27,320 27,333 17,443 14,270 1,000 - 50,000 Fe Total Acid Extractable Copper Cu mg/kg 9.9 5.2 4.9 6.5 7.4 15.3 20 - 50 Cu Boron B 2 <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 2 - 50 B Silicon Si 664 706 662 884 543 552 1,000 - 3,000 Si Aluminium Al 6,369 5,831 5,079 8,527 4,629 5,275 2,000 - 50,000 Al Total Acid Extractable Molybdenum Mo mg/kg <0.2 0.6 0.6 0.9 0.4 0.4 0.5 - 3 Mo

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Cobalt Co 21 5 4 6 5 6 5 - 50 Co Selenium Se <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 0.5 <0.5 <0.5 0.1 - 2.0 Se Cadmium Cd <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 < 5 Cd Lead Pb 12 13 11 13 10 24 < 75 Pb Arsenic As 2 5 8 6 4 6 < 25 As Total Acid Extractable Chromium Cr mg/kg 5 4 6 9 5 7 <25 Cr Nickel Ni 10 4 5 7 6 9 <150 Ni Mercury Hg <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 < 3.75 Hg Silver Ag <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 .. Ag

Prepared by DnA Environmental August 2013 144 2013 Bulga Coal Complex Rehabilitation Monitoring Report Appendix 5. 2013 Comprehensive Soil Analyses – Riparian Rehabilitation Site and Reference Sites ROUTINE AGRICULTURAL SOIL ANALYSIS REPORT 33 soil samples supplied by DnA Environmental on 26/06/2013- Lab Job No. C7147 Sandy Heavy Medium Light Soil Soil Soil e.g Soil Bel6 BM16 BM17 RWood01 RWood02 RWood03 RPast01 RPast02 RPast03 e.g e.g Clay e.g Loamy Site Clay Loam Loam Sand Indicative guidelines only- refer Method Nutrient Units C7147/15 C7147/32 C7147/33 C7147/16 C7147/17 C7147/18 C7147/19 C7147/20 C7147/21 Note 6 Calcium Ca 1373 458 447 388 352 679 634 662 333 1150 750 375 175 Magnesium Mg 498 275 189 251 134 93 282 344 92 160 105 60 25 Morgan 1 mg/kg Potassium K 95 104 116 144 135 134 193 164 138 113 75 60 50 Phosphorus P 1.9 1.8 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.8 3.7 3.3 3.8 15 12 10 5.0 45note 24note 20note Bray1 8.4 1.3 2.0 2.6 3.5 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.3 30note 8 8 8 8 Colwell Phosphorus P mg/kg 23 4 6 18 26 9 12 13 10 80 50 45 35 90note 48note 40note Bray2 13 2 3 4 5 4 3 3 4 60note 8 8 8 8 Nitrate Nitrogen 1.6 1.0 2.7 1.2 1.4 1.5 2.3 3.5 1.2 15 13 10 10 N KCl Ammonium Nitrogen mg/kg 6.0 3.3 6.2 5.7 4.2 4.6 10.8 6.0 5.8 20 18 15 12 Sulfur S 16.7 7.2 24.0 10.1 6.7 4.6 8.8 10.3 7.7 10.0 8.0 8.0 7.0 pH units 8.77 6.58 6.10 5.71 5.71 6.16 6.27 6.07 6.00 6.5 6.5 6.3 6.3 1:5 Water Conductivity dS/m 0.522 0.036 0.156 0.055 0.041 0.044 0.062 0.065 0.052 0.200 0.150 0.120 0.100 Calculation Organic Matter % OM 0.9 3.1 4.0 6.0 6.3 5.8 7.7 8.4 5.2 >5.5 >4.5 >3.5 >2.5 cmol+/Kg 7.48 4.23 3.98 3.83 3.37 6.17 6.27 6.96 2.78 Calcium Ca kg/ha 3356 1900 1785 1721 1515 2771 2816 3123 1248 Ammonium Acetate + mg/kg 1498 848 797 768 676 1237 1257 1394 557 3125 2150 1000 375 Calculations cmol+/Kg 5.15 3.76 2.29 3.36 1.67 1.11 3.71 4.80 1.04 Magnesium Mg kg/ha 1401 1024 622 916 456 302 1010 1306 283

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mg/kg 625 457 278 409 204 135 451 583 126 290 200 145 75

cmol+/Kg 0.50 0.45 0.48 0.71 0.61 0.54 0.96 0.97 0.50 Potassium K kg/ha 434 396 420 626 530 476 844 845 439 mg/kg 194 177 187 280 237 213 377 377 196 235 190 150 100 cmol+/Kg 3.02 0.22 0.77 0.32 0.22 0.10 0.20 0.42 0.12 Sodium Na kg/ha 1554 114 397 163 115 51 103 216 59 mg/kg 694 51 177 73 51 23 46 96 27 69 60 51 25 cmol+/Kg 0.03 0.04 0.03 0.06 0.09 0.03 0.02 0.03 0.03 KCl Aluminium Al kg/ha 5 8 6 13 17 7 4 5 5 mg/kg 2 3 3 6 8 3 2 2 2 54 45 41 14 cmol+/Kg 0.00 0.00 0.22 0.61 0.58 0.13 0.29 0.25 0.31 Acidity Titration Hydrogen H+ kg/ha 0 0 5 14 13 3 7 6 7 mg/kg 0 0 2 6 6 1 3 3 3 6 5 5 2 Effective Cation Exchange Calculation cmol+/Kg 16.16 8.71 7.76 8.90 6.55 8.09 11.46 13.42 4.78 20 14 7 4 Capacity (ECEC) Calcium Ca 46.3 48.6 51.2 43.1 51.5 76.3 54.7 51.8 58.2 77 76 69 60 Magnesium Mg 31.8 43.2 29.4 37.8 25.6 13.7 32.4 35.8 21.8 12 12 16 20 Base Potassium K 3.1 5.2 6.2 8.0 9.2 6.7 8.4 7.2 10.5 3 4 5 8 Saturation % Calculations Sodium - ESP Na 18.7 2.5 9.9 3.6 3.4 1.2 1.7 3.1 2.4 2 2 3 3 Aluminium Al 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.7 1.3 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.6 7 7 7 9 Hydrogen H+ 0.0 0.0 2.9 6.8 8.9 1.5 2.5 1.9 6.6 Calculation Calcium/ Magnesium Ratio ratio 1.5 1.1 1.7 1.1 2.0 5.6 1.7 1.5 2.7 6.4 6.3 4.3 3.0 Zinc Zn 0.5 1.8 2.6 4.9 4.7 4.0 10.7 8.9 6.1 6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 DTPA Manganese Mn mg/kg 7 19 27 18 20 16 33 38 16 25 22 18 15 Iron Fe 19 47 122 225 237 127 167 241 303 25 22 18 15

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Copper Cu 0.5 0.5 1.1 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.7 1.1 0.7 2.4 2.0 1.6 1.2

Boron B 0.20 0.38 0.45 0.44 0.46 0.45 0.39 0.44 0.34 2.0 1.7 1.4 1.0 CaCl2 mg/kg Silicon Si 24 51 48 68 39 44 56 61 31 50 45 40 35

LECO IR Total Carbon C % 0.49 1.75 2.31 3.41 3.63 3.33 4.38 4.83 2.97 >3.1 >2.6 >2.0 >1.4 Analyser Total Nitrogen N % 0.06 0.39 0.40 0.20 0.19 0.18 0.28 0.31 0.18 >0.30 >0.25 >0.20 >0.15 10- Calculation Carbon/ Nitrogen Ratio ratio 8.1 4.4 5.8 17.4 19.0 18.2 15.4 15.6 16.1 10-12 10-12 10-12 12

Basic Texture Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Sandy Soil Sandy Soil ......

Basic Colour Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish Brownish ...... Calculation Chloride Estimate equiv. ppm 334 23 100 35 26 28 39 42 33 ...... Calcium Ca 2,678 968 967 970 1,006 1,671 1,637 1,900 691 1,000 - 10,000 Ca Magnesium Mg 1,787 752 565 922 403 300 801 1,065 209 500 - 5,000 Mg Total Acid Potassium K mg/kg 916 982 1,001 1,617 1,219 1,037 1,638 1,596 578 200 - 2,000 K Extractable Sodium Na 777 87 217 101 74 <50 74 138 <50 100 - 500 Na Sulfur S 63 128 193 202 176 186 294 321 186 100 - 1,000 S Total Acid Phosphorus P mg/kg 95 95 118 153 163 138 238 270 120 400 - 1,500 P Extractable Zinc Zn 19 52 23 40 30 29 59 46 17 20 - 50 Zn Manganese Mn 297 394 281 196 204 170 461 419 135 200 - 2,000 Mn Iron Fe 18,828 41,858 9,428 15,489 9,081 10,197 14,928 18,352 4,471 1,000 - 50,000 Fe Total Acid Copper Cu mg/kg 6.6 8.7 6.0 7.4 4.6 4.6 8.7 9.3 3.2 20 - 50 Cu Extractable Boron B <2 <2 <2 2 <2 <2 2 <2 <2 2 - 50 B Silicon Si 739 596 627 714 779 720 874 772 597 1,000 - 3,000 Si Aluminium Al 7,114 3,770 3,509 6,777 4,672 3,733 7,519 9,392 1,997 2,000 - 50,000 Al

Total Acid Molybdenum Mo 0.4 0.9 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.8 1.0 0.4 0.5 - 3 Mo mg/kg Extractable Cobalt Co 7 9 4 4 2 3 6 6 2 5 - 50 Co

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Selenium Se <0.5 0.6 <0.5 0.6 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 0.7 <0.5 0.1 - 2.0 Se

Cadmium Cd <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 < 5 Cd Lead Pb 9 16 8 11 10 9 12 15 5 < 75 Pb Arsenic As 4 9 3 4 3 3 4 5 <2 < 25 As Total Acid Chromium Cr mg/kg 8 7 6 12 7 6 10 14 4 <25 Cr Extractable Nickel Ni 6 8 5 8 5 4 7 9 2 <150 Ni Mercury Hg <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 < 3.75 Hg Silver Ag <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 .. Ag

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