26 NOVEMBER 2009

SINOSTEEL MIDWEST CORPORATION PTY LTD WELD RANGE VERTEBRATE FAUNA ASSESSMENT

Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd

WELD RANGE VERTEBRATE FAUNA ASSESSMENT

26 November 2009

Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

Document Status Approved for Issue Rev. Author Reviewer/s Date Distributed Name Date To T Souster 2 D Cancilla 26.11.09 S. Ford W. Ennor 26.11.09 E Fox

©ecologia Environment (2009). Reproduction of this report in whole or in part by electronic, mechanical or chemical means including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, in any language, is strictly prohibited without the express approval of Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd and/or ecologia Environment.

Restrictions on Use This report has been prepared specifically for Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd. Neither the report nor its contents may be referred to or quoted in any statement, study, report, application, prospectus, loan, or other agreement document, without the express approval of Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd and/or ecologia Environment.

ecologia Environment 1025 Wellington Street WEST PERTH WA 6005 Phone: 08 9322 1944 Fax: 08 9322 1599 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ecologia.com.au

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

Table of Contents

1.0 INTRODUCTION ...... 1 1.1 PROJECT OVERVIEW ...... 1 1.2 LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK...... 3 1.3 SURVEY OBJECTIVES ...... 4 2.0 BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ...... 5 2.1 CLIMATE ...... 5 2.2 LAND SYSTEMS ...... 6 2.3 BIOGEOGRAPHY ...... 11 2.4 VEGETATION...... 12 3.0 SURVEY METHODS...... 13 3.1 DETERMINATION OF SURVEY SAMPLING DESIGN AND INTENSITY...... 13 3.2 STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION...... 15 3.2.1 Survey Scoping ...... 15 3.3 DATABASE SEARCHES AND LITERATURE REVIEW...... 15 3.4 SURVEY TIMING...... 16 3.5 SITE SELECTION...... 16 3.6 SAMPLING METHODS...... 25 3.6.1 Systematic Sampling...... 25 3.6.2 Opportunistic Sampling...... 26 3.7 TARGETED SURVEYS FOR SPECIES OF CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANCE ...... 29 3.8 ANIMAL ETHICS ...... 29 3.9 TAXONOMY AND NOMENCLATURE ...... 29 3.10 DATA ANALYSIS ...... 29 3.10.1 Species Richness...... 29 3.10.2 Randomised Species Accumulation Curves...... 30 3.11 SURVEY TEAM...... 30 3.12 LICENSES...... 31 4.0 RESULTS ...... 33 4.1 FAUNA HABITATS ...... 33 4.2 FAUNA ASSEMBLAGES...... 34 4.2.1 Mammals...... 34 4.2.2 Birds...... 35 4.2.3 Reptiles...... 36 4.2.4 Amphibians...... 36 4.3 COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS SURVEYS ...... 36 4.3.1 Wilgie Mia, Weld Range ...... 37 4.4 SURVEY ADEQUACY...... 38

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment 4.5 SURVEY LIMITATIONS...... 41 5.0 CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANT FAUNA ...... 43 5.1 STATUTORY FRAMEWORK...... 43 5.2 RESULTS OF THREATENED FAUNA DATABASE SEARCHES...... 43 5.3 CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANT FAUNA RECORDED AND LIKELY TO OCCUR...... 47 5.3.1 Mammals...... 47 5.3.2 Birds...... 47 5.3.3 Reptiles...... 49 6.0 IMPACT ASSESSMENT...... 53 6.1 IMPACTS ON FAUNA HABITATS AND ASSEMBLAGES...... 53 6.2 OTHER IMPACTS ...... 54 7.0 REFERENCES ...... 55

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment Tables Table S.1.1 Summary of Survey Effort during Two Dual Phase Level 2 Surveys and One Single Phase Level 1 Survey ...... vii Table S.1.2 Conformance of Project to Relevant EPA Position Statement No. 3...... ix Table 2.1 Summary of Land Systems present in the Weld Range Area (from Curry et al. 1994) ... 9 Table 2.2 Floristic Communities Identified at Weld Range ...... 12 Table 3.1 Factors Likely to Influence Survey Design (from EPA 2004) ...... 13 Table 3.2 Details of Stakeholder Consultation ...... 15 Table 3.3 Summary of Survey Timing and Location ...... 16 Table 3.4 Descriptions of Fauna Habitats Occurring at Each Survey Site...... 19 Table 3.5 Survey Effort: Systematic Survey Sites ...... 27 Table 3.6 Survey Effort: Opportunistic Survey Sites...... 28 Table 3.7 Field Guides and References Used ...... 30 Table 4.1 Species Potentially Occurring and Recorded During Survey ...... 34 Table 4.2 Comparison of Species Richness at Jack Hills and Weld Range...... 37 Table 4.3 Percentage of Fauna Recorded at Weld Range ...... 40 Table 4.4 Summary of Survey Limitations...... 41 Table 5.1 Conservation Significant Fauna Occurring or Likely to Occur...... 45

Figures Figure 1.1 Location of the Weld Range Project Area...... 2 Figure 2.1 Summary of Climatic Data for Meekatharra Airport (Bureau of Meteorology 2008) ..... 5 Figure 2.2 Land Systems of the Weld Range Project Area ...... 7 Figure 2.3 Biogeographic Location of the Project Area...... 11 Figure 3.1 Location of Trapping and Opportunistic Survey Sites Associated with Level 2 Fauna Survey ...... 17 Figure 3.2 Location of Survey Sites and Transects Associated with Level 1 Fauna Survey ...... 18 Figure 3.3 Trap Layout at Each Site ...... 26 Figure 4.1 Species Accumulation Curve for Mammals ...... 39 Figure 4.2 Species Accumulation Curve for Birds...... 39 Figure 4.3 Species Accumulation Curve for Reptiles ...... 40 Figure 5.1 Locations of All Currently Known Lerista eupoda Records...... 50 Figure 5.2 Location of Conservation Significant Species Recorded During Surveys...... 51

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment Appendices Appendix A Climatic Data...... 59 Appendix B Stakeholder Correspondence ...... 65 Appendix C Site Information...... 73 Appendix D Targeted Ghost Bat Survey Report Molhar Pty Ltd ...... 81 Appendix E Voucher Specimens Lodged with the WA Museum ...... 115 Appendix F Fauna Potentially Occurring and Fauna Recorded ...... 117 Appendix G Site By Species Matrices ...... 133 Appendix H Explanation of Conservation Codes...... 141 Appendix I DEWHA and DEC Threatened and Priority Fauna Database Search Results ...... 145 Appendix J Conservation Significant Species Unlikely to Occur or Be Impacted By The Project... 154

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd (SMC) proposes to undertake a direct shipping iron ore project at Weld Range (the Project), situated 90 km south‐west of Meekatharra and 60 km north‐west of Cue. The target reserve is a minimum of 124 million tonnes from two deposits (Beebyn and Madoonga), with a planned shipment rate of 15 million tonnes minimum per year over 9 years. The Project will utilise new rail infrastructure to transport ore to the new Oakajee Port just north of Geraldton. SMC is an incorporated entity, set up to conduct mineral exploration, engineering, environmental and economic studies into the feasibility of mining at Weld Range. SMC commissioned ecologia Environment (ecologia) to undertake a Level 2 vertebrate fauna survey to provide a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative description of the nature and conservation significance of fauna and fauna habitats within its tenements at Weld Range. Following advances in pre‐feasibility and feasibility studies, SMC proposed new areas within its tenements at Weld Range required for the provision of base materials, as well as areas on which to build infrastructure including a waste dump, haul road, accommodation village and airstrip. The proposed operations at Weld Range are expected to have a disturbance footprint of about 28 km², or 12.5% of the total area occupied by the Weld Range (approx. 225 km2). ecologia conducted the two‐phase Level 2 vertebrate fauna survey at Weld Range in two separate areas. Locations above main ore bodies and those areas that best represented the fauna habitats of Weld Range were surveyed in September 2006 and between March‐April 2007 (Phase 1 and 2). Further surveys of an extension of the range to the north‐east were surveyed in April and September 2007 (Phase 3 and 4). Two single phase Level 1 reconnaissance surveys of proposed infrastructure areas were conducted between the 31st August and 4th September 2008 which consisted of bird surveys and opportunistic diurnal searching at 62 sites and between the 18th and 24th August 2009 which consisted of 80 (10m wide) transects through the proposed infrastructure areas. Field survey methodology was devised in consideration of the Environmental Protection Authority’s Guidance Statement No. 56 (EPA 2004) and Position Statement No. 3 (EPA 2002). Conformance of the project to relevant sections of the EPA Position Statement No. 3 is discussed in Table S.1.2. A combination of pitfall traps, funnel traps, Elliott traps and Sheffield cage traps was utilised at 17 trapping sites. Eleven of the 17 sites were established in the first study area and six were established in the north‐eastern study area. Systematic bird surveys, as well as opportunistic searching for terrestrial fauna, were conducted at the 17 systematic trapping sites and at a further 15 opportunistic (non‐trapping) survey sites. A summary of total survey effort is provided in Table S.1.1. Table S.1.1 Summary of Survey Effort during Two Dual Phase Level 2 Surveys and One Single Phase Level 1 Survey

Opportunistic Opportunistic Pitfall Funnel Elliott Cage Bird Survey diurnal Anabat nocturnal trap trap trap trap survey type searching (min) searching nights nights nights nights (min) (min) (min)

Level 2 3100 6100 6200 620 5500 6780 5130 4555

Level 1 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ 1380 4980 ‐ ‐ ecologia undertook a review of all fauna records from the project area and its surroundings. The review was based on Western Australian Museum and Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) records, as well as fauna surveys of similar scope and intensity previously undertaken in the

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment region. This yielded a list of 29 native and eight introduced mammal species, 156 birds, 88 reptiles and five amphibian species which could potentially occur in the project area. During the two Level 2 and Level 1 fauna surveys, 17 native and six introduced species of mammal, 80 bird species, 44 reptile species and one amphibian species were recorded in the Weld Range project area. Thirty species of conservation significant fauna were identified using the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) protected matters database, DEC threatened fauna database searches (Appendix I) and from the potential species list (Appendix F). Of these, five species were recorded: - Long‐tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis longicauda); - Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus); - Bush Stone‐curlew (Burhinus grallarius); - Slender‐billed Thornbill (Acanthiza iredalei iredalei); and - A fossorial skink (Lerista eupoda). A further two conservation significant species, Rainbow Bee‐eater and Australian Bustard, were not recorded but were considered highly likely to utilise the project area on occasion. The remaining 23 species are not expected to occur in the project area or are not expected to be impacted but the project and are discussed in Section 5.2 and Appendix J From a regional perspective, Weld Range has high intrinsic conservation value as it is one of the few areas of relief (hills and ridges) in an area dominated by flat plains. Few of the fauna recorded at Weld Range are specific to the range; many occur in surrounding mulga woodlands and other habitats. Species specific to rocky areas included Woolley’s False Antechinus and Long‐tailed Dunnart (DEC Priority 3). Such species are expected to also inhabit the approximately 87.5% of Weld Range outside the Project that contains similar habitats and should not be significantly affected. An area of chenopod shrubland north‐west of the Madoonga deposit is one of a few areas of chenopod shrubland in the region and contributes to the diversity of the project area. Only a small proportion (thought to be less than 5%) of the chenopod shrubland in the project area may be impacted by the Project, such that this habitat is expected to be largely unaffected by the proposed activities. The risk of regional impacts to conservation significant species was deemed to be low for all species with the exception of the skink Lerista eupoda, listed as Priority 1 DEC. The species is endemic to the region and was considered to have a medium risk of regional impact due to its restricted distribution, abundance at Weld Range and unknown total population size. Mitigating these factors was the finding that L. eupoda inhabits flatland areas surrounding the range and was also likely to inhabit the approximately 87.5% of Weldt Range tha will not be impacted by the Project.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment Table S.1.2 Conformance of Project to Relevant EPA Position Statement No. 3

REQUIREMENT RELEVANCE TO PROJECT PROJECT COMPLIANCE

The potential impacts of this project to rare fauna Where impact on biodiversity cannot be avoided, the populations are discussed in Sections 5.0 and 6.0. The Impact on Biodiversity proponent must demonstrate that the impact will not project has the potential to reduce the regional population of result in unacceptable loss. the conservation significant species Lerista eupoda and Long‐ tailed Dunnart.

Information gathered for environmental impact State, National and International State, national and international agreements were referred assessment in Western Australia meets State, Agreements, Legislation and Policy on to in the production of this report. Impacts to species listed National and International Agreements, Legislation Biodiversity under relevant legislature are addressed in Section 5.0. and Policy in regard to biodiversity conservation.

The current survey conforms to a Level 2 survey, comprising The quality of information and scope of field surveys EPA Standards, Requirements and background research, a reconnaissance survey, and a meets the standards, requirements and protocols as Protocols detailed two Phase fauna survey, as perA EP Guidance determined and published by the EPA. Statement No. 56.

Background literature, database searches and a two Phase detailed fauna survey provide the information required to Sufficient information is provided to address assess environmental risks associated with the proposed Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological biodiversity conservation and ecological function project. Fauna assemblages and habitats observed are Function Values values. described in Section 4.2 and Appendix C, and potential impacts to biodiversity and ecological function are discussed in Section 6.0.

Terrestrial biological surveys will be made publicly Survey data will be submitted to DEC for inclusion into the State Biological Databases available and will contribute to the bank of data NatureBase database. available for the region.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 PROJECT OVERVIEW

Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd (SMC) proposes to undertake a direct shipping iron ore project in the Murchison region of Western Australia, centred on the proposed mine at Weld Range and situated approximately 90 km south‐west of Meekatharra and 60 km north‐west of Cue (Figure 1.1). The target reserve is a minimum of 124 million tonnes, with a planned shipment rate of 15 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) for nine years. The Weld Range Project (the Project) will utilise new rail infrastructure to transport the ore to the new Oakajee Port to be built just north of Geraldton. The tenements that form the basis for the Project cover a series of hills that rise approximately 250 m above the surrounding plains. The range is three kilometres wide and extends for up to 60 km in length from south‐west to the north‐east. The range consists of a series of parallel ridges with deep incised valleys. SMC commissioned ecologia Environment (ecologia) to undertake a Level 2 vertebrate fauna survey to provide a comprehensive, quantitative and qualitative description of the nature and conservation significance of the fauna species and fauna habitats within its tenements at Weld Range. To supplement this information two Level 1 fauna surveys were conducted focusing on proposed infrastructure locations surrounding the ore bodies. Level 2 fauna sites during the first two Phases of the survey were located in main ore body locations and in areas that best represent the fauna habitats of the Weld Range region. The two main ore bodies cover an area of 7.86 km² (Madoonga deposit) and 14.84 km² (Beebyn deposit) each. An additional area of tenements to the north‐east of the ore bodies was sampled in the third and fourth phases of the Level 2 survey. Fauna sites were situated predominantly along the ridge line of Weld Range as it continues to the north‐east. The remaining area within the 28.3 km² total project impact footprint was covered by two Level 1 reconnaissance surveys that focused on the proposed roads, airstrip, camps and other infrastructure. Reconnaissance surveys were carried out in a variety of habitat types from rocky ridges of the range to the flat sand plains below the ridges.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

Figure 1.1 Location of the Weld Range Project Area

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

1.2 LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK

The Environmental Protection Act 1986 is “an Act to provide for an Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), for the prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution, for the conservation, preservation, protection, enhancement and Corporation of the environment and for matters incidental to or connected with the foregoing.” Section 4a of this Act outlines five principles that are required to be addressed to ensure that the objectives of the Act are addressed. Three of these principles are relevant to native fauna and flora: The Precautionary Principle Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation. The Principles of Intergenerational Equity The present generation should ensure that the health, diversity and productivity of the environment is maintained or enhanced for the benefit of future generations. The Principle of the Conservation of Biological Diversity and Ecological Integrity Conservation of biological diversity and ecological integrity should be a fundamental consideration. Projects undertaken as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process are required to address guidelines produced by the EPA, in this case Guidance Statement 56: Terrestrial Fauna Surveys for Environmental Impact in Western Australia (EPA 2004), and principles outlined in EPA Position Statement No. 3: Terrestrial Biological Surveys as an Element of Biodiversity Protection (EPA 2002). Native flora and fauna in Western Australia are protected at a federal level under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and at a state level under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 (WC Act). The EPBC Act was developed to provide for the protection of the environment, especially those aspects of the environment that are matters of national environmental significance, to promote ecologically sustainable development through the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of natural resources, and to promote the conservation of biodiversity. The EPBC Act includes provisions to protect native species (and in particular to prevent the extinction and promote the recovery of threatened species) and ensures the conservation of migratory species. In addition to the principles outlined in Section 4a of the EPBC Act, Section 3a of the EPBC Act includes a principle of ecologically sustainable development dictating that decision‐making processes should effectively integrate both long‐term and short‐term economic, environmental, social and equitable considerations. The WC Act was developed to provide for the conservation and protection of wildlife in Western Australia. Under Section 14 of this Act, all fauna and flora within Western Australia is protected; however, the Minister may, via a notice published in the Government Gazette, declare a list of fauna taxa identified as likely to become extinct, or rare, or otherwise in need of special protection. The current listing was gazetted in August 2008.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

1.3 SURVEY OBJECTIVES ecologia’s objectives are aligned with those specified in EPA Guidance Statement No. 56, as described below: • Maintain the abundance, species diversity and geographical distribution of terrestrial fauna. • Protect Specially Protected (Threatened) fauna, consistent with the provisions of the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. The primary aim of this study was to provide sufficient information to the EPA to allow the assessment of the impact of the Project on the vertebrate fauna of the area and to ensure that these objectives will be upheld. ecologia undertook a survey that satisfied the requirements documented in EPA Guidance Statement No. 56 and Position Statement No. 3, providing: • A review of background information (including literature and database searches). • An inventory of vertebrate fauna species occurring in the study areas, incorporating recent published and unpublished records. • An inventory of species of biological and conservation significance recorded or likely to occur within the projectd areas an surrounds. • A description of fauna habitats occurring in the study areas. • A description of the characteristics of the fauna assemblage. • An appraisal of the current knowledge base for the area, including a review of previous surveys conducted in the area that is relevant to the current study. • A review of regional and biogeographical significance, including the conservation status of species recorded in the project areas. • A risk assessment to determine likely impacts of threatening processes on vertebrate fauna within the study areas.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

2.0 BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

2.1 CLIMATE

The closest weather station to the project area is located at Meekatharra Airport (26°36’S, 118°32’E). This weather station is approximately 90 km north‐east of Weld Range. Daily weather conditions recorded at Meekatharra were considered to be representative of those experienced in the project area (Figure 2.1). Average annual rainfall, based on historical data recorded at Meekatharra airport, is 237 mm falling over an average of 46 days; however, there is considerable annual variation. The majority of rainfall occurs in late summer through to winter, with over 80% of the annual rainfall occurring between January and July. The average maximum summer temperatures range from 34°C to 49°C, and the average maximum winter temperatures from 22°C to 31°C (Appendix A). For most of the year, a subtropical ridge is located to the south, and east to south‐easterly winds prevail. Occasionally during the cooler months the ridge moves far enough to the north that cold fronts are able to pass over the region. While most fronts bring little rain, sometimes they are linked to tropical cloud bands which deliver the most reliable rain from May to July (Bureau of Meteorology 2008). Summer rainfall, which peaks in January and February, is influenced by cyclonic activity off the northern coast of Western Australia. Cyclones that cross the coast dissipate and develop into rain bearing depressions which may bring rain to the region. Weather conditions during the surveys, as recorded at Meekatharra airport, are listed in Appendix A.

40 45

35 40

35 30 30 25 25 20 20

Rainfall (mm) Rainfall 15 15 Temperature (°C) 10 10 Rainfall (mm) 5 5 Max. temperature (°C) 0 0 Min. temperature (°C) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Figure 2.1 Summary of Climatic Data for Meekatharra Airport (Bureau of Meteorology 2008)

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

2.2 LAND SYSTEMS

Curry et al. (1994) undertook a regional inventory of the Murchison River catchment and surrounds to document the land systems present and the condition of each. The survey area covered 88,360 km2 and was situated between Meekatharra and Mount Magnet to the east, and the catchments of the Greenough and Wooramel Rivers in the west. The project area is located primarily in the Weld land system, with the surrounding areas predominated by the Yarrameedie, Violet and Jundee land systems (Figure 2.2). Smaller areas of the Sherwood, Mileura, Norie, Cunya, Kalli, Gabanintha and Wiluna land systems also occur. A summary description of each of these land systems and the land types is provided in Table 2.1. The Weld land system is described as rugged ranges and ridges of mainly Archaean metamorphosed sedimentary rocks supporting acacia shrublands (Curry et al. 1994). It is 350 km2 in area and consists of two distinct and widely separated localities, Weld Range and Jack Hills. The Yarrameedie System is largely associated with the Weld System in the project area. It is described as undulating stony interfluves, drainage floors and pediment (foothill) plains below major ranges of crystalline rocks (mainly Weld land system) supporting sparse Mulga shrublands (Curry et al. 1994). The two other major land systems in the project area, the Violet and Jundee land systems, both support scattered Mulga shrublands over plains. They both occur on the plains below the Weld Range. The Mileura land system is unique in the project area as it consists of seasonally inundated claypans supporting halophytic shrublands. These shrublands form unique habitats with species such as Slender‐billed Thornbill and White‐winged Fairy‐wren restricted to these habitat types.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

Table 2.1 Summary of Land Systems present in the Weld Range Area (from Curry et al. 1994)

LAND SYSTEM (TOTAL AREA LAND TYPE DESCRIPTION SURVEY SITES1 IN MURCHISON) S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8, S9, S10, S11, Rugged ranges and ridges of mainly Archaean OPPA, OPPB, OPPC, Weld metamorphosed sedimentary rocks; supports AD01, AD02, WRI37‐ (350 km2 ) acacia shrublands; major system of Weld 42, WRI 45‐49, WRI Range and Jack Hills. 64, 1: Rough hills with WRI 65 acacia shrublands Granite hills with exfoliating domes and Norie extensive tor fields, supporting acacia OPPL, OPPM (1321 km2) shrublands. Ridges, hills and footslopes of various Gabanintha metamorphosed volcanic rocks (greenstones), S12, S14, S15, OPPK (962 km2) supporting sparse acacia and other mainly non‐halophytic shrublands. 2: Hills and plains Low greenstone hills with occasional lateritic with mulga, breakaways and broad stony slopes, lower Wiluna snakewood‐ saline stony plains and broad drainage tracts; (1007 km2) halophytic supports sparse mulga shrublands with shrublands patches of halophytic shrubs. 3: Low hills and Undulating stony interfluves, drainage floors OP F, WRI 24‐31, Yarrameedie quartz strewn and pediment (foothill) plains below major WRI 34‐36, WRI 59‐ (519 km2 ) plains with mulga ranges of crystalline rocks (mainly Weld land 62 shrublands system) supporting sparse mulga shrublands. 4: Breakaways, Extensive, gently sloping stony and sand plains stony plains and on granite and gneiss below saline footslopes sandy surfaced Sherwood of lateritised breakaway and outcrops of S13, S16, OPPG, plains on granite (4839 km2 ) weathered rock; mainly supports scattered WRI 53‐58 with mulga and mulga shrublands with understorey of non‐ halophytic halophytic shrubs. shrublands 7: Irregular plains Gently undulating gravely plains on on laterite and greenstone, laterite and hardpan, with low Violet parent rock with stony rises and minor saline plains; supports WRI 20, WRI 42‐44, (1078 km2 ) mulga, bowgada mulga and bowgada‐dominated shrublands, WRI 50‐52 and halophytic with dense mulga groves and patchy shrublands halophytic shrublands. 10: Sandplains and Elevated, gently undulating red sandplains drainage floors Kalli edged by stripped surfaces on laterite and with grassy and S17, OPPP, WRI 1‐19 (6097 km2 ) granite; tall acacia shrublands and understorey halophytic of wanderrie grasses. shrublands Hardpan wash plains with variable dark Jundee 14: Wash plains on gravely mantling and weakly groved hardpan with WRI 21‐23 2 vegetation; minor sandy banks; supports (1346 km ) mulga shrublands scattered mulga shrublands.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

LAND SYSTEM (TOTAL AREA LAND TYPE DESCRIPTION SURVEY SITES1 IN MURCHISON) Almost flat hardpan wash, with or without Yanganoo small wanderrie banks and showing variable WRI 63‐66 (12,433 km2) development of weak groving; supports mulga shrublands. Calcreted drainage on hardpan, alluvial plains with raised calcrete platforms dissected by Cunyu major flow zones and channels, supporting OPPN (1083 km2 ) variable non‐halophytic shrublands and 15: Calcreted river shrubby grasslands. plains with grassy shrublands. Saline and non‐saline calcreted river plains, with clayey flood plains interrupted by raised Mileura OPPD, OPPE, OPPJ, calcrete platforms supporting diverse and very (1007 km2) WRI 67‐ 69 variable tall shrublands, mixed halophytic shrublands and shrubby grasslands. 1 Level 2 systematic sites: S1 – S17; Level 2 Opportunistic sites: OPPA – OPPP, AD01, AD02; Level 1 Reconnaissance sites: WRI 1 – WRI 69

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

2.3 BIOGEOGRAPHY

The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) divides Australia into 85 biogeographic regions on the basis of climate, geology, landforms, vegetation and fauna (Thackway and Cresswell 1995) (Figure 2.3). The project area is situated in the Western Murchison (MUR‐2) subregion of the Murchison Biogeographic Region (Bioregion). The Western Murchison subregion is characterised by low mulga woodlands rich in ephemerals and bunch grasses on granitic outcrops and extensive hardpan washplains. It contains the headwaters of the Murchison and Wooramel Rivers. Surfaces associated with the occluded drainage occur throughout with hummock grasslands on sandplains, saltbush shrublands on calcareous soils, and Halosarcia sp. low shrublands on saline alluvia. The climate is arid with bimodal rainfall that usually falls in winter. The Western Murchison subregion occupies an area of about 7.85 million hectares with grazing of native pastures as the dominant land use.

Figure 2.3 Biogeographic Location of the Project Area

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

2.4 VEGETATION

The vegetation of Weld Range has previously been mapped on a broad scale by Beard (1976) and Speck (1963). More recently, the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) undertook a survey to increase knowledge of the local floral and vegetation communities in this area (Markey and Dillon 2006). They documented six floristic communities as occurring at Weld Range (Table 2.2). Table 2.2 Floristic Communities Identified at Weld Range

COMMUNITY LANDFORM VEGETATION DESCRIPTION CHARACTERISTIC SPECIES TYPE DESCRIPTION Moderate hill Acacia aneura, A. ramulosa and / or Eremophila glutinosa, Eremophila slopes, very rocky 1a Acacia sp. Weld Range, over sparse latrobei subsp. latrobei and terrain and Eremophila sp. Santalum spicatum. outcrops of BIF.

Open to sparse shrubland of Acacia (var. Rocky, gentle to microphylla, aneura, argentea), Acacia Prostanthera petrophila and 1b moderate inclines. sp. Weld Range and Grevillea berryana, Cheilanthes sieberi subsp. sieberi. over Eremophila sp. low shrubs.

Sparse to open shrubland of Acacia var. Massive rocky Philotheca brucei subsp. brucei, microcarpa and / or A. aneura var. outcrops of BIF, Micromyrtus sulphurea, Dodonaea 2 aneura, over mid stratum shrub layer of moderate to steep pachyneura and Stylidium Thryptomene decussata, Philotheca hill slopes. longibracteatum. brucei subsp. brucei, and Eremophila sp.

Mid and low to Open shrubland of Acacia aneura over moderate hillslopes. Cheilanthes sieberi subsp. 3 isolated Solanum ashbyae and Tribulus Loose ironstone Pseudovillea. suberosus low shrubs. gravel and scree.

Steep rocky Open shrubs of Acacia aneura and Abutilon oxycarpum, Dodonaea hillslopes with emergent trees of Acacia pruinocarpa, pachyneura and Enneapogon 4 relatively high levels over Philotheca brucei subsp. brucei and caerulescens – all characteristic of of exposed bedrock. Eremophila sp. fractured rocky substrates.

No significant indicator species. Isolated emergent trees of Acacia Moderately inclined Distinguished from community pruinocarpa over Acacia aneura / Acacia 5a lower hillslopes and type 5B by Acacia aneura var. ramulosa, over an open mid‐stratum of outwash plains. major, Sida excedentifolia and shrubs. Acacia pruinocarpa. Sparse to open Acacia shrubland (A. Moderately inclined aneura cf. var. tenuis, aneura and / or Acacia aneura var. tenuis, Senna 5b lower hillslopes and Acacia coolgardiensis subsp. effusa), glaucifolia and Hibiscus sturtii. outwash plains. over sparse Senna spp. and Tribulus suberosus low shrubs.

Open shrubland of Acacia sp. Weld Range, Acacia aneura and Acacia speckii, Associated with over sparse mid stratum of Eremophila Senna sp. and Eremophila 6 dolerite substrates. macmillaniana, Eremophila mackinlayi macmillaniana. subsp. spathulata and Heliotropium ovalifolium.

Adapted from Markey and Dillon (2006) BIF = Banded Ironstone Formation

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

3.0 SURVEY METHODS

The survey methods adopted by ecologia are aligned with EPA Guidance Statement No. 56 (EPA 2004) and Position Statement No. 3 (EPA 2002). The project area lies within the Murchison bioregion (Section 2.3). The scale and nature of environmental impact and the sensitivity of the receiving environment determine the level of fauna survey expected by the EPA. Based on consultation with DEC stakeholders and Guidance Statement No. 56, a Level 2 survey was recommended for the mining pit and waste dump areas. A Level 2 survey incorporates desktop background research and two seasonal trapping surveys with one or more visits in each season appropriate to the bioregion and fauna group being surveyed. Level 1 survey comprising reconnaissance visits and desktop research was considered sufficient for the proposed infrastructure areas.

3.1 DETERMINATION OF SURVEY SAMPLING DESIGN AND INTENSITY

Prior to the development of survey methods, a review was undertaken of factors likely to influence survey design (Table 3.1). Table 3.1 Factors Likely to Influence Survey Design (from EPA 2004)

FACTOR RELEVANCE COMMENT

No published fauna surveys have been Based on the lack of existing knowledge for Bioregion – level of undertaken at Weld Range, or within the area, a Level 2 fauna survey was existing survey/ 100 km of the project area. A number of considered necessary to determine the knowledge of the surveys have been carried out in the possible presence of conservation significant region and associated Murchison region; however, Weld Range species in proposed mining and infrastructure ability to predict contains fauna habitats that are markedly areas. Seventeen trapping sites and 84 accurately. different from those found in the opportunistic sites were used to sample the surrounding area. local fauna.

Weld Range is an area of isolated relief, Landform special with rocky hills rising up to 250 m above Surveys were focused along the unique characteristics/ specific the surrounding open, mulga dominated landforms of the ridge, as well as the flatter fauna/ specific context plains. The landform is unique in the surrounding area. Extensive surveys of the of the landform region and the fauna habitats present are surrounding areas are currently under way characteristics and not represented nearby. Several fauna and will provide further comparison when their distribution and species occur only on the range, and completed. rarity in the region. others are present in greater abundance here than in the surrounding region.

There was little rain during the Level 2 Life forms, life cycles, surveys, so amphibian activity was limited. types of assemblages The surveys were conducted during Conditions were otherwise warm and and seasonality (e.g. autumn and spring over a two year favourable to bird, reptile, and mammal migration) of species period. activity. Relatively cool conditions during the likely to be present. Level 1 surveys resulted in low levels of activity across all fauna groups.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

FACTOR RELEVANCE COMMENT

Level of existing The lack of local knowledge at Weld Range knowledge and results No comparable fauna surveys have necessitated a Level 2 survey of areas of previous regional occurred at Weld Range or within 100 km proposed to be impacted most heavily, and sampling (e.g. species of the project area. reconnaissance surveys in less impacted accumulation curves, infrastructure areas. species/ area curves).

Survey sites were located to be Number of different representative of all major landforms and habitats or degree of habitats present within the project area. Six fauna habitats occur within the study similarity between Habitats located on Weld Range were area. habitats within a survey surveyed more extensively due to limited area. previous fauna information and greater potential impact.

Climatic constraints No climatic constraints were encountered (e.g. temperature or The climate during the time of surveying during the time of the Level 2 surveys. rainfall that precluded varied from sunny, dry and hot through However, the colder conditions during Level 1 certain sampling to cool rainy periods. surveys limited the fauna species that could methods). be recorded during reconnaissance surveys.

The project area contains a range of landforms and fauna habitats of varying sensitivity. Although rocky ranges may not generally be considered ‘sensitive’ habitat, the lack of this feature in the wider region The majority of the impact at Weld Range increases its ecological value and contributes will be located within the Weld land importantly to the biodiversity of the region. Sensitivity of the system. This land system occurs only at Much of the habitat covering and surrounding environment to the Weld Range and Jack Hills with 8% of the the range consists of mulga woodland, which proposed activities. land system’s area impacted by this is biologically diverse but widespread. Ridge project. communities are expected to be particularly sensitivity to disturbance. Finally, the large open chenopod floodplain habitat represents a unique habitat and supports vegetation and fauna assemblages different from surrounding habitats.

The total disturbance area of the project Based on the levels of potential impacts, Level covers about 28.3 km2. Major impacts 2 fauna survey sites were chosen to focus on Size, shape, and will be centred on two mining pits, one areas of greatest impact. Level 1 sites and location of the 7.86 km2 and the other 14.84 km2, with transects were selected to compliment the proposed activities. localised impact from infrastructure Level 2 survey results and focussed on emplacements in the surrounding area. proposed infrastructure locations.

In accordance with EPA Guidance Statement A project footprint estimated to cover No.56, the location and scale of the project 28.3 km2 will be cleared as part of the warranted two Level 2 surveys (detailed two Weld Range Iron Ore Project. Impacts Scale and impact of the Phase field surveys) focussing on areas of will include initial land clearing, proposal. greatest impact, and two supplementary construction, mining and ongoing human Level 1 surveys, focusing on areas of lesser activities in the area during the nine year impact such as the proposed infrastructure lifespan of the project. locations.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

3.2 STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION

3.2.1 Survey Scoping Table 3.2 Details of Stakeholder Consultation

STAKEHOLDER DATE COMMENT

Mark Cowan – DEC Phone call to Mark Cowan. Mark recommended that 25 May 2006 Rangeland Ecologist spring survey be undertaken in October / November.

Mark Cowan – DEC Letter outlining outcomes from Phase 1 survey and Rangeland Ecologist, 26 February proposed methods for Phase 2 survey (Appendix B). John Dell – DEC 2007 Response not received prior to field work. Environmental Officer

Nic Woolfrey – DEC Letter outlining outcomes from Phase 1 survey and 27 February Principal Coordinator proposed methods for Phase 2 survey (Appendix B). 2007 Development Approvals Response not received prior to field work.

3.3 DATABASE SEARCHES AND LITERATURE REVIEW

A search of the following sources was undertaken prior to surveying to determine fauna species (and conservation significant fauna) likely to occur in the project area: • Western Australian Museum (WAM) FaunaBase; • Birds Australia Birdata (Birds Australia 2009); • Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) protected matters database; • Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) Threatened Fauna database; • Jack Hills (MBS 2005a; MBS 2005b); and • Jack Hills (ecologia 2008). Potential species inventories were generated based on overlap between species distributions and the footprint of the project area. The fauna list includes species that may occur in the project area on a seasonal, transient or sporadic basis. Based on the results of the database searches and literature reviews, it is estimated that 29 native mammal, 156 bird, 88 reptile and five frog species may potentially utilise the proposed Weld Range project area. Species of conservation significance potentially occurring within in the Project are listed in Table 5.1. Habitats preferred by these species were targeted during surveying to determine their presence in the area. Eight introduced mammals, the Feral Cat (Felis catus), European Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), House Mouse (Mus musculus), goat (Capra hircus), cow (Bos Taurus), dog (Canis lupus familiaris), horse (Equus caballus) and rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) also potentially occur in the project area.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

3.4 SURVEY TIMING

Surveying was undertaken in spring 2006, autumn and spring 2007, spring 2008 and spring 2009 (Table 3.3). Table 3.3 Summary of Survey Timing and Location

SURVEY DURATION PERSON DAYS

Spring: Level 2 Phase 1 18th September – 3rd October, 2006 60 Autumn: Level 2 Phase 2 22nd March – 5th April, 2007 59 Autumn: Level 2 Phase 3 13th April – 25th April, 2007 47

Spring: Level 2 Phase 4 21st September – 2nd October, 2007 42 Spring: Level 1 Infrastructure 31st August – 5th September, 2008 8

Spring: Level 1 Infrastructure 18th August – 24th August 2009 15

TOTAL 231

3.5 SITE SELECTION

Survey sites were established to sample the major fauna habitats present in the study area that corresponded with areas of proposed disturbance. Phase 1 and 2 surveyed the south‐west and central sections of the project area; Phase 3 and 4 sampled the north‐east. The Level 1 surveys covered proposed infrastructure locations. Eight trapping sites were sampled during the first Phase. The second Phase used the sites established in Phase 1 with an additional three sites (totalling 11 sites for the survey). Six sites were established in the third Phase, and these were surveyed again during the fourth Phase. A further 15 sites were opportunistically surveyed during these Level 2 surveys, and 69 reconnaissance survey sites were sampled during the first Level 1 survey. The second Level 1 reconnaissance survey was completed in conjunction with a threatened flora survey and consisted of 10 m transects across proposed infrastructure areas at 100 m spacing. All Level 1 survey sites concentrated on habitats that occurred in the proposed infrastructure areas. Photos and site descriptions of the systematic survey sites, as well as the chenopod floodplain sampled by opportunistic sites D, E and J are shown in Table 3.4. Appendix C lists site information for all systematic survey and opportunistic survey locations, including the Level 1 survey sites. The locations of Level 2 systematic and opportunistic survey sites are shown in Figure 3.1, while locations of first Level 1 reconnaissance survey sites and the second Level 1 reconnaissance transects are shown in Figure 3.2.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

Table 3.4 Descriptions of Fauna Habitats Occurring at Each Survey Site

SITE DESCRIPTION PHOTO

Banded Ironstone Ridge

Veg. description: Acacia pruinocarpa low trees, over WR Site 1 open Acacia aneura high shrubs/ Acacia ramulosa var. linophylla shrubs, over open mixed low shrubs, dominated by Ptilotus obovatus var. obovatus.

Mulga Drainage Line

Veg. description: Open to moderately dense Acacia aneura low woodland, WR Site 2 sometimes with scattered Eucalyptus sp. over moderately dense mixed Acacia sp and Poaceae sp. Some sites with leaf litter but usually sparse understorey on sandy or rocky substrate.

Lateritic Breakaway

WR Site 3 Veg. description: Acacia aneura high shrubs, over moderately dense Ptilotus obovatus var. obovatus low shrubland.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

SITE DESCRIPTION PHOTO

Drainage Line

Veg. description: Open WR Site 4 Acacia pruinocarpa / Acacia aneura low trees, over moderately dense to dense Aristida contorta grass.

Rocky Rise (Ironstone)

WR Site 5 Veg. description: Open Acacia aneura high shrubs, over mixed low shrubs, over sparse Aristida contorta grass.

Drainage line

Veg. description: Open Acacia pruinocarpa low trees, over open Acacia aneura / WR Site 6 Acacia ramulosa var. linophylla shrubs, over open mixed medium shrubs of Eremophila forrestii / Psydrax latifolia, over mixed low shrubs and sparse Aristida contorta grass on stony sandy and clayey soil.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

SITE DESCRIPTION PHOTO

Mulga Woodland on Hill Slope

Veg. description: Open Acacia pruinocarpa low trees WR Site 7 over Acacia aneura shrubs, over mixed medium shrubs, sometimes over moderately dense Goodenia tenuiloba herbs and open Poaceae sp. Usually red sandy or stony loam.

Mulga Drainage Line

Veg. description: Isolated Grevillea berryana low trees WR Site 8 and tall Eucalyptus sp. over open Acacia aneura high shrubs, over mixed medium shrubs, over moderately dense Poaceae sp. on stony clayey loams.

Banded Ironstone Ridge

Veg. description: Acacia aneura / Acacia rhodophloia / WR Site 9 Santalum spicatum shrubs, over mixed low shrubs, dominated by Ptilotus obovatus var. obovatus, over isolated Cymbopogon ambiguus grass on ironstone and clayey loam.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

SITE DESCRIPTION PHOTO

Lateritic Breakaway

Veg. description: Isolated outcropping Grevillea berryana / Acacia WR Site 10 pruinocarpa low trees, over open Acacia aneura high shrubs, over sparse Ptilotus obovatus var. obovatus low shrubs on lateritic crust with dead timber.

Acacia Sandplain

Veg. description: Isolated outcropping Acacia pruinocarpa low trees with scattered Eucalyptus sp. over WR Site 11 moderately open Acacia ramulosa var. linophylla / Acacia aneura high shrubs, over open Eremophila forrestii medium shrubs, over sparse Ptilotus obovatus var. obovatus low shrubs, over sparse Poaceae sp.

Rocky Rise (Ironstone)

Veg. description: Open to WR Site 12 moderately dense Acacia aneura high shrubs, over open to moderately dense Goodenia tenuiloba herbs on stony clay loams.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

SITE DESCRIPTION PHOTO

Acacia Sandplain

Veg. description: sparse to moderately dense Acacia WR Site 13 ramulosa var. linophylla high shrubs, over open Eremophila forrestii medium shrubs, over open Aristida contorta grass on sandy to lightly rocky clay loam.

Rocky Rise (Quartz)

Veg. description: Sparse WR Site 14 Acacia aneura low trees, over sparse Acacia ramulosa var. linophylla medium shrubs, over mixed low shrubs, over open Aristida contorta grass.

Granite Outcrops

WR Site 15 Veg. description: Acacia pruinocarpa low trees, over mixed Acacia spp. medium shrubs, over sparse Cymbopogon ambiguus grass.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

SITE DESCRIPTION PHOTO

Rocky Rise (Ironstone)

Veg. description: Very sparse WR Site 16 to moderate Acacia pruinocarpa / Acacia aneura medium shrubs, over open Eremophila forrestii medium shrubs on stony red clay loams without any leaf litter.

Eucalypt Sandplain

Veg. description: Open WR Site 17 Eucalyptus sp. woodland, over open Ptilotus obovatus var. obovatus low shrubs and mixed acacia shrubs and grasses on sandy loam.

Chenopod Floodplain OPP D OPP E Veg. description: Low OPP J scattered shrubs including samphire (Tecticornia spp.) on chalky sandy soil.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

3.6 SAMPLING METHODS

The survey was undertaken using a variety of sampling techniques, including systematic and opportunistic sampling. Systematic sampling refers to data methodically collected over a fixed time period in a discrete habitat type, using an equal or standardised sampling effort. The resulting information can be analysed statistically, facilitating comparisons between habitats. Opportunistic sampling includes data collected non‐systematically from both fixed sampling sites and as opportunistic records from chance encounters with fauna. Total survey effort is presented in Table 3.5 and Table 3.6.

3.6.1 Systematic Sampling

Terrestrial Mammals and Herpetofauna Trapping for terrestrial mammals and herpetofauna was undertaken using a standardised trapping format comprising a combination of pitfall traps, Elliott box traps, funnel traps and Sheffield cage traps (Figure 3.3). Trapping effort during Level 2 surveys was recorded as the number of trap nights surveyed at each survey site. A trap night was defined as a single working trap open for one night. Sites surveyed during each Phase were open for 10 consecutive nights. Each trapping site included 10 trap units placed 25 m apart. A trap unit consisted of: • Pitfall trap and drift fence: using either a PVC pipe (16 cm diameter, minimum 50 cm deep) or a 20 L plastic bucket (30 cm diameter, 40 cm deep). A six meter flywire drift fence (30 cm high) bisected the pits, directing fauna into the traps. • Two funnel traps (Ecosystematica Type III) were placed at each end of the drift fence. • Twenty medium‐sized Elliott box traps (9 x 9 xe 32 cm) wer located in each trapping site, and baited with universal bait (a mixture of peanut butter, rolled oats and sardines). One Elliott trap was placed in association with a pitfall trap, with the Elliott trap being placed in between pit traps. • Two cage traps were used per site, with one trap placed at each end of the trap line and baited with universal bait (Figure 3.3).

Avifauna Twenty minute surveys were used to document the avifauna present at each of the fauna sites. During each survey an ornithologist recorded the number of individuals of each species seen while actively searching a 2.0 ha area. This survey method is recommended by the ongoing Birds Australia Atlas of Australian Birds project. Survey effort was concentrated between the post‐dawn and pre‐dusk time periods, as these were deemed to be the optimal times to record most bird species. Surveys between these times were also conducted, to search for species less frequently observed in the early morning or late evening, e.g. diurnal raptors.

Bats Bat echolocation calls were detected using an ANABAT II system (Titley Electronics, Ballina, NSW). The ANABAT Bat Detector is able to transform ultrasonic bat echolocation calls for analysis with computer software. The transformed calls were stored on minidiscs and played back onto a PC for analysis. Mr Bob Bullen, an expert on bat calls, identified acoustic calls.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

Figure 3.3 Trap Layout at Each Site

3.6.2 Opportunistic Sampling

Spotlighting The project area was searched at night using road transects and opportunistic ground searches. Head torches and hand held spotlights were used to locate nocturnal species such as geckos, snakes, frogs and nocturnal birds.

Hand Searching Both systematic and opportunistic sites were hand searched for cryptic species, which involved searching beneath the bark of dead trees, breaking open old logs, stumps and dead trees, investigating burrows and recording tracks, diggings and scats, and overturning logs and stones. Opportunistic sites were selected in areas that contained unique or small patches of fauna habitat, or within continuous habitat that was less well represented by systematic trapping.

Opportunistic Sightings The presence of species recorded while searching, travelling and during trap establishment within the study area, during both day and night were included in the survey findings. Tracks, diggings, scats, burrows and nests were recorded when observed.

Transects Transects were walked across defined areas to assess habitat and to search for signs of conservation significant species. Transects were 10 m wide and spaced at 100 m intervals to provide a representation of the habitats and species present in an area. Transects were recorded by GPS and photographs and descriptions of significant findings were recorded.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment Table 3.5 Survey Effort: Systematic Survey Sites

TRAP NIGHTS TIME (MINUTES) DIURNAL PIT TRAPS FUNNELS ELLIOTTS CAGES BIRD SURVEY ANABAT NIGHT SEARCH SEARCH PHASES P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 1&2 Site 1 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 180 140 200 120 160 240 180 60 Site 2 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 180 160 180 180 120 160 120 60 Site 3 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 180 160 420 180 300 160 120 ‐ Site 4 100 100 200 100 200 200 20 20 160 180 180 120 160 160 180 ‐ Site 5 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 180 120 180 180 30 ‐ 120 ‐ Site 6 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 180 120 370 120 160 ‐ 120 ‐ Site 7 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 200 120 210 120 160 160 120 ‐ Site 8 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 220 120 300 180 120 160 200 ‐ Site 9 N/A 100 N/A 200 N/A 200 N/A 20 N/A 60 N/A 240 N/A 160 N/A ‐ Site 10 N/A 100 N/A 200 N/A 200 N/A 20 N/A 180 N/A 280 N/A 160 N/A 150 Site 11 N/A 100 N/A 200 N/A 200 N/A 20 N/A 140 N/A 180 N/A 160 N/A ‐ PHASES P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 3&4 Site 12 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 260 220 285 220 160 240 180 120 Site 13 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 200 160 270 120 160 240 ‐ 120 Site 14 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 140 200 240 120 160 240 90 120 Site 15 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 180 200 330 120 160 240 90 120 Site 16 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 200 180 435 120 160 240 135 120 Site 17 100 100 200 200 200 200 20 20 220 360 460 120 160 240 ‐ 120 TOTAL 3100 6100 6200 620 5500 6780 5130 4555

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment Table 3.6 Survey Effort: Opportunistic Survey Sites

BIRD SURVEYS DIURNAL NOCTURNAL ANABAT SITE HABITAT COMMENTS (MIN) SEARCH (MIN) SEARCH (MIN) (MIN) ADIT 1 Old Mine adit ‐ ‐ 240 320 Madoonga adit ADIT 2 Old mine adit ‐ ‐ 240 320 Beebyn adit OPP A Breakaway ‐ 120 120 160 North facing ridge, near Site 1 OPP B Breakaway 40 160 ‐ ‐ North facing ridge, Madoonga OPP C Breakaway 40 180 90 90 North facing ridge OPP D Samphire shrubland 100 280 ‐ ‐ Samphire dominated OPP E Eucalypt woodland 80 300 ‐ ‐ Near Madoonga homestead OPP F Mulga/ Wandrie 40 120 ‐ ‐ Mixed Acacia shrubland OPP G Breakaway ‐ 120 ‐ ‐ Breakaway north of Weld Range OPP J Chenopod shrubland ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ 13 Elliott trap nights OPP K Stony hill 20 40 ‐ ‐ Malleefowl mound present OPP L Granite outcrop ‐ 90 ‐ ‐ North‐eastern end of range OPP M Granite outcrop ‐ 315 ‐ ‐ North‐eastern end of range OPP N Limestone bore 40 ‐ ‐ 160 Active well OPP P Spinifex ‐ 40 ‐ ‐ North of Weld Range Road Transects Phase Mixed habitats 1050 1&2 Road Transects Phase Mixed habitats 860 3&4 *Level 1 Survey 2008 Mixed habitats 1380 1380 Infrastructure areas †Level 1 Survey 2009 Mixed habitat 3600 Infrastructure areas

TOTAL 1740 3025 2000 250 *Survey effort at all 69 Level 1 reconnaissance survey sites consisted of 20 minute searches and 20 minute bird surveys at each site. †Survey effort is total time taken completing transects.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

3.7 TARGETED SURVEYS FOR SPECIES OF CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANCE

Acoustic recordings from two locations were tentatively identified by Bob Bullen as Ghost Bat, Macroderma gigas, calls. Recordings made at Jack Hills by ecologia during the same period were also thought to be those of the species. The Ghost Bat is currently listed by the DEC as Priority 4 – “Taxa which are considered to have been adequately surveyed, or for which sufficient knowledge is available, and which are considered not currently threatened or in need of special protection, but could if present circumstances change.” Although there are previous records for Ghost Bats south and east of Weld Range, the current known distribution for this species in Western Australia does not include the Murchison region. The nearest modern records are from Newman, approximately 450 km to the north‐east of Weld Range. Given the potential significance of the records at Weld Range, a targeted survey to verify the presence of this species was considered necessary. The survey was undertaken in December 2006 by Molhar Pty Ltd with assistance from ecologia. A report detailing this survey is provided as Appendix D. The survey involved acoustic recordings and visual assessment of all sites where potential calls had been recorded, as well as additional adits and caves that had not been surveyed previously. Particular emphasis was placed on locating and examining mine adits (horizontal shafts), as these are generally deeper than caves and are known to provide habitat for M. gigas where it occurs. Within caves and adits, signs of M. gigas such as scats, prey remains, and individuals were searched for. Scats of M. gigas are particularly distinctive, remain for some time in caves and are therefore good indicators of recent past or present use of a structure.

3.8 ANIMAL ETHICS

Surveying was conducted as per ecologia’s Animal Ethics Code of Practice, which conforms to Section 5 of the Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (NHMRC 2004). In most cases, fauna were identified in the field and released at the point of capture. Where eth taxonomy of specimens was not clearly discernable, or when species were collected that are known to exhibit significant morphological variation or are not yet fully described, vouchers specimens were lodged with the WA Museum (Appendix E). Voucher specimens were maintained according to WA Museum guidelines (unpublished) to ensure minimum stress to captured animals.

3.9 TAXONOMY AND NOMENCLATURE

Nomenclature for mammals within this report is as per Van Dyck and Strahan (2008). Nomenclature for birds is according to Christidis and Boles (2008) and reptiles according to Wilson and Swan (2008). Field guides used for identification are listed in Table 3.7.

3.10 DATA ANALYSIS

3.10.1 Species Richness The number of species present (species richness) is the simplest representation of species diversity (Fowler and Cohen 1990; Magurran 2004) and is the basic indicator of diversity used for this survey. Species accumulation curves were generated to estimate the total number of species present for each fauna group and to measure survey adequacy.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

Table 3.7 Field Guides and References Used

FAUNA GROUP REFERENCE Mammals Menkhorst and Knight (2001), Van Dyck and Strahan (2008) Bats Churchill (1998), Menkhorst and Knight (2001) Birds Simpson and Day (2004) Reptiles Cogger (2000), Wilson and Swan (2008) Geckos Storr et al. (1990), Wilson and Swan (2008) Skinks Storr et al. (1999), Wilson and Swan (2008) Dragons Storr et al. (1983), Wilson and Swan (2008) Varanids Storr et al. (1983), Wilson and Swan (2008) Legless Lizards Storr et al. (1990), Wilson and Swan (2008) Snakes Storr et al. (2002), Wilson and Swan (2008) Amphibians Tyler et al. (2000), Cogger (Cogger 2000)

3.10.2 Randomised Species Accumulation Curves Aspects of the level of survey adequacy and completeness are estimated using species accumulation curves (SACs). SACs graphically illustrate the accumulation of new species as more individuals are recorded. Ultimately, the asymptote is reached at the point at which no new species are present. ecologia uses the estimators ICE and Chao 2 (Magurran 2004) to estimate this theoretical maximum for each fauna group, based on empirical data. This allows the reader to gauge the effectiveness of the survey as the number of species recorded is compared with the number predicted, in order to determine survey adequacy.

3.11 SURVEY TEAM

The Weld Range vertebrate fauna survey described in this document was planned, coordinated and executed by:

1025 Wellington Street WEST PERTH WA 6005 Phone: (08) 9322 1944 Fax: (08) 9322 1599

Project Staff J. Turpin, BSc (Zool) Senior Zoologist S. Ford, PhD (Zool) Senior Zoologist S. Pynt , BSc (Zool) Zoologist D. Fleming, BSc (Env. Sci.) Zoologist

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

M. White, BSc (Hons) Zoologist D. Cancilla, BSc (Hons) Zoologist J. Prout, BSc (Res. Env. Mng.) Environmental Adviser D. Bradshaw, BSc (Zool) Zoologist B. Greatwich, BSc Zoologist T. Rose Field Assistant M. Landers Field Assistant

Acknowledgements ecologia wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Dr Kyle Armstrong and Bob Bullen for bat call identification.

3.12 LICENSES

The field survey was conducted under DEC licences SF5490, SF5964, and SF6531. Results of this survey have been submitted to DEC as per licence requirements.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

4.0 RESULTS

4.1 FAUNA HABITATS

The four Phases of this survey were located in separate areas of Weld Range. Phase 1 and Phase 2 encompassed the south‐west and central section of the range, whereas Phase 3 and Phase 4 were situated in the north‐eastern extension of the range. Ten main fauna habitats and seven additional fauna habitats were identified in the project area. Seventeen systematic trapping sites and 15 opportunistic sites were established in all of the main fauna habitats, which are listed below. • Acacia Sandplain – Flat Acacia pruinocarpa low trees and/or A. aneura (mulga) high shrubs, with or without scattered eucalypts, over medium to low mixed shrubs, over sparse grasses, on a sandy to lightly rocky clay loam. Systematic Sites 11 and 13 were established in this habitat. • Banded Ironstone Ridge – Acacia pruinocarpa low trees and/or Acacia aneura high shrubs, over medium to low mixed shrubs, over sparse grasses, on an ironstone and clayey loam. Systematic Sites 1 and 9 and opportunistic sites AD01 and AD02 sampled this habitat. • Drainage Line – Open Acacia pruinocarpa and Acacia aneura low trees over low to medium mixed shrubs, over sparse to dense grasses on a stony sandy and clayey soil. Systematic Sites 4 and 6 were established in this habitat. • Eucalypt Sandplain – Open eucalypt woodland over mixed open shrubs and grasses on a sandy loam. Systematic Site 17 was established in this habitat. • Granite Outcrops – Acacia pruinocarpa low trees over mixed medium shrubs over sparse grasses. Systematic Site 15 and opportunistic sites L and M sampled this habitat. • Lateritic Breakaway – Acacia pruinocarpa and/or Grevillea berryana low trees over Acacia aneura high shrubs, over mixed low shrubs on a lateritic crust with dead timber. Systematic Sites 3 and 10 were established in this habitat. • Mulga Drainage Line – Open to moderately dense Acacia aneura low Mulga woodland, with occasional scattered eucalypts over moderately dense mixed shrubs, sometimes over moderately dense grasses on a substrate of sand, clay, loam and rocks, sometimes with a layer of leaf litter. Systematic sites 2 and 8 were established in this habitat. • Mulga Woodland on hill slope – Open Acacia pruinocarpa low trees over Acacia aneura high shrubs, over mixed medium shrubs, sometimes over moderately dense grasses and herbs on a sandy or stony loam. Systematic Site 7 and opportunistic site K sampled this habitat. • Rocky Rise (Ironstone) – Open to moderately dense Acacia aneura high shrubs, sometimes with Acacia pruinocarpa low trees, over mixed medium to low shrubs, over grasses on a stony red clay loam. Systematic Sites 5, 12 and 16 were established in this habitat. • Rocky Rise (Quartz) – Sparse Acacia aneura low trees, over sparse medium acacia shrubs and grasses. Systematic Site 14 was established in this habitat. Seven additional habitats were identified in the project area, occurring in small areas which were sufficiently different from the main fauna habitats to be considered worth surveying, given their potential to yield new fauna species not yet recorded in the systematic sites. The seven additional habitats are listed below.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

• Large rocky breakaway with overhangs and scree slopes offering wide variety of microhabitats. Opportunistic Sites A, B and C sampled this habitat. • Massive breakaway complex with large overhangs, claypans and large vegetated cracks. Opportunistic Site G sampled this habitat. • Chenopod Floodplain with low scattered shrubs including samphire on a chalky sandy soil. Opportunistic Sites D, E and J sampled this habitat. • Dense Eucalypt Woodland with thin strappy growth forms. Opportunistic Site E sampled this habitat. • Mulga woodlands and soft Wandrie country. Opportunistic Site F sampled this habitat. • Limestone Bore. Opportunistic Site N sampled this habitat. • Spinifex. Opportunistic Site P sampled this habitat and several transects encountered this habitat type during the second infrastructure survey.

4.2 FAUNA ASSEMBLAGES

Based on previous surveys, species distribution and habitat preferences, 29 native and eight introduced mammals, 156 birds, 88 reptiles and five frog species potentially occur in the study area (Appendix F). Of these, 148 species were recorded during the survey: 17 native and six introduced mammals, 80 birds, 44 reptiles and one amphibian species (Table 4.1 and Appendix G). Table 4.1 Species Potentially Occurring and Recorded During Survey

SOURCE MAMMALS BIRDS REPTILES AMPHIBIANS TOTAL Birdata ‐ 122 ‐ ‐ 122 WAM 9(0) 20 13 2 44 DEC 6(0) 7 3 0 16 Jack Hills 13(1) 64 23 0 100(1) (ecologia 2008) Jack Hills 9(1) 59 28 4 100(1) (MBS, 2006) References 23(8) 154 85 5 267(8) This survey 17(6) 80 44 1 141(7) TOTAL 29(8) 156 88 5 278(8) Note: numbers in parentheses are introduced species.

4.2.1 Mammals Seventeen species of native mammal were recorded at Weld Range (Appendix G). This included five dasyurids (Antechinomys laniger, Pseudantechinus woolleyae, Sminthopsis dolichura, S. macroura, S. longicaudata); two macropods (Macropus robustus and Macropus rufus); two rodents (Notomys alexis and Pseudomys hermannsburgensis); six bat species (Chalinolobus gouldii, Nyctophilus geoffroyi, Scotorepens balstoni, Tadarida australis, Taphozous hilli and Vespadelus finlaysoni), the echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) and the dingo (Canis lupus dingo). Evidence of two (locally) extinct mammal species was recorded: a Stick‐nest Rat (Leporillus sp.) and Burrowing Bettong mounds (Bettongia lesueur). Numerous old, abandoned nests built by Stick‐nest Rats were found under overhangs and in small caves among breakaways. Abandoned burrow systems believed to be constructed by Burrowing Bettongs were found on the plains below the range. The

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Lesser Stick‐nest Rat (L. apicalis) is now believed to be extinct, while the Greater Stick‐nest Rat (L. conditor) and the Burrowing Bettong are both extinct on most of the mainland, persisting in only a few reserves (translocated populations) and on a few offshore islands (Van Dyck and Strahan 2008). It is likely that of both these species occurred at Weld Range during the last century. Although these signs are of interest, they do not form conclusive evidence of occurrence. Burrowing Bettongs were not identified as occurring near Weld Range during database searches and were not included in the conservation significant fauna section as they are presumed extinct on the Australian mainland. The Long‐tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis longicaudata) is a significant record as this species has a scattered distribution throughout the semi‐arid and arid interior of Western and Central Australia. This species is a specialist rock‐dwelling marsupial occurring principally within areas of low open woodland or shrubland of acacias (especially mulga) with an understorey of spinifex hummocks, or perennial grasses and cassias (Pavey 2006a). At Weld Range, the Long‐tailed Dunnart was recorded from ironstone ridges (Site 1 and 5), rocky drainage lines between ridges (Site 4 and 6) and on rocky slopes (Site 7). Woolley’s False Antechinus (Pseudantechinus woolleyae), like the Long‐tailed Dunnart, is a specialist rock‐dwelling species, sparsely distributed on rocky hillsides usually vegetated with acacia scrub or spinifex. This species was recorded throughout the study area (Sites 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 16) from a range of rocky habitats including ironstone ridges, lateritic breakaways, drainage lines, rocky rises and granite outcrops. Woolley’s False Antechinus was recorded in particularly high numbers at Site 9, where ironstone outcropping with small caves and crevices provide extensive habitat for the species. Large numbers of Hill’s Sheath‐tailed Bat (Taphozous hilli) and Finlayson’s Cave Bat (Vespadelus finlaysoni) were observed within two mine adits within the project area. The size of each colony was approximated at 1,000 individuals of each species (MOLHAR 2007). Seven species of introduced mammal were recorded at Weld Range. These included the Dog (Canis lupus familiaris), European Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Feral Cat (Felis catus), Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), House Mouse (Mus musculus), Goat (Capra hircus), and Cow (Bos taurus). Large numbers of feral goats were observed across the range, with high grazing pressure evident on the native vegetation.

4.2.2 Birds One hundred and fifty‐six bird species from 52 families potentially occur within Weld Range (Appendix G). In total, 80 species from 32 families were recorded during this survey, of which significant records for the area include Peregrine Falcon, Elegant Parrot, Grey Honeyeater, Bush‐stone Curlew and Slender‐billed Thornbill. The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is known from few scattered records in the area. This species was recorded within open mulga woodland habitat at Limestone Bore (OPP N) (Figure 5.2). In Western Australia, the Elegant Parrot (Neophema elegans) typically occurs ine th temperate south‐ west. The core range for this species extends from Moora (north of Perth) to Esperance, however some scattered records come from further north (as far as the Pilbara). One Elegant Parrot was observed within a dense patch of mulga woodland on the western side of Weld Range S(GP 542246.6 E, 7012707 N). The Bush‐stone Curlew was recorded from ‘the Gap’ (near Site 2), Site 9 and Site 15, as well as an opportunistic record from near the Weld Range exploration camp during Phase 3 (Figure 5.2). An individual and tracks were also recorded during the second infrastructure survey. This species has a scattered distribution through the Murchison, and has contracted in range due to predation by the feral cat and fox.

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Slender‐billed Thornbills typically occur in areas of chenopod shrubland dominated by blue‐bush (Maireana) or saltbush (Atriplex) around salt lakes (Schodde and Tidemann 1986; Schodde and Mason 1999; Pavey 2006b). This species was recorded from samphire shrubland near Madoonga Homestead (Figure 5.2). Malleefowl have declined in the area with few recent sightings. This species is known to have occurred in the area in the past. During this survey three old, inactive Malleefowl mounds were recorded (Figure 5.2).

4.2.3 Reptiles Eighty‐eight reptile species from nine families potentially occur at Weld Range. In total, 44 species of reptile from all nine families were recorded within the project area (Appendix G). The species assemblage comprised one fresh‐water turtle, eight geckoes, two pygopods (legless lizards), eleven skinks, nine agamids (dragons), four varanids (monitors), one blind snake, one python and seven elapids (front‐fanged snakes). Of note are records of Delma australis, Thony Devil (Moloch horridus), Spotted Mulga Snake (Pseudechis butleri) and Lerista eupoda, the latter two of which are endemic to the Murchison bioregion (Desmond et al. 2003). A single Delma australis was recorded at Site 5, under a large eucalypt tree. In Western Australia this species is known from the south‐west, and this record lies on the northern extreme of the species’ range. Three Thorny Devils were recorded in the sandy habitats along the north side of Weld Range (570218e, 7028247n; 566173e, 7031172n; and 572567e, 7035502n). There is some anecdotal evidence to suggest that this species has declined throughout the Midwest area (Desmond and Heriot 2002). Pseudechis butleri (Spotted Mulga Snake) has a restricted range, confined to the Murchison region. This species was recorded at Sites 3, 5, 8, and 16 which represent mulga woodland on ironstone slopes, dense acacia thicket along a drainage line and open mulga woodland amongst granite outcropping. Lerista eupoda was recorded from a number of sites (1, 5, 9, 11, 16, and 17) during Phase 1, 2 and 3 and during the second infrastructure survey (Figure 5.2). This medium‐sized, fossorial skink has a very restricted range between the vicinity of Cue and Meekatharra (Storr et al. 1999). This species was recorded from a variety of habitats: mulga woodland on ironstone hills, eucalypt woodland on sandplain and open mulga woodland amongst granite outcrops.

4.2.4 Amphibians Of five amphibians which may potentially occur at Weld Range, one species, Litoria rubella, was recorded (Appendix G). This species was observed in high numbers near waterholes of Karbar Creek (Site 8) and also in side wall crevices in mine adits.

4.3 COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS SURVEYS

This survey was the first comprehensive assessment of the fauna at Weld Range. However, fauna surveys have been conducted at Jack Hills (MBS 2005a; MBS 2005b; Western Wildlife 2006; ecologia 2009), situated approximately 100 km north of Weld Range. Because Jack Hills is the only other area consisting of the Weld land system, it provides a suitable comparative data set.

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Twenty‐one species of mammal (of which 15 were native), 82 species of bird, 41 species of reptile and four species of amphibian were recorded at Jack Hills. Species of conservation significance recorded were: • Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) WCA Schedule 4 • Long‐tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis longicaudata) DEC Priority 3 • Rainbow Bee‐eater (Merops ornatus) EPBC Act Migratory A comparison of species recorded during the Jack Hills and Weld Range surveys is provided in Table 4.2 below. Table 4.2 Comparison of Species Richness at Jack Hills and Weld Range

FAUNA GROUP JACK HILLS WELD RANGE Native mammals 15 17 Introduced mammals 6 6 Birds 82 80 Reptiles 41 44 Amphibians 4 1 Jack Hills and Weld Range support similar habitats (with the exception of areas of spinifex on rocky hillsides, which were only present at Jack Hills, see ecologia (2009)) and as a result species richness was likewise similar. The higher number of amphibians recorded at Jack Hills resulted from a high‐ rainfall event at Jack Hills, which was sufficient to cause emergence of these species. The majority of frog species occurring in the Murchison (and Australian arid areas in general) are burrowing species that surface following sufficient rainfall (Cogger 2000).

4.3.1 Wilgie Mia, Weld Range Wilgie Mia is an ancient ochre mine excavated from the southern ridge of part of eastern Weld Range. The mine is thought to be approximately 1,000 years old. Baynes (1984) excavated native mammal remains from Wilgie Mia identifying a number of species of conservation significance, including some now considered extinct. These included: • Long‐tailed Hopping Mouse ( Notomys longicaudatus) – Extinct • Lesser Stick‐nest Rat (Leporillus apicalis) – Extinct • Greater Stick‐nest Rat (Leporillus conditor) – EPBC Vulnerable, Extinct on the mainland • Black‐footed Rock Wallaby (Petrogale lateralis lateralis) – EPBC Vulnerable • Mulgara (Dasycercus blythi) – DEC Priority 4 • Ghost Bat (Macroderma gigas) – DEC Priority 4

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4.4 SURVEY ADEQUACY

Survey adequacy can be assessed in two ways. The first is a traditional method that involves comparing the number of species recorded during the survey with the number of species potentially occurring in the project area, according to database searches, literature, previous reports and other references. The second compares the number of species recorded systematically with a theoretical maximum number of species, an estimate, based on the rate of accumulation of species as more individuals are collected during a survey, i.e. by using species accumulation curves to estimate the total number of species. Using the first method, the number of potential fauna species is the maximum number of species that could potentially use the project area. Appendix F presents the potential species that could inhabit the project area, based on searches of the WAM FaunaBase, Birds Australia Birdata database, DEC rare fauna records and previous biological surveys in the project area and the vicinity. Potential species lists include numerous non‐resident, vagrant and/or transient species and do not take into consideration population fluctuations; in most cases they significantly overestimate the fauna assemblage inhabiting an area at any given time. In the second method, randomised species accumulation curves (SACs) show the trend in total number of species recorded (species richness) as the number of individuals sampled increases. The total number of species recorded, represented by the Sobs (species observed) statistic, approaches a plateau (the asymptote) when the majority of species present in an area have been recorded. The richness estimator Chao 2 (Colwell 2005) is one of several that predict the total number of species present in the project area at the time of trapping, based on recording rates in the field. It estimates the total number of species that would have been recorded if surveying had continued indefinitely. Another richness estimator, ICE was also included for comparison with Chao 2 in the figures below. SACs are limited in that they only utilise data that are collected systematically (i.e. using trapping grids and fixed‐time bird surveys). Consequently, numerous species recorded opportunistically have to be excluded from the data analysed. The advantage of SACs, however, is that when enough individuals are collected, and the accumulation curve nears the asymptote, a good estimate of the total number of trappable (reptiles, mammals and amphibians) or observable (birds) fauna that were present at the time of surveying can be obtained. Because they are based on empirical data, they are more effective in giving an accurate representation of the likely total species richness at the time of surveying than the traditional, distribution‐based assessment. Consequently, survey adequacy is better determined using species accumulation curves than distribution maps. SAC curves were generated for mammals (Figure 4.1), birds (Figure 4.2) and reptiles (Figure 4.3). Data from both phases and all sites were pooled. Survey adequacy, measured as that component of the fauna estimated or possibly present that was recorded, is compared using the two methods discussed above in Contrasting with this, when distribution maps from databases and references were used to estimate the potential maximum number of species at Weld Range, the proportion of fauna recorded was much lower (an average of 52%). As discussed previously, some of the ‘missing’ species may be rare, unlikely to inhabit the project area based on the habitats present, or only transiently present. This method was therefore considered to be less informative for assessing survey adequacy than using species accumulation curves, but was included here because it has been widely used in the past. Table 4.3.

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Mammals 12

10

8

6

4 Sobs (Mao Tau) 2 Number of species recorded ICE Mean Chao 2 Mean 0 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Number of individuals captured

Figure 4.1 Species Accumulation Curve for Mammals

Birds 120

100

80

60

40 Sobs (Mao Tau) 20 Number of species recorded ICE Mean Chao 2 Mean 0 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 Number of individuals captured

Figure 4.2 Species Accumulation Curve for Birds

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Reptiles 45

40 35

30 25

20 15 10 Sobs (Mao Tau) ICE Mean Number of species recorded 5 Chao 2 Mean 0 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 Number of individuals captured

Figure 4.3 Species Accumulation Curve for Reptiles As shown in Contrasting with this, when distribution maps from databases and references were used to estimate the potential maximum number of species at Weld Range, the proportion of fauna recorded was much lower (an average of 52%). As discussed previously, some of the ‘missing’ species may be rare, unlikely to inhabit the project area based on the habitats present, or only transiently present. This method was therefore considered to be less informative for assessing survey adequacy than using species accumulation curves, but was included here because it has been widely used in the past. Table 4.3, species accumulation curves suggested that the majority of the fauna were recorded during the survey and that the survey effectiveness was high and the majority of fauna in each taxonomic group (and 93% of all fauna) was recorded. Contrasting with this, when distribution maps from databases and references were used to estimate the potential maximum number of species at Weld Range, the proportion of fauna recorded was much lower (an average of 52%). As discussed previously, some of the ‘missing’ species may be rare, unlikely to inhabit the project area based on the habitats present, or only transiently present. This method was therefore considered to be less informative for assessing survey adequacy than using species accumulation curves, but was included here because it has been widely used in the past. Table 4.3 Percentage of Fauna Recorded at Weld Range

SPECIES ACCUMULATION CURVES DATABASES AND REFERENCES

TAXON OBSERVED ESTIMATED PERCENT PERCENT OBSERVED ALL POSSIBLE SYSTEMATIC (CHAO 2) RECORDED RECORDED

Mammals 9 10 90% 23 37 62% Birds 74 80 93% 80 156 51% Reptiles 38 40 95% 44 88 50% Amphibians 0 ‐ ‐ 1 5 20%

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4.5 SURVEY LIMITATIONS

Limitations of the current survey are summarised in Table 4.4. Table 4.4 Summary of Survey Limitations

RELEVANT CONSTRAINT COMMENT (yes/no) All members of the survey team have appropriate Competency/ experience of the consultant No training, experience and mentoring in fauna carrying out the survey. identification and fauna surveys.

Scope (what fauna groups were sampled and Mammal, bird and reptile fauna groups were sampled were some sampling methods not able to be during all Phases of surveying. Amphibians were Yes ‐ negligible employed because of constraints such as under‐represented due to a lack of rainfall. There weather conditions). were no constraints on sampling methods.

Species accumulation curves suggest that over 93% of Proportion of fauna identified, recorded and/ No the fauna species in all groups (except amphibians) or collected. were recorded.

No other surveys of similar scope have been conducted near the project area. Information is Sources of information (previously available Yes adequate as some surveys have been conducted at information as distinct from new data). Jack Hills, 100 km north of Weld Range, in recent times.

The proportion of the task achieved and No No additional survey work is required. further work which might be needed.

A lack of rainfall resulted in reduced amphibian captures during all surveys. Cool conditions during Timing/ weather/ season/ cycle. Yes ‐ negligible the Level 1 surveys reduced activity levels of all fauna groups. Disturbances which affected results of the survey (e.g. fire, flood, accidental human No No disturbances occurred. intervention). Surveys were developed in consideration of Guidance Intensity (in retrospect was the intensity No Statement No.56. Two dual‐season trapping surveys adequate). and accessory Level 1 surveys were conducted. Completeness (e.g. was relevant area fully No Surveying is complete. surveyed).

Resources (e.g. degree of expertise available in No There were no resource constraints. animal identification to taxon level).

Areas to be disturbed by the development were Remoteness and/ or access problems. No largely accessible by access roads and tracks. Contextual information was sought from databases and references, as described in Section 3.3, and Availability of contextual (e.g. biogeographic) No included IBRA Subregional information (Desmond et information on the region. al. 2003) and Land System information (Curry et al. 1994)

Efficacy of sampling methods (i.e. any groups The sampling methods employed were effective in No not sampled by survey methods). sampling all vertebrate fauna groups.

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5.0 CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANT FAUNA

5.1 STATUTORY FRAMEWORK

Fauna species that have been formally recognised as rare, threatened with extinction, or as having high conservation value are specially protected by law under Commonwealth and State legislation. At the national level, fauna are protected under the EPBC Act. Within WA, rare fauna are listed under the Western Australian WC Act : Wildlife Conservation (Specially Protected Fauna) Notice 2008(2). International Agreements include the Japan‐Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) and the China‐Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA). Schedule 1 of the Commonwealth EPBC Act contains a list of species that are considered Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, Extinct, Extinct in the wild and Conservation Dependent. Definitions of categories relevant to fauna occurring or potentially occurring in the project area are provided in Appendix H.

5.2 RESULTS OF THREATENED FAUNA DATABASE SEARCHES

Thirty species of conservation significant fauna were identified using the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) protected matters database, DEC threatened fauna database searches (Appendix I) and from the potential species list (Appendix F). Five conservation significant species were recorded during the current survey and a further two were considered to have a high likelihood of occurrence, with the potential to be impacted by the project (Table 5.1). These species are considered more fully in Section 5.3. Summary information on 17 species identified during threatened fauna database searches but thought unlikely to occur or be impacted by the project is included in Appendix J. The remaining six species are presumed extinct in the project area. These species are listed below, and were not included the assessment. • Greater Stick‐nest Rat (Wopilkara), Leporillus conditor – Extinct on the mainland • Shark Bay Mouse (Djoongari), Pseudomys fieldi – Extinct on the mainland • Pig‐footed Bandicoot (Kantjilpa), Chaeropus ecaudatus – Presumed extinct • Lesser Stick‐nest Rat, Leporillus apicalis – Presumed extinct • Long‐tailed Hopping Mouse (Koolawa), Notomys longicaudatus – Presumed extinct • Pilbara Leaf‐nosed Bat, Rhinonicteris aurantia – Restricted to the Pilbara region

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment Table 5.1 Conservation Significant Fauna Occurring or Likely to Occur

CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANCE SPECIES HABITAT PREVIOUS RECORDS LIKELIHOOD OF OCCURRENCE REGIONAL IMPACTS EPBC WCA DEC

Mammals

LOW OCCURS – Resident Long‐tailed Dunnart Rocky habitat with grass hummocks Meekatharra and Jack Hills (DEC rare Limited regional habitat, but occurs at Jack P3 Recorded during the survey, suitable (Sminthopsis longicauda) or open mulga habitats. fauna). Hills and areas of the Weld Range outside of habitat present. the impact area defined by the project.

Birds

LOW Widespread distribution outside of study area Slender‐billed Thornbill Treeless or sparsely wooded OCCURS – Resident VU flatlands, samphire and low No previous records. but little suitable habitat in the region. Habitat (Acanthiza iredalei iredalei) melaleuca scrubs. Recorded during this survey. at Weld Range may therefore be regionally significant, but most will not be directly affected by the proposal.

Recorded from Koonamara and Jack LOW Peregrine Falcon Coastal cliffs, riverine gorges and OCCURS – Resident S4 Hills (DEC rare fauna) and within the Little reduction in foraging or breeding (Falco peregrinus) wooded watercourses. Recorded during the survey. project area. habitat.

LOW Recorded from Jack Hills and areas Lightly wooded country next to OCCURS – Resident Bush Stone‐curlew surrounding Weld Range (Birds Some suitable habitat will be impacted by P4 daytime shelter of thickets or long Australia 2009, DEC rare fauna, Recorded during survey, suitable habitat project but has been recently recorded in (Burhinus grallarius) grass. ecologia unpubl. data). present. surrounding arid woodlands and shrublands as well.

Recorded at Meka, Mileura and HIGH – Nomadic Visitor LOW Australian Bustard Open grasslands, chenopod flats Wanarie (DEC rare fauna) as well as P4 Recorded in surrounding areas and large Limited disturbance to suitable habitat. (Ardeotis australis) and low heathland. records from surrounding areas (Birds areas of suitable habitat present outside Nomadic lifestyle allows movement away Australia 2009) of the project area. from disturbances.

HIGH – Migratory Visitor LOW Rainbow Bee‐eater Open country, most vegetation Recorded from surrounding areas by M Relatively common in region. Some Project not expected to significantly reduce (Merops ornatus) types, dunes, banks. ecologia; also Birdata (2009). suitable habitat present on plains habitat. Suitable habitat found adjacent to surrounding Weld Range. project area.

Reptiles

MEDIUM Restricted distribution; endemic to the region. Recorded from several locations in the OCCURS – Resident Common at Weld Range but also present in Lerista eupoda P1 Open mulga areas on loamy soils. surrounding areas. Numerous records from region (Figure 5.1) (DEC Rare Fauna). Recorded several times during the survey. Weld Range suggest that it may be important for the species. Expected to persist in areas unaffected by mining,. NB: Description of conservation significance codes provided in Appendix H. EPBC = Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; WCA = Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 (Specially Protected Fauna) Notice 2008(2); DEC = Department of Environment and Conservation Priority Fauna list

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5.3 CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANT FAUNA RECORDED AND LIKELY TO OCCUR

5.3.1 Mammals

5.3.1.1 Long‐tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis longicaudata) – DEC Priority 3 The Long‐tailed Dunnart is a small carnivorous marsupial that can be distinguished from other Sminthopsis species by the length of its tail, which is more than twice the head‐body length (Burbidge et al. 2008). This species is mostly found in rocky country in the western arid zone, although occasionally individuals have been recorded in open country with a gravel/stony mantle. Breeding appears to occur from August with young dispersing by March/April (Burbidge et al. 2008). This species has only been recorded from widely separated populations in the Pilbara, Murchison, Gibson Desert, southern Carnarvon Basin and in the Western MacDonnell Ranges (Northern Territory) (Burbidge et al. 2008). Long‐tailed Dunnarts were commonly recorded, occurring at Sites 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7 (Figure 5.2). There are few records from areas surrounding Weld Range (DEC rare fauna) and their preferred habitat (as well as unpublished trapping data from surrounding areas) suggests that they are localised to the range habitat, rather than mulga shrublands surrounding the range, even where stony substrates are present. The species is restricted to rocky habitats of the kind that will be most heavily impacted by the proposed project. Loss of rocky habitats will result in a localised reduction in abundance of this species, but it is expected to persist in areas of the range adjacent to those proposed to be impacted, as approx. 87.5% of the range is expected to be unaffected by mining.

5.3.2 Birds

5.3.2.1 Slender‐billed Thornbill (western subspecies) (Acanthiza iredalei iredalei) – EPBC Act Vulnerable The western subspecies of the Slender‐billed Thornbill occurs in the arid and semi‐arid zones of southern Western Australia and South Australia. They are found predominantly in chenopod shrublands, in treeless or sparsely wooded flatlands, and also samphire and low melaleuca scrubs (Johnstone and Storr 2004). Slender‐billed Thornbills are usually observed in pairs or small groups of up to 10 birds, feeding on small invertebrates caught on the ground or in low shrubs. They breed in solitary pairs in late winter and early spring (Johnstone and Storr 2004). Habitat destruction of chenopod vegetation by livestock and rabbits has resulted in a very reduced and disjointed distribution across southern Western Australia (Recher and Davis 2000; Johnstone and Storr 2004). Slender‐billed Thornbills are uncommon, rare or extinct across most of their range with the exception of populations on the mid‐west coast, where they are considered moderately common (Johnstone and Storr 2004). This species was recorded during the survey in an area of chenopod vegetation to the north of Madoonga deposit (Figure 5.2). The local population of this species may be affected by disturbance to this habitat type. As the population in the wider region surrounding Weld Range is likely to be low due to restricted habitat types, the local population may be regionally significant. However, because most of the chenopod shrubland inhabited by the thornbills will not be directly affected by the proposal, impacts to the local population are not expected to be significant.

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5.3.2.2 Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) – WCA Schedule 4 This nomadic or sedentary falcon is widespread in many parts of Australia and some of its continental islands, but absent from most deserts and the Nullarbor Plain. It most commonly occurs near cliffs along coasts, rivers and ranges and around wooded watercourses and lakes. Peregrines nest primarily on ledges in cliffs, granite outcrops and in quarries but may also nest in tree hollows around wetlands. The species is considered to be moderately common in the Stirling Range, uncommon in the Kimberley, Hamersley and Darling Ranges, and rare or scarce elsewhere (Johnstone and Storr 1998). One Peregrine Falcon was recorded during the survey (Figure 5.2) and there is some suitable breeding habitat within the project area. Impacts to this species are expected to be low and include a reduction in hunting and nesting habitat along parts of the range. Other areas of the range provide suitable habitats and the species has also been recorded regionally at Jack Hills and Koonamara (DEC rare fauna search).

5.3.2.3 Bush Stone‐curlew (Burhinus grallarius) – DEC Priority 4 Bush Stone‐curlews occur across much of Australia preferring lightly wooded country near thickets or long grass that acts as daytime shelter. They are usually seen in pairs, although in the breeding season (August to January), small flocks gather. Their characteristic calls given at night are often the best indicator of their presence (Geering et al. 2007). Historically, this species was widely distributed throughout much of WA, but it is now considered rare, with an estimated Australian population of 15,000 individuals (Garnett and Crowley 2000). Since Bush Stone‐curlews are a ground dwelling and non‐migratory species they may be susceptible to local disturbances by humans and to predation by cats and foxes (Schodde and Tidemann 1986; Johnstone and Storr 1998). Bush Stone‐curlews were recorded within the project areas (Sites 9, 15 and during the second infrastructure survey) (Figure 5.2) and there are other records of the species from surrounding areas (ecologia unpublished data, Birdata and DEC records). Potential impacts to the species include the destruction of nests during land clearing and an increase in feral predators. Because the birds appear to be widespread in the region, no impacts to the regional population are anticipated.

5.3.2.4 Australian Bustard (Ardeotis australis) – DEC Priority 4 Australian Bustards are large, ground‐dwelling birds that occur Australia wide and utilise a number of open habitats, including open or lightly wooded grasslands, chenopod flats, plains and heathlands (Johnstone and Storr 1998). They are nomadic, ranging over very large areas, and their abundance varies locally and seasonally from scarce to common, largely dependent on rainfall and food availability. Although the population size is still substantial, there has been a large historical decline in abundance, particularly south of the tropics, but also across northern Australia (Garnett and Crowley 2000). This is a result of hunting, degradation of its grassland habitat by sheep and rabbits and predation by foxes and cats (Schodde and Tidemann 1986; Garnett and Crowley 2000). Bustards readily desert nests in response to disturbance by humans, sheep or cattle (Garnett and Crowley 2000). The Australian Bustard has previously been recorded on stations surrounding the project area (DEC rare fauna and Birdata). Suitable habitat was recorded from much of the flat plains surrounding Weld range, including some areas of proposed infrastructure development. There is a high likelihood that this species occurs within the project area as a nomadic visitor; however, no impacts to individuals or the regional population are anticipated.

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5.3.2.5 Rainbow Bee‐eater (Merops ornatus) – EPBC Act Migratory The Rainbow Bee‐eater is a striking, colourful bird that lives almost anywhere suitable for hawking insects, principally bees, flies, dragonflies and grasshoppers. In Western Australia, this species can occur as a resident, breeding visitor, postnuptial nomad, passage migrant or winter visitor. They are scarce to common throughout much of Western Australia, except for the arid interior, preferring lightly wooded, preferably sandy, country near water (Johnstone and Storr 1998). They nest in burrows dug usually at a slight angle on flat ground, sandy banks or cuttings, and often at the margins of roads or tracks (Simpson and Day 2004). Rainbow Bee‐eaters are found in many areas throughout the western Murchison during the summer breeding season (Birds Australia 2009) but they were not recorded during the survey. They prefer sandy embankments for nesting burrows and would be unlikely to breed in the rocky habitats most impacted by the proposed project. Although no individuals were recorded during this survey, this species is expected to have a high likelihood of occurrence in the project area but because it is unlikely to breed there, it is predicted that no significant impacts will arise as a result of developments at Weld Range.

5.3.3 Reptiles

5.3.3.1 Lerista eupoda – DEC Priority 1 Lerista eupoda is a moderately large species of burrowing skink possessing two fingers, three toes, a moveable eyelid and a bold vertebral stripe (Storr et al. 1999). This species can be readily distinguished from the similar looking Lerista nichollsi, which lacks forelimbs and moveable eyelids. Endemic to the Murchison bioregion, little is known about the ecology of this species although preferred habitats are thought to be open mulga on loamy soils (Wilson and Swan 2008). Its current distribution is within approximately 10,000 km2. Under current IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature) guidelines, species with a range of fewer than 20,000 km2 are considered vulnerable. Previous records from 14 km NNE of Cue (holotype locality), Nannine, Reedy and Cooldardy (DEC rare fauna) and records (W3 and W4) from fauna surveys for the proposed rail corridor (ecologia unpublished data), combined with several records from this survey, support the assertion that the distribution of this species is restricted to the area between Meekatharra and Cue (Figure 5.1). Lerista eupoda appears to be locally common at Weld Range. Sixteen captures of this skink were recorded during this survey from five sites (Site 1, 5, 9, 16, and 17) and opportunistically during infrastructure surveys (Figure 5.2). Four of the five sites are located in rocky areas with two sites (1 and 9) located on top of the main ridge line that forms the Weld Range. The fifth site (Site 17) and specimens recorded during the infrastructure survey were located on the flat plains surrounding Weld Range and consisted of mixed eucalypt / mulga woodland on sandy soils. A further three individuals were recorded during invertebrate fauna surveys at two sites (W20, W25) south of the Madoonga deposit. This species appears to prefer a wide range of fauna habitats, and was frequently caught in leaf litter under mulga. As this microhabitat potentially occurs in numerous habitat types across the region, L. eupoda appears to be restricted by constraints other than those readily observable during the survey. Clearing during construction and mining will result in a partial reduction of this species’ population size, as fauna habitats that support it are lost. However, it is expected that L. eupoda will persist in adjacent areas not affected by mining, as approx. 87.5% of the range will be unaffected.

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Figure 5.1 Locations of All Currently Known Lerista eupoda Records

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6.0 IMPACT ASSESSMENT

6.1 IMPACTS ON FAUNA HABITATS AND ASSEMBLAGES

From a regional perspective, Weld Range has a high conservation value as it is one of the few areas of relief (hills and ridges) in an area dominated by flat plains. The fauna habitats that will be most affected by the Project are the acacia shrublands of rocky hillslopes, rocky ridges, breakaway and drainage lines of Weld Range. These rocky habitats are uncommon in the region, so there is potential for impact to regional biodiversity. An area of chenopod shrubland north‐west of Madoonga deposit is one of few such areas in the region and contributes to the diversity of the project area. Such chenopod shrubland areas are the only locations that Slender‐billed Thornbill (EPBC Vulnerable) are likely to occur in, in the region and impacts to these habitats should be avoided where possible. Only a small proportion (thought to be less than 5%) of the chenopod shrubland in the project area may be impacted, therefore Slender‐ billed Thornbill populations should not be significantly affected. Areas that will be affected to a lesser degree include mulga mixed woodland on stony foothills and the open wooded plains surrounding Weld Range. The fauna habitats that will be most affected are associated with the Weld land system. The Weld land system covers only 350 km² within the Murchison bioregion. Jack Hills, 100 km to the north, and Weld Range are the only areas of Weld land system. The proposed operations at Weld Range would have a disturbance footprint of about 28 km², approximately 12.5% of the total area occupied by Weld Range (approx. 225 km2) and most of that impact will be in the Weld land system. Few of the fauna recorded at Weld Range are specific to the range – many occur in surrounding mulga woodlands and other habitats, but some, such as Black‐eared Cuckoo and Chestnut‐breasted Quail‐ Thrush, were particularly common on the range relative to surrounding flatter areas. Other species specific to rocky areas included Woolley’s False Antechinus and Long‐tailed Dunnart (DEC Priority 3). These species are expected to inhabit the approximately 87.5% of Weld Range that contains similar habitats to those in the project and will not be affected. Minimal impacts to the populations of these rock‐dwelling species are therefore anticipated as they are not localised to the project area, inhabiting most of the range. Peregrine Falcon (WC Act Schedule 4) is present, suggesting that it may have been using some of the ridge for breeding. As withe th rock‐inhabiting fauna, they are expected to utilise areas outside of the Project. The habitat requirements of the endemic skink Lerista eupoda are as yet undefined. Although several surveys have been conducted in the region between Jack Hills and Weld Range, and also south‐west along proposed rail infrastructure routes (ecologia unpublished data), this species has only been recorded in the vicinity of Weld Range in recent surveys. Combined with previous records, it appears that the population on and around Weld Range may be important. Due to the restricted nature of this species any impact caused by the development of this project will affect the population to a degree, although approx. 87.5% of the Weld Range will not be cleared and represents suitable habitat for the species, which also occurs in the surrounding region. L. eupoda is therefore expected to persist in the region. Two old mine adits within the impact area were found to contain colonies of Hill’s Sheath‐tailed Bat and Finlayson’s Cave Bat. While these are not conservation significant species, it is unknown whether adits or natural habitats are available outside of the project area for the bats to colonise. As discussed in Section 5.3, Australian Bustard and Rainbow Bee‐eater, although likely to occur at times, are considered to be unlikely to experience any adverse impacts as a result of the Project.

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6.2 OTHER IMPACTS

Fauna are most likely to be affected by clearing and disturbance associated with construction and ongoing operations of the proposed mine. Minimising clearing and progressive rehabilitation will help to reduce impacts associated with habitat loss. Secondary impacts to native fauna include feral fauna, dust, weeds, fire, light pollution and noise pollution. These impacts relate to several aspects of the project, not just fauna, and are discussed in the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the Project.

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7.0 REFERENCES

Baynes, A. (1984). Native mammal remains from Wilgie Mia Aboriginal ochre mine: evidence on the pre‐ European fauna of the western arid zone. Records of the Western Australian Museum, 11: 297‐310. Beard, J. S. (1976). Murchison. Explanatory note to Sheet 6 of vegetation survey of Western Australia. University of Western Australia Press, Nedlands. Birds Australia. (2009). "Birdata: Atlas of Australian Birds Database." 2009, from http://www.birdata.com.au/. Burbidge, A. A., McKenzie, N. L. and Fuller, P. J. (2008). Long‐tailed Dunnart, Sminthopsis longicaudata. In Mammals of Australia. (S. Van Dyck and R. Strahan, Eds.). Reed New Holland. Sydney. pp 148‐150. Bureau of Meteorology. (2008). from http://www.bom.gov.au. Christidis, L. and Boles, W. E. (2008). Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood. Churchill, S. (1998). Australian Bats. Reed New Holland, Sydney. Cogger, H. G. (2000). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. Reed New Holland, Sydney. Colwell, R. K. (2005). EstimateS: Statistical estimation of species richness and shared species from samples. Version 7.5. User's Guide and application published at URL: http://purl.oclc.org/estimates. Curry, P. J., Payne, A. L., Leighton, K. A., Hennig, P., and Blood, D. A. (1994). Technical Bulletin No. 84. An inventory and condition survey of the Murchison River catchment and surrounds, Western Australia. Department of Agriculture, Perth. Desmond, A. J., Cowan, M. and Chant, A. (2003). Murchison 2 (MUR2 ‐ Western Murchison subregion). In A Biodiversity Audit of Western Australia's 53 Biogeographic Subregions in 2002. Department of Environment and Conservation. Perth. pp Desmond, A. J. and Heriot, S. M. (2002). Fauna monitoring of the Chapman River Wildlife Corridor, Geraldton. Department of Environment and Conservation, Geraldton. ecologia Environment (2007). Donald Well Mulgara Survey. Unpublished report for Revere Mining Ltd. ecologia Environment (2008). Jack Hills Stage 2 Fauna Assessment. Unpublished Report for Crosslands Resources Ltd. ecologia Environment (2009). Jack Hills Expansion Project Vertebrate Fauna Assessment. Unpublished Report for Crosslands Resources Ltd. Environmental Protection Authority (2002). Position Statement No. 3: Terrestrial Biological Surveys as an Element of Biodiversity Protection. Perth. Environmental Protection Authority (2004). Guidance Statement No. 56: Terrestrial Fauna Surveys for Environmental Impact Assessment in Western Australia. Perth. Fowler, J. and Cohen, L. (1990). Practical Statistics for Field Biology. Wiley, Chichester, UK. Garnett, S. T. and Crowley, G. M. (2000). The Action Plan for Australian Birds. Environment Australia, Canberra. Geering, A., Agnew, L. and Harding, S. (2007). Shorebirds of Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Sydney.

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Johnstone, R. E. and Storr, G. M. (1998). Handbook of Western Australian Birds, Volume I ‐ Non‐ Passerines (Emu to Dollarbird). Western Australian Museum, Perth. Johnstone, R. E. and Storr, G. M. (2004). Handbook of Western Australian Birds, Volume II ‐ Passerines (Blue‐winged Pitta to Goldfinch). Western Australian Museum, Perth. Magurran, A. (2004). Measuring Biological Diversity. Blackwell Publishing, Carlton. Markey, A.S. and Dillon, S.J. (2006). Draft Flora and Vegetation of the Banded Ironstone Formations of the Yilgarn Craton: the Weld Range. Science Division Department of Environment and Conservation, Perth. MBS Environmental (2005a). Jack Hills Iron Ore Project, Murchison Region, Western Australia: Vegetation and Fauna Assessment. Unpublished report for Murchison Metals Limited. MBS Environmental (2005b). A Vertebrate Fauna Survey of the Jack Hills Project Area, Murchison Region, Western Australia. Unpublished report for Murchison Metals Limited. Menkhorst, P. and Knight, F. (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press, Melbourne. MOLHAR (2007). Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range, Murchison region, Unpublished report for ecologia Environment National Health and Medical Research Council (Australian Government) (2004). Australian code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes. 7th Edition 2004. Canberra. Pavey, C. (2006a). Threatened species of the Northern Territory: Long‐tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis longicaudata). Department of Natural Resources Environment and the Arts, Northern Territory. Pavey, C. (2006b). Threatened species of the Northern Territory: Slender‐billed Thornbill (western subspecies). Department of Natural Resources Environment and the Arts. Parks and Wildlife Commission Northern Territory. Recher, H. F. and Davis, W. E. (2000). A contribution to the natural history of the Slender‐billed Thornbill Acanthiza iredalei in Western Australia. Australian Bird Watcher, 18: 297‐305. Schodde, R. and Mason, I. J. (1999). The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines. CSIRO, Collingwood. Schodde, R. and Tidemann, S. C. (1986). Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds. Reader's Digest, Sydney. Simpson, K. and Day, N. (2004). Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Penguin Group, Camberwell. Speck, N. H. (1963). Vegetation of the Wiluna‐Meekatharra area. In General Report on Lands of the Wiluna‐Meekatharra area, Western Australia, 1958, Land Research Series No 7. CSIRO. Melbourne. pp 143‐161. Storr, G. M., Smith, L. A. and Johnstone, R. E. (1983). Lizards of Western Australia II: Dragons and Monitors. Western Australian Museum, Perth. Storr, G. M., Smith, L. A. and Johnstone, R. E. (1990). Lizards of Western Australia III: Geckos and Pygopods. Western Australian Museum, Perth. Storr, G. M., Smith, L. A. and Johnstone, R. E. (1999). Lizards of Western Australia I: Skinks. Western Australian Museum, Perth. Storr, G. M., Smith, L. A. and Johnstone, R. E. (2002). Snakes of Western Australia. Western Australian Museum, Perth.

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Thackway, R. and Cresswell, I. D., Eds. (1995). An Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia: a Framework for Establishing the National System of Reserves, Version 4.0. Australian Nature Conservation Agency. Canberra. Tyler, M. J., Smith, L. A. and Johnstone, R. E. (2000). Frogs of Western Australia. Western Australian Museum, Perth. Van Dyck, S. and Strahan, R. (2008). The Mammals of Australia. Sydney, Reed New Holland. 3rd Edition. Western Wildlife Pty Ltd (2006). Jack Hills Project Area 2006 fauna survey. Unpublished report prepared for MBS Environmental. Wilson, S. and Swan, G. (2008). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia. New Holland Publishers, Sydney.

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APPENDIX A CLIMATIC DATA

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Appendix A1 Climatic Averages for Meekatharra Airport Weather Station

Lat: ‐26.6136 S Long: 118.5372 E Commenced: 1944 Last Record: 2004 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual Mean daily maximum temperature (ºC): 38.1 36.5 34.3 29.1 23.6 19.6 18.9 21.2 25.5 29.4 33.1 36.4 28.8 Mean daily minimum temperature (ºC): 24.3 23.6 21.3 17.0 12.0 8.8 7.4 8.5 11.5 14.9 18.6 22.1 15.8 Mean 9 am relative humidity (%): 30.0 37.0 38.0 45.0 53.0 64.0 61.0 52.0 41.0 33.0 29.0 29.0 43.0 Mean 3 pm relative humidity (%): 18.0 24.0 23.0 28.0 34.0 42.0 38.0 31.0 22.0 18.0 16.0 16.0 26.0 Mean 9 am wind speed (km/hr): 20.4 20.6 20.2 18.7 16.8 14.8 15.5 17.6 19.5 20.1 19.7 19.6 18.6 Mean 3 pm wind speed (km/hr): 15.1 15.7 14.6 14.0 14.3 14.6 15.1 15.9 17.0 17.3 16.5 15.3 15.4 Mean monthly rainfall (mm): 27.4 34.7 27.5 21.3 24.5 32.6 22.0 11.8 4.7 6.1 11.4 12.0 235.9 Mean no. of rain days: 4.1 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.6 6.0 5.6 3.8 1.9 1.6 2.3 3.0 45.8 Highest monthly rainfall (mm): 135.4 174.2 259.0 159.2 96.0 186.6 165.7 56.2 40.8 61.8 113.2 91.4 ‐ Mean daily evaporation (mm): 16.3 14.3 12.0 8.3 5.5 3.8 3.9 5.3 8.1 11.1 13.6 15.2 9.8

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Appendix A2 Daily Weather at Meekatharra during Weld Range Level 2 Surveys

DATE MIN TEMP (°C) MAX TEMP (°C) RAIN (mm) WELD RANGE ‐ PHASE 1 18/09/06 13.5 23.9 0 19/09/06 9.0 24.3 0 20/09/06 9.5 27.5 0 21/09/06 9.8 28.9 0 22/09/06 10.2 26.5 0 23/09/06 11.8 24.6 0 24/09/06 12.0 28.4 0 25/09/06 12.7 32.4 0 26/09/06 13.5 28.7 0 27/09/06 15.2 32.2 0 28/09/06 15.4 33.1 0 29/09/06 17.8 35.6 0 30/09/06 15.7 33.2 0 01/10/06 15.4 32.5 0 02/10/06 19.4 36.4 0 03/10/06 15.6 28.5 0 MEAN ± SE 13.5 ± 3.0 29.8 ± 3.9 0 WELD RANGE – PHASE 2 21/03/07 22.5 35.0 0 22/03/07 22.0 38.4 0 23/03/07 20.0 31.8 0 24/03/07 18.3 28.9 0 25/03/07 15.3 33.0 0 26/03/07 21.0 36.3 0 27/03/07 15.2 23.3 0 28/03/07 11.9 24.5 0 29/03/07 12.4 26.8 0 30/03/07 11.9 30.0 0 31/03/07 17.9 30.7 0 01/04/07 21.4 33.1 0 02/04/07 19.0 33.8 0 03/04/07 22.0 34.5 0 04/04/07 23.3 35.5 0 MEAN ± SE 18.3 ± 4.0 31.7 ± 4.4 0

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WELD RANGE NORTH – PHASE 3 12/04/07 17.3 34.7 0 13/04/07 20.4 35.5 0 14/04/07 22.8 36.3 0 15/04/07 19.5 36.0 0 16/04/07 19.3 29.0 0 17/04/07 15.2 33.9 0 18/04/07 16.3 32.2 0 19/04/07 15.0 28.1 0 20/04/07 15.2 28.1 0 21/04/07 17.1 31.7 0 22/04/07 20.1 30.5 1.0 23/04/07 16.3 28.7 1.0 24/04/07 13.9 26.1 0 25/04/07 17.6 19.4 9.8 26/04/07 15.8 20.4 11.4 MEAN ± SE 17.5 ± 2.5 30.0 ± 5.2 1.5 ± 3.7 WELD RANGE NORTH – PHASE 4 21/09/07 13.2 29.5 0 22/09/07 11.8 27.4 0 23/09/07 9.9 30.9 0 24/09/07 13.6 26.2 0 25/09/07 7.9 20.0 1.2 26/09/07 6.7 23.7 0 27/09/07 11.1 26.7 0 28/09/07 12.1 28.3 0 29/09/07 14.3 31.5 0 30/09/07 16 33.3 0 01/10/07 16.8 34.9 0 02/10/07 16 32.1 0 MEAN ± SE 12.5 ± 3.2 28.7 ± 4.2 0.1 ± 0.3 SE = Standard Error

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Appendix A3 Daily Weather at Meekatharra during Weld Range Infrastructure Level 1 Surveys

DATE MIN TEMP (°C) MAX TEMP (°C) RAIN (mm) WELD RANGE INFRASTRUCTURE SEP 08 31/08/08 4.6 18.9 0 01/09/08 6.5 20.9 0 02/09/08 7.7 23.8 0 03/09/08 11.1 26.4 0 04/09/08 12.6 28.1 0 05/09/08 15.1 23.5 0 MEAN ± SE 9.6 ± 4.0 24.5 ± 2.8 0 WELD RANGE INFRASTRUCTURE AUG 09

18/09/09 8.4 24.6 0 19/09/09 8.6 24.4 0 20/09/09 9.2 25.6 0 21/09/09 16.9 23.5 0 22/09/09 9.6 18 1.4 23/09/09 7.7 19.8 0.2 24/09/09 8.9 20.6 0 MEAN ± SE 9.9 ± 3.1 22.4 ± 2.9 0.2 ± 0.5 SE = Standard Error

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APPENDIX B STAKEHOLDER CORRESPONDENCE

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APPENDIX B1 Details of Stakeholder Correspondence

STAKEHOLDER DATE COMMENTS

Mr Mark Cowan Phone call to Mark Cowan. Mark recommended that 25 May 2006 Principal Ecologist Rangelands spring survey be undertaken DEC in October / November.

Mr Mark Cowan Principal Ecologist Rangelands 26 February 2007 DEC

Mr John Dell A letter was sent out to Environmental Officer 26 February 2007 these stakeholders, the DEC contents of which are provided on the following Mr Nic Woolfrey pages. Principal coordinator – Development Approvals. 27 February 2007 Environment Conservation Branch DEC

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Insert Date

Insert Name of person Insert their Title Insert their Address

Dear Insert their NAME / Mr/Ms etc

RE: Weld Range EIA Vertebrate Fauna Assessment

ecologia has been commissioned by Sinosteel Midwest Management (SMM) to undertake a vertebrate fauna assessment of the Weld Range Project. The project has yet to be referred to the DEC; however it is anticipated that the level of assessment will be set at Public Environmental Review (PER), and a Level 2 (detailed) Terrestrial Fauna Survey.

The Weld Range Project is located 70 km north-west of Cue, in the Murchison region of Western Australia. The Weld Range is 60km long and lies within the Western Murchison subregion (MUR-2) as classified by Thackway and Cresswell, (1995). High grade iron ore mineralization occurs within the Weld Range area as a series of outcroppings of massive goethite-haematite lodes. A number of culturally significant areas also occur at Weld Range including the Wilgie Mia ochre mine. The first phase of a two phase vertebrate fauna survey of the Weld Range project area was conducted in September 2006 by ecologia. The survey was undertaken by the following personnel: • Jeff Turpin – Senior Zoologist/ Project Manager • Stewart Ford – Senior Zoologist • Dawn Fleming – Zoologist • Dean Bradshaw – Zoologist PHASE 1 SURVEY METHODS Survey methods were devised following consideration of the Environmental Protection Authority’s Position Statement No. 3: Terrestrial Biological Surveys as an Element of Biodiversity Protection and Guidance Statement 56: Terrestrial Fauna Surveys for Environmental Impact Assessment in Western Australia. Eight survey sites were established in the project area and covered the major fauna habitats within the areas of proposed disturbance. Each site comprised a combination of pit fall traps, Elliot box traps, funnel traps and cage traps. Traps remained open for a period of ten nights. Additional opportunistic sites (A- E) were established to further survey the area. Bird surveys were conducted as per Birds Australia guidelines for a total of 180 minutes at each of the survey sites and also opportunistically throughout the project area. Reptiles, frogs and mammals were actively searched for during the day and night. A summary of survey effort is provided below:

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Site Pitfall Elliot Funnel Cage Bird Bat Nocturnal Diurnal Trap Trap Trap Trap Census Recording Search Search Nights Nights Nights Nights (minutes) (minutes) (minutes) (minutes) 1 100 200 200 20 180 160 180 200 2 100 200 200 20 180 120 120 180 3 100 200 200 20 180 300 120 420 4 100 200 200 20 180 160 180 180 5 100 200 200 20 180 30 120 180 6 100 200 200 20 180 160 120 370 7 100 200 200 20 180 160 120 210 8 100 200 200 20 180 120 200 300 A 160 120 120 B 40 160 C 40 90 90 180 D 60 180 E 40 120 Adit 1 160 120 Adit 2 160 120 Total 800 1600 1600 160 1980 1780 1610 2800

PHASE I SURVEY RESULTS Thirty six species of reptile, one species of frog, 13 species of native mammal (including six bats) and 70 species of bird were recorded during surveying. Species of conservation significance are those listed under Federal and/or State Legislature (the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 (WCA) respectively) or those listed by the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) as being of conservation priority (DEC Priority 1 – 5). Conservation significant species recorded during the initial survey were: • Lerista eupoda - Priority 1 • Long-tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis longicaudata) – DEC Priority 3 • Bush-stone Curlew (Burhinus grallarius) - DEC Priority 4 • Slender-billed Thornbill (Acanthiza iredalei) – Vulnerable Old nests of an extinct Stick-nest Rat Leporillus sp. were also found at a number of locations.

A list of all species recorded during the phase one survey is included at the end of this document. A search of the DEC’s Threatened and Priority Fauna Database indicates that an additional seven species of conservation significance have been recorded in the Weld Range area: • Bilby (Macrotis lagotis) - WCA Schedule 1 (last confirmed sighting in 1961) • Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) – WCA Schedule 4 • Major Mitchell's Cockatoo (Cacatua leadbeateri) – WCA Schedule 4 (recorded from Mileura station to the north) • Crested Bellbird (southern) (Oreoica gutturalis gutturalis) – DEC Priority 4. • Australian Bustard (Ardeotis australis) – DEC Priority 4

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• Western Pebble-mound Mouse (Ngadji) (Pseudomys chapmani) – DEC Priority 4 • Ghost Bat (Macroderma gigas) – DEC Priority 4 An additional seven species of conservation significance have been recorded within a 100 km radius of Weld Range.

PROPOSED PHASE II SURVEY METHODS The second phase of surveying is scheduled to be undertaken in April 2007. Sites established during the Phase 1 survey (September 2006) will be reopened and used for the second survey. A further four survey sites will also be established both within and outside the disturbance footprint to ensure all habitats within the survey area are sampled. The proposed Phase 2 survey will use a variety of sampling techniques, including systematic and opportunistic sampling, as follows. Trapping Trapping for terrestrial mammals and herpetofauna will be undertaken using a standardised trapping format comprising a combination of pit-fall traps, Elliot box traps, funnel traps and cage traps. Traps will be open for a minimum of ten nights. Trap Specifications 1. Pit-trap and drift fence: Five PVC pipe (16 cm diameter, minimum 50 cm deep) and five 20 L plastic buckets (30 cm diameter, 40 cm deep) located at each site. A six metre flywire drift fence (30 cm high) bisects the pits, directing fauna into the traps. Pit traps are placed in a linear transect approximately 50 metres apart. 2. Aluminium box traps: Twenty medium sized aluminium box traps (9 x 9 x 32 cm) are located in each site and baited with Universal Bait (a mixture of peanut butter, rolled oats and sardines). 3. Funnel traps: Two funnel traps are placed at the ends of each drift fence so that 20 traps in total will be placed at each site. 4. Cage traps: Two traps are located at each site, with one trap placed at each end of the trap line. Avifauna Twenty minute set-time surveys will be used to document the avifauna present at each of the six fauna sites. During each set-time survey an observer records numbers of each species seen while actively searching a 20 ha area over a fixed 20 minute time period. This technique is the basis for the ongoing continental-scale avifaunal survey of Australia: the Birds Australia Atlas project. Nine set-time surveys will be undertaken at each site: six will be undertaken during the post-dawn (06:00- 09:00) period and three will be undertaken during the pre-dusk (15:00-18:00) period. Opportunistic surveys (see below) between these times will be conducted as well, as these surveys may yield species less frequently observed in the early morning or late evening, e.g. diurnal raptors. Bats Bat echolocation calls will be detected using an ANABAT II system (Titley Electronics, Ballina, NSW). The ANABAT Bat Detector is able to transform ultrasonic bat echolocation calls for analysis with computer software. The transformed calls will be stored on Minidiscs and played back onto a PC for analysis. Records will be made in each habitat present in the project area and at the mouth of caves. Microhabitat Searching

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Each trapping site will be hand searched for cryptic species, or those unlikely to be recorded in traps, for a minimum of two person hours. This will comprise searching beneath the bark of dead trees, breaking open old logs, stumps and dead free-standing trees, investigating burrows and recording tracks, diggings and scats, and over-turning logs and stones. Each trapping site will be searched for nocturnal species using head torches and spotlights for a minimum of two person hours. Opportunistic Sampling will utilise the following techniques: • Spotlighting The study area will be searched at night using a combination of road transects using vehicle-mounted spotlights and opportunistic ground searches using head torches and hand held spotlights for nocturnal species, such as geckos, snakes and nocturnal birds. • Secondary Evidence Tracks, diggings, scats, burrows and nests will be recorded where possible. • Opportunistic Searching Opportunistic sites will be selected on the basis of their representative nature of the study area, and also based upon whether they were well-represented by the systematic trapping effort. Each opportunistic site will be hand searched for cryptic species or those unlikely to be recorded in traps for a minimum of two person hours. This will comprise searching beneath the bark of dead trees, breaking open old logs, stumps and dead free-standing trees, investigating burrows and recording tracks, diggings and scats, and over-turning logs and stones. • Opportunistic Sightings The presence of species observed while searching, travelling and during trap establishment within the study area during the day and night will be recorded.

Rare Fauna Searches Listed below are fauna species identified in the DEC rare fauna database that have been recorded within 100 km of Weld Range (including date of the most recent record) that were not recorded during the first survey. Also included are the methods that will be utilised by ecologia during the second phase of surveying to search for these species.

Species Date and location of most Survey methods recent record

Bilby (Macrotis lagotis) 1984; Weld Range Search for distinctive burrows, tracks and diggings. May be caught in cage traps.

Ghost Bat (Macroderma Weld Range (scats) Target search for scats and feeding signs in gigas) caves, acoustic recordings on ANABAT.

Black-flanked Rock 1854; Mt Welcome Targeted search for individuals in suitable Wallaby (Petrogale habitat. Collection of scats. May be caught in Wilgie Mia (Fossil) lateralis lateralis) cage traps.

Peregrine Falcon (Falco 2006; Jack Hills Targeted search for individuals in suitable peregrinus) habitat. Bird censuses in survey sites.

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Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo 1981; Dairy Creek Targeted search for individuals in suitable (Cacatua leadbeateri) habitat. Bird censuses in survey sites.

Western Pebble-mound 1994; Errong Springs Pit traps and Elliot traps. Presence of pebble Mouse (Pseudomys Station mounds in suitable habitat. chapmani)

Australian Bustard 1974; Mileura Targeted search for individuals in suitable (Ardeotis australis) habitat. Bird censuses in survey sites.

Rufous Fieldwren 1984; Hy Brazil Targeted search for individuals in suitable (Calamanthus campestris habitat. Bird censuses in survey sites. montanellus)

Western Spiny-tailed Skink 1996; Woodleigh, 1998 Targeted search for individuals and scats in (Egernia stokesii badia) Austin Downs/ Weld suitable habitat. Range

Cyclodomorphus 2005: Mt Magnet Pit traps. Hand foraging in suitable habitat. branchialis

Night Parrot (Pezoporus 1854: Dagger Hills Targeted search for individuals in suitable occidentalis) habitat. Bird censuses in survey sites.

Surveying will be conducted as per ecologia’s Animal Ethics Code of Practice, which conforms to Section 5 of the Australian code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes (Australian Government 2004: 39-43), WA Museum guidelines (unpublished) and ecologia’s Quarantine and Hygiene Policy. In most cases, fauna will be identified in the field and released at the point of capture. Where the taxonomy of specimens is not clearly discernable, or when species are collected that are known to exhibit significant morphological variation, or are not yet fully described, or have been requested by staff at the WA Museum, vouchers specimens will be lodged with the W.A. Museum.

REQUEST Following consideration of the previous survey work carried out at Weld Range by Ecologia, can you please advise whether the proposed survey methods outlined in this document are anticipated to be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the DEC for vertebrate fauna surveys conducted as part of the formal PER EIA process for the Weld Range project.

Yours sincerely,

Jeff Turpin Senior Zoologist

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Fauna Recorded During the Weld Range Survey (Phase 1)

BIRDS MAMMALS REPTILES Australian Kestrel Red-capped Robin Bos taurus Amphibolurus longirostris Australian Owlet Nightjar Redthroat Canis lupus dingo Antaresia perthsensis Australian Pipit Rufous Songlark Capra hircus Brachyurophis approximans Australian Ringneck Rufous Whistler Felis catus Caimanops amphiboluroides Black-eared Cuckoo Sacred Kingfisher Leporillus sp. Chelodina steindachneri Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Singing Honeyeater Macropus robustus Cryptoblepharus carnabyi Black-faced Woodswallow Slatey-backed Thornbill Macropus rufus Ctenophorus caudicinctus Bourke’s Parrot Slender-billed thornbill Mus musculus Ctenophorus reticulatus Brown Falcon Southern White-face Oryctolagus cuniculus Ctenophorus scutulatus Brown Goshawk Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Pseudantechinus woolleyae Ctenotus leonhardii Pseudomys Budgerigar Splendid Fairy-wren hermansburgensis Ctenotus schomburgkii Bush Stone Curlew Spotted Nightjar Sminthopsis dolichura Ctenotus severus Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush Tree Martin Sminthopsis longicaudata Ctenotus uber Chestnut-rumped Thornbill Varigated Fairy-Wren Tachyglossus aculeatus Delma australis Cockatiel Weebill Diplodactylus pulcher Common Bronzewing Wedge-tailed Eagle Tadarida australis Diplodactylus squarrosus Corvid sp. Welcome Swallow Taphozous hilli Egernia depressa Crested Bellbird Western Bowerbird Chalinolobus gouldii Eremiascincus richardsonii Crested Pigeon Western Gerygone Vespadelus finlaysoni Furina ornata Crimson Chat White-browed Babbler Scotorepens balstoni Gehyra punctata Diamond Dove White-plumed Honeyeater Nyctophilus geoffroyi Gehyra variegata Emu White-winged Triller Tadarida australis Heteronotia binoei Fairy Martin White-winged Wren Lerista eupoda Galah Whistling Kite Lerista muelleri Ground Cuckoo-Shrike Willie Wagtail Litoria rubella Grey Butcherbird Yellow-rumped Thornbill Menetia greyii Grey Shrike-thrush Yellow-throated Miner Oedura marmorata Grey-crowned Babbler Zebra Finch Parasuta monachus Hooded Robin Pogona minor Horsefield’s Bronze-cuckoo Pseudechis butleri Inland Thornbill Pygopus nigriceps Little Button-quail Ramphotyphlops hamatus Little Crow Strophurus wellingtonae Little Woodswallow Tympanocryptis cephalus Magpie Varanus caudolineatus Magpie Lark Varanus giganteus Masked Woodswallow Varanus panoptes Mulga Parrot Orange Chat Owlet Nightjar Pallid Cuckoo Pied Butcherbird

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

APPENDIX C SITE INFORMATION

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APPENDIX C1 Locations of Level 2 Trapping Survey Sites

Datum: WGS 84 Zone: 50 J Site Fauna Habitat Phase Easting Northing Phase 1 1 Banded Ironstone Ridge 555785 7017012 Phase 2 Phase 1 2 Mulga Drainage Line 558920 7017803 Phase 2 Phase 1 3 Lateritic Breakaway 561216 7018895 Phase 2 Phase 1 4 Drainage Line 562875 7019762 Phase 2 Phase 1 5 Rocky Rise (Ironstone) 576862 7025171 Phase 2 Phase 1 6 Drainage Line 581018 7026409 Phase 2 Phase 1 7 Mulga Woodland on Hill Slope 583376 7027304 Phase 2 Phase 1 8 Mulga Drainage Line 584580 7027805 Phase 2

Phase 2 9 Banded Ironstone Ridge 572215 7026350 only

Phase 2 10 Lateritic Breakaway 573907 7026959 only

Phase 2 11 Acacia Sandplain 574033 7026539 only

Phase 3 12 Rocky Rise (Ironstone) 589402 7038226 Phase 4 Phase 3 13 Acacia Sandplain 588126 7037260 Phase 4 Phase 3 14 Rocky Rise (Quartz) 586591 7032063 Phase 4 Phase 3 15 Granite Outcrops 585445 7030920 Phase 4 Phase 3 16 Rocky Rise (Ironstone) 586306 7035835 Phase 4 Phase 3 17 Eucalypt Sandplain 572410 7031122 Phase 4

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APPENDIX C2 Locations of Level 2 Opportunistic Sites

Datum: WGS 84 Site Land System Description Zone: 50 J Easting Northing Old mine adit located in the side of an AD01 Weld 560301 7018592 ironstone ridge Old mine adit located in the side of an AD02 Weld 582916 7027288 ironstone ridge Large rocky breakaway with overhangs OPPA Weld 554592 7016829 and scree slopes Large rocky breakaway with overhangs OPPB Weld 561816 7019327 and scree slopes Large rocky breakaway with overhangs OPPC Weld 568417 7023864 and scree slopes Samphire shrubland on seasonally OPPD Mileura 557865 7018740 inundated claypan Dense eucalypt woodland with thin OPPE Mileura 558210 7018809 strappy growth forms Mulga woodlands and soft wandrie OPPF Yarrameedie 569942 7028089 country Massive breakaway complex with large OPPG Sherwood overhangs, claypans and large vegetated 566773 7027125 cracks Samphire shrubland on seasonally OPPJ Mileura 557780 7019009 inundated claypan

OPPK Gabanintha Stony hill with mulga woodland 573948 7031953

OPPL Gabanintha Granite outcrop 590467 7035074

OPPM Norie Granite outcrop 590331 7033222

OPPN Cunyu Limestone bore 583558 7028996

OPPP Kalli Spinifex 579593 7034165

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APPENDIX C3 Site Information for Level 1 Survey Sites

Datum: WGS 84 Land Site Site Description Zone: 50 J System Easting Northing WRI 01 Elevated, gently undulating red sand 572699 7032801 WRI 02 plains edged by stripped surfaces on 573061 7033661 laterite and granite; tall acacia shrublands WRI 03 and understorey of wanderrie grasses. 573380 7034274 Vegetation density and species WRI 04 573910 7034312 composition varies across sites although WRI 05 fauna habitats remain consistent. 574295 7034389 WRI 06 574759 7034169 WRI 07 574175 7034006 WRI 08 572200 7031646 WRI 09 571302 7029061 WRI 10 Kalli 570914 7029805 WRI 11 567158 7029847 WRI 12 566626 7029842. WRI 13 567264 7030087 WRI 14 567611 7030153 WRI 15 568048 7030423 WRI 16 568433 7030661 WRI 17 568690 7031037 WRI 18 569699 7031152 WRI 19 570458 7030678

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Datum: WGS 84 Land Site Site Description Zone: 50 J System Easting Northing Hardpan wash plains with variable dark WRI 21 579649 7029994 gravely mantling and weakly groved vegetation; minor sandy banks; supports WRI 22 scattered mulga shrublands. 578583 7029777

WRI 23 577028 7029635 Jundee WRI 24 575389 7029127

WRI 32 564121 7022743

WRI 33 563633 7022391

WRI 25 574434 7028742

WRI 26 Undulating stony interfluves, drainage 571652 7027604 WRI 27 floors and pediment (foothill) plains 570755 7027145 below major ranges of crystalline rocks WRI 28 569726 7026741 (mainly Weld land system) supporting WRI 29 sparse mulga shrublands. 568522 7025932 WRI 30 567825 7025404 WRI 31 564513 7023028 Yarrameedie WRI 34 562380 7021430 WRI 35 560614 7019841 WRI 36 561175 7020157 WRI 59 567540 7025830 WRI 60 560566 7019345 WRI 61 561060 7019609 WRI 62 559855 7019155

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Datum: WGS 84 Land Site Site Description Zone: 50 J System Easting Northing

WRI 37 Sites were located in the foothills of the 583572 7028554 WRI 38 rugged ranges and ridges of the Weld 583137 7028329 Range. Vegetation consisted of acacia WRI 39 581574 7027264 shrublands on stony clay with rocky WRI 40 mantle consisting of large rock fragments. 581357 7027656 WRI 41 580999 7028323 WRI 45 Weld 582023 7027583 WRI 46 580557 7026704 WRI 47 579907 7026446 WRI 48 582001 7026442 WRI 49 582731 7026501 WRI 64 559002 7018580 WRI 65 558514 7018350

WRI 20 Gently undulating gravely plains on 580547 7029601 greenstone, laterite and hardpan, with low stony rises and minor saline plains; WRI 42 supports mulga and bowgada‐dominated 580929 7028728 shrublands, with dense mulga groves and WRI 43 patchy halophytic shrublands. 581403 7028069

WRI 44 Violet 582026 7028078

WRI 50 582650 7026033

WRI 51 582075 7025756

WRI 52 581506 7025979

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Datum: WGS 84 Land Site Site Description Zone: 50 J System Easting Northing

Extensive, gently sloping stony and sandy WRI 53 567387 7027298 plains on granite and gneiss below saline footslopes of lateritised breakaway and outcrops of weathered rock; mainly WRI 54 567290 7027710 supports scattered mulga shrublands with understorey non/ halophytic shrubs. WRI 55 566843 7027335 Sherwood WRI 56 566763 7027092

WRI 57 566531 7027233

WRI 58 566150 7027141

WRI 63 Almost flat hardpan wash, with or 559320 7018851 without small wanderrie banks and Yanganoo showing variable development of weak WRI 66 559367 7019752 groving; supports mulga shrublands. Saline and non‐saline calcreted river plains, with clayey flood plains WRI 67 interrupted by raised calcrete platforms 558378 7019237 supporting diverse and very variable tall shrublands, mixed halophytic shrublands and shrubby grasslands. Sites were located in a patch of tall thin strappy Eucalyptus sp.

WRI 68 Mileura 558575 7018932

WRI 69 558223 7018831

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APPENDIX D TARGETED GHOST BAT SURVEY REPORT MOLHAR PTY LTD

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Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range, Murchison region

Type: Field survey and acoustic analysis

Client: Ecologia Environment

Prepared by: MOLHAR Pty Ltd

Date: 15 March 2007 Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range

Job016 Document revision history Date Type 15 March 2007 First draft for comment by Ecologia 16 April 2007 Final Draft

Front cover: View of thunderstorms at sunset from Wilgie Mia.

MOLHAR PTY LTD ABN 46 117 824 629 Established January 2006

Contacts Kyle Armstrong, PhD

Postal 46A Cale Street, Como, Western Australia 6152.

Laboratory WA State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (SABC), Loneragan Building, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150.

Email [email protected] [email protected]

Telephone Office 08 9450 6852 (intl: +61 8 9450 6852) Mobile 0404 423 264 (intl: +61 404 423 264)

This document has been prepared by Molhar Pty Ltd. for the purpose described herein, and no representation is made to any third party. It may not be reproduced or distributed to any third party by any physical or electronic means without the express permission of Molhar Pty Ltd.

Copyright MOLHAR PTY. LTD. 2 Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range

Contents Page

Summary ...... 4

Introduction and Scope ...... 6

Aims ...... 8

Methods ...... 9 Field verification ...... 9 Acoustic verification ...... 10 Limitations ...... 11

Results ...... 12 Jack Hills ...... 12 Weld Range ...... 12 Echolocation analysis ...... 12

Discussion ...... 23 Surveys ...... 23 Acoustics ...... 25

Conclusions and Recommendations ...... 27

Acknowledgements ...... 27

References ...... 28

Appendices ...... 30 Appendix 1 ...... 31 Appendix 2 ...... 31 Appendix 3 ...... 32

Copyright MOLHAR PTY. LTD. 3 Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range

SUMMARY

As part of biological surveys conducted by Ecologia Environment in September 2006 at Jack Hills and Weld Range, sampling for bats was undertaken using electronic call detectors. Several calls made with this Anabat – Mini Disc system were identified tentatively by another specialist as being from the ghost bat Macroderma gigas. Given the conservation status of this species (Priority 4 as listed on the Department of Environment and Conservation’s Priority Fauna List) and the fact that the project area is some 400 km south of its current distribution, it was strongly recommended to conduct a field survey to verify the record.

A survey was conducted over 5 days in December 2006. Field verification of the presence of M. gigas involved surveys of all sites where calls had been recorded (at both Jack Hills and Weld Range), as well as several mines and caves that had not been surveyed previously. Special effort was made to locate and examine mine adits (horizontal shafts) because these are generally deeper than caves and provide good habitat for M. gigas. Caves and adits were entered according to a standard safe work procedure. Within caves and adits, signs of M. gigas such as scats, prey remains, and individuals were sought. Scats of M. gigas are particularly distinctive, remain for some time in caves and are therefore good indicators of recent past or present use of a structure. Structures such as the Wilgie Mia ochre mine and vertical shafts at Weld Range were too dangerous to enter, and therefore electronic bat call detectors were used to identify species emerging at dusk.

No signs of M. gigas were observed at any site at Jack Hills or Weld Range.

As a result, the original calls were examined in some detail to provide an alternative explanation for their origin.

The weight of evidence against the presence of M. gigas, from both field surveys and reanalysis of acoustic data, is compelling:

1. M. gigas has not been recorded previously at Jack Hills or Weld Range, and it is assumed that such a large conspicuous bat would have been noted if it occurred in the adits or the Wilgie Mia ochre mine. 2. No physical signs of M. gigas were observed on the survey, including scats, prey remains or individuals. In addition, no calls were noted from recordings made on the December 2006 survey.

Copyright MOLHAR PTY. LTD. 4 Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range

3. The sites where putative calls of M. gigas were recorded are relatively shallow, and were smaller than those usually occupied by M. gigas in the Pilbara. If the species was present within several weeks prior to or at the time of the survey, they would most likely have occupied the two deep adits at Weld Range. 4. The suggestion that M. gigas had appeared at Jack Hills and Weld Range as a response to heavy rainfall brought by two recent cyclones is not based on published knowledge of their movement patterns. 5. The structure of the pulses identified from M. gigas, as viewed in a spectrogram, are not entirely consistent with those from the species, and no reference sequence recorded with the Anabat – Mini Disc system is available for comparison. 6. The pulse duration of the putative M. gigas calls is extremely long compared with that in published descriptions, and a reference example provided from the Pilbara (from the unpublished data of K.N. Armstrong). 7. Characteristics of the pulses (duration, frequency, variability of the frequency in successive pulses, and amplitude) is consistent with calls made by either Taphozous hilli / T. georgianus or Vespadelus finlaysoni when they are within or close to the entrance of a cave, or as a response to others of their species (i.e. social calls). As an alternative explanation, I suggest that the putative calls of M. gigas were made by either T. hilli or V. finlaysoni.

I suggest that presence of the ghost bat Macroderma gigas at Jack Hills and Weld Range is highly unlikely, and that M. gigas would not need to be given special consideration in plans for mine development. However, the large breeding aggregations of Taphozous hilli and Vespadelus finalysoni in two adits at Weld Range will need to be excluded or relocated prior to their excavation. This must be done in a careful manner, with advice sought from a bat specialist prior to works.

Copyright MOLHAR PTY. LTD. 5 Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range

INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE Two new iron ore mines are planned for the Murchison region that will share a railway to the coast at Oakajee, north of Geraldton. Murchison Metals Ltd plans to expand production for their Jack Hills Stage 2 project, northwest of Meekatharra. The company anticipates commencement of construction in early 2008 with commissioning and first ore shipments in mid 2010. Midwest Corporation Ltd plan to develop their Weld Range deposit, 50 km northwest of Cue and 65 km southwest of Meekatharra. The Weld Range comprises a series of parallel ridges that rise up to 250 m above the surrounding plains, and extend for c. 60 km.

As part of the environmental assessment for these two projects, Ecologia Environment conducted separate fauna surveys in late 2006. This included surveys for bats using electronic detectors that record ultrasonic bat echolocation calls. The Anabat II bat detector (Titley Electronics, Ballina NSW) is connected to a Sony Mini Disc recorder, and the signals are later recorded onto computer and analysed to determine species identity.

The calls analysed by Mr R.D. Bullen included several thought to be from the ghost bat Macroderma gigas (Megadermatidae). From Jack Hills were “… several clear calls that have all of the characteristics of Mac[roderma] gigas.” (R.D. Bullen email communication to Ecologia Environment 11/10/06). In addition, “… disks from Weld range also have [calls] but they were a bit distorted …” and he stated that he was not convinced of the identification (R.D. Bullen email communication to Ecologia Environment 11/10/06).

The records, if confirmed, would be significant, since the current Western Australian distribution of M. gigas does not extend to the Murchison region, and there are no previous records from either Jack Hills or Weld Range. The most southerly extant records are from the Pilbara: Mt Palgrave (near Barlee Range) and Ophthalmia Range (east of Newman) (Armstrong and Anstee 2000). Subfossil bone and scat material and historical sightings are known from five locations south of the Pilbara: Mt Kenneth (northeast of Paynes Find (Douglas 1967), the Vanaurum mine (east of Wiluna; Douglas 1967), Ghanda Rockhole southwest of the Warburton Range (Butler 1961; Molnar et al. 1984; Churchill and Helman 1990), the Rawlinson Range and the Kathleen Range close to the Northern Territory border (Molnar et al. 1984; Churchill and Helman 1990) (Figure 1). The disappearance of M. gigas from central Western Australia is part of a nation-wide decline that began in the Holocene (Molnar et al. 1984; Churchill and Helman 1990).

Copyright MOLHAR PTY. LTD. 6 Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range

Figure 1. Records of M. gigas north of Perth in Western Australia (adapted from Douglas 1967; Molnar et al. 1984; Churchill and Helman 1990; Armstrong and Anstee 2000). 1: Mt Kenneth; 2. Vanaurum mine, east of Wiluna; 3. Warburton Range; 4. Rawlinson Range; 5. Kathleen Range.

Copyright MOLHAR PTY. LTD. 7 Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range

In addition to the apparent absence of the species south of the Pilbara, the records from Jack Hills and Weld Range would be considered significant since M. gigas is listed as Priority 4 on the Department of Environment and Conservation’s Priority Fauna List. The species not included in a Threatened category under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 or the WA Wildlife Conservation (Specially Protected Fauna) Notice 2006, however the IUCN lists it currently as Vulnerable A2c (IUCN 2006).

Species identifications made from analysis of bat echolocation calls are generally robust if made conservatively on the basis of comparison with reference material. However, records of significant range extensions of Priority fauna should be verified by other means, as recommended following echolocation call identification (R.D. Bullen email communication to Ecologia Environment 11/10/06), and especially if they are to become the basis of special management considerations.

AIMS

1. Confirm records of the ghost bat Macroderma gigas from Jack Hills and Weld Range at sites where echolocation calls were recorded through either observation of bats or their scat (faecal) material. Specifically, this required entry of caves and mine adits, and observations of shafts at dusk for bat emergence.

2. Survey other caves and mines in the project areas for other occurrences.

3. Provide an explanation for the calls if there was no evidence from field surveys.

Copyright MOLHAR PTY. LTD. 8 Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range

METHODS Field verification The field survey of both Jack Hills and Weld Range project areas was conducted from 18 to 22 December 2006. Weather varied from fine and warm to showery, with afternoon or early evening localised thunderstorms. Field verification of the presence of M. gigas involved surveys of all sites where calls had been recorded, as well as several mines and caves that had not been surveyed previously. Special effort was made to locate and examine mine adits (horizontal shafts) because these are generally deeper than caves (at least in the Pilbara) and provide good habitat for M. gigas (Armstrong and Anstee 2000).

Adits and caves were entered and examined according to a safe work procedure adapted from Armstrong and Higgs (2002). Prior to entry, a large sheet of cloth was hung over the entrance to prevent bats exiting the structures during the day, thus reducing the risk of mortality associated with the site inspection. In each adit or cave, the presence of M. gigas was assessed whilst moving into the structure. A comprehensive search of the end of the structure was made for scats and prey remains, and a careful examination of the entire length of the structure was made during a slow walk on the way out. Scats of M. gigas are distinctive in shape and size and are distinguished easily from other species.

Shafts (vertical mines) were considered too dangerous to enter, so their entrances were observed at dusk for the emergence of M. gigas (1.5 hrs after dusk). Calls were also recorded onto Sony Mini Disc (format MDLP 2 or 4) after being transformed by an Anabat bat detector at a division ratio of 16; and also with a Pettersson D240x detector (Pettersson Elektronik AB, Sweden) in time expansion mode (10x) connected to a Sony WM-D6C Professional Walkman. The entrance to the Wilgie Mia ochre mine was also monitored on one evening (3 hours after dusk), and calls were recorded with the same equipment. Permission was gained to access the Wilgie Mia Aboriginal Reserve.

Several areas of breakaway were traversed and examined for caves in both project areas (one at Jack Hills; three at Weld Range; Appendix 1). The depth of caves was assessed by partial entry and illumination with a torch from the entrance. ‘Caves’, as distinguished from ‘overhangs’, are defined as “subterranean structures that have depth greater than can be illuminated from daylight”.

Copyright MOLHAR PTY. LTD. 9 Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range

Acoustic verification Following the field survey, I had the opportunity to examine the four mini discs from the September survey of Ecologia Environment (summary of disc details in Appendix 2), as well as those recorded during the present December survey. All echolocation call sequences were analysed in the software Cool Edit 2000 Lite (Syntrillium Corp.). A computer screenshot from Cool Edit of each call sequence of M. gigas was provided initially by R.D. Bullen, which gave the time location of these on the mini disc recording (Appendix 3). I located the same pulses after adjusting the screen resolution (fast-Fourier transformation [FFT] size of 64) of the spectrogram to match the images provided by R.D. Bullen, and recorded them into Cool Edit (at a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz; 16 bit resolution; mono).

Two call parameters were extracted from each pulse of ‘reasonable – good’ quality as per the method of McKenzie and Bullen (2003): Fpeakc: frequency that was maintained for the greatest number of cycles (equivalent to the peak frequency, or the ‘loudest’ frequency); Q-factor: the quality factor of the strongest harmonic, as calculated by dividing Fpeakc by the width of Fpeakc at 6 dB below the peak. All calculations of Fpeakc and Q-factor of pulses were made in the analysis window of Cool Edit (scanned; 2048 point Blackmann-Harris fast-Fourier transformation). From Jack Hills, I located two sequences with 5 measurable pulses each; and from Weld Range, a single sequence with 8 measurable pulses (Appendix 3).

For comparison, several sequences each of Hill’s sheath-tailed bat Taphozous hilli and Finlayson’s cave bat Vespadelus finlaysoni recorded at Wilgie Mia were analysed in the same way (data collected with the Anabat – Mini-Disc combination only; MD 18/12/06; Appendix 2). In addition, non-search-phase calls of V. finlaysoni and/or the common sheath-tailed bat Taphozous georgianus from near Pannawonica in the Pilbara were included. Bats often make non-search-phase calls when in a confined space or against a solid background. During the 2006 general biological surveys of Ecologia Environment, Anabat detectors were placed close to the entrance of caves, so there is a chance that such calls were also recorded at that time. The Pannawonica non-search-phase calls were obtained when a sheet of fabric was placed over the entrance of a small cave known to contain only T. georgianus and V. finlaysoni, and recording bats in the cave with an Anabat II bat detector connected to a CF-ZCAIM unit (Titley Electronics, Ballina, New South Wales). The calls of T. georgianus and T. hilli are very similar (McKenzie and Bullen 2003), and non-search phase calls of T. georgianus and V. finlaysoni could not be distinguished. Prior to call parameter extraction, the representative Anabat software files were converted to Wave format using the software ‘Anamusic’ (Chris Corben; URL: http://www.hoarybat.com). Wave files were then analysed

Copyright MOLHAR PTY. LTD. 10 Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range in Cool Edit in the same way as sequences from mini discs. The resulting values of Fpeakc and Q-factor are acceptable approximations, since Fpeakc is typically similar to minimum frequency (minimum frequency will appear as Fpeakc in the Anabat files converted to Wave format) (see Corben 2003).

In addition to Anabat calls, several time expanded calls of M. gigas from the Pilbara recorded with a Pettersson D940 detector (Pettersson Elektronik AB, Sweden) were available for comparison. Such time expanded recordings retain most of the characteristics of the original signal, but unfortunately cannot be directly compared with the signals recorded with the Anabat – Mini Disc system because – 1) of the complexity of the call of M. gigas; there are two relatively loud ‘components’ in each pulse, and 2) the way that the Anabat electronics process only the loudest harmonics of the signal (a consequence of ‘frequency division’; Parsons et al. 2000). With the Anabat system, calls are not always translated into a single distinguishable ‘sweep’ that characterises most bat calls viewed after transformation by the Anabat detector (e.g. Milne 2002). Thus, only some characteristics can be compared between time expanded and the frequency divided calls, but these are useful in the present analysis.

Limitations 1. Targeted field surveys of relatively short duration, no matter how comprehensive, may not detect the species. The absence of evidence cannot be used as conclusive proof.

2. While we examined all caves of significant we could find, it is feasible that others were present in the area.

3. The acoustic verification used a range of resources, including the original Wave files recorded with the Anabat – Mini Disc system, Anabat – Zero Crossings Analysis (ZCA) sequences for comparison, and time expanded signals recorded at a rate of 500 kHz that retain all harmonic and structural information. However, no reference calls of M. gigas recorded with the Anabat – Mini Disc system were available to me.

4. The conversion of Anabat – ZCA sequences into Wave format is an approximation of the Wave file (and therefore Fpeakc) that would result from the Anabat – Mini Disc combination, but which I understand to be acceptable.

Copyright MOLHAR PTY. LTD. 11 Survey for ghost bats at Jack Hills and Weld Range

RESULTS Jack Hills One adit and six caves / overhangs were entered, including JH2 and JH4 (my waypoint names) where calls of M. gigas had been recorded (Figure 2; Plate 1). No sign of current or previous occupancy of M. gigas was observed (Table 1). The adit was relatively shallow, c. 35 m, and contained only five bats from two species. With the exception of JH7 all caves were less than 10 m in depth. All were smaller than those usually occupied by M. gigas in the Pilbara. The traverse did not reveal caves of significant depth (see Appendix 2 for begin and end coordinates).

Weld Range Two adits and five caves / overhangs were entered (Figure 3; Plates 2 and 3). No sign of current or previous occupancy of M. gigas was observed. In addition, M. gigas was not observed to emerge at dusk from the Wilgie Mia ochre mine (monitored 19/12/06), or the shafts near the proposed camp (monitored 21/12/06). A thunderstorm overhead at dusk delayed emergence of all bat species when we visited Wilgie Mia, however emergence occurred after rainfall stopped. The three traverses did not reveal caves of significant depth, or evidence of M. gigas (see Appendix 1 for begin and end coordinates).

The two adits contained a significant number of T. hilli and V. finlaysoni, around 500 individuals of each species in each adit.

Echolocation analysis A bivariate plot of Fpeakc and Q-factor illustrates that the variation of T. hilli and V. finlaysoni are quite separate, mainly in terms of Fpeakc (Table 2, Figure 4). They are also both distinguishable from the points attributable to M. gigas by R. Bullen. These latter pulses are indistinguishable from the examples of non-search-phase calls of T. georginaus / V. finlaysoni calling from within a Pilbara cave. Example Anabat call sequences showing elongated pulses made by T. georginaus / V. finlaysoni are given in Figure 5.

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Table 1. Details of sites surveyed at Jack Hills and Weld Range.

Waypoint AMG1 Type Ghost bat calls2 Comments on structure Bats present3 Jack Hills JH1 525487 7119441 adit not previously surveyed horizontal tunnel of 35 m depth Th (1), Vf (4) JH2 524918 7116602 overhang ghost bat calls shallow, unlikely ghost bat roost no bats recorded 28-29/9/06 JH3 523858 7115563 overhang shallow, unlikely ghost bat roost no bats JH4 523812 7115561 cave ghost bat calls small rounded chamber, 8 m depth Th (1), Vf (6) recorded 28-29/9/06 JH5 523938 7119043 overhang not previously surveyed shallow, unlikely ghost bat roost no bats JH6 524037 7119071 cave not previously surveyed small cave, 8 m depth no bats JH7 523734 7117876 cave not previously surveyed horizontal crack opening into base of an Th (1), Vf (several) 'oubliette', 15 m depth, Mt Matthew Weld Range Wilgie Mia 569806 7020768 cave not previously surveyed very large cave, mostly an open hole, Th (many), Vf (many) lower levels unstable WR1 554799 7016901 cave ghost bat calls small horizontal crack beneath Vf (1) recorded 27/9/06 conglomerate in minor gully, c. 10 m depth WR2 560302 7018592 adit not previously surveyed horizontal tunnel of 100+ m depth, clumps Th (500), Vf (500) of Vf, young of Th common, gate propped open WR3 582935 7027262 adit not previously surveyed horizontal tunnel of 80+ m depth, clumps of Th (500), Vf (500) Vf, young of Th common WR4 586170 7035536 cave not previously surveyed small cave, 5 m depth no bats WR5 560841 7016461 shaft not previously surveyed shaft, relatively deep compared to others Vf (calls) adjacent WR6 560741 7016594 shaft not previously surveyed shaft, relatively deep compared to others Vf (calls) adjacent WR7 548004 7015247 cave not previously surveyed small horizontal crack, 5 m depth no bats WR8 546892 7015032 overhang not previously surveyed shallow, unlikely ghost bat roost no bats

1 UTM/UPS Zone 50J, WGS84. 2 Calls from the surveys of Ecologia Environment in September 2006. 3 Th: Taphozous hilli; Vf: Vespadelus finlaysoni. Approximate numbers indicated in parentheses.

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Table 2. Summary of the parameters Fpeakc and Q-factor that are illustrated in Fig. 5.

Disc Pulse no. Fpkc kHz Q-factor Duration 27/9/06 Weld Range 1 30.5 9.4 15 (136.15 mins) 2 50.4 27.9 17 4 33.0 6.4 32 6 39.1 9.2 16 7 43.9 20.9 45 8 31.2 5.3 25 9 33.3 17.6 21 10 37.7 4.9 25 Mean ± SD 37.4 ± 6.9 12.7 ± 8.5 24.5 ± 10.1 Min – max 30.5 – 50.4 4.9 – 27.9 15 – 45 28/9/06 Jack Hills “WP cave” 1 43.9 19.2 39 2 46.7 30.4 36 3 44.6 19.4 39 4 46.7 31.0 35 7 43.3 31.1 37 Mean ± SD 45.0 ± 1.6 26.2 ± 6.3 37.2 ± 1.8 Min – max 43.3 – 46.7 19.2 – 31.1 35 – 39 29/9/06 Jack Hills “WP cave” 1 46.8 9.8 21 2 46.3 5.4 14 3 48.7 6.6 5 4 36.0 16.7 13 5 43.9 22.7 15 Mean ± SD 44.3 ± 5.0 12.2 ± 7.3 13.6 ± 5.7 Min – max 36.0 – 48.7 5.4 – 22.7 5 – 21 Taphozous hilli – Wilgie Mia, Anabat Pulses Mean ± SD n=18 26.0 ± 1.3 12.3 ± 2.1 11.2 ± 1.7 Min – max 24.3 – 28.4 9.9 – 17.8 8.0 – 14.0 Vespadelus finlaysoni – Wilgie Mia, Anabat Mean ± SD n=21 52.8 ± 1.3 7.2 ± 2.3 8.6 ± 0.9 Min – max 50.8 – 56.7 3.8 – 12.4 7.0 – 11.0 Pilbara cave sequences Pulse no. 2238_24 1 34.9 17.5 18 2 36.4 6.3 14 3 34.7 15.1 15 4 46.3 7.3 16 5 47.0 7.8 17 2251_59 1 35.6 27.5 21 2 40.9 24.3 23 3 36.7 7.9 13 4 42.5 22.3 22 2250_28 1 47.3 18.8 21 2 43.2 18.0 22 3 49.1 5.8 18 4 41.5 7.2 20 5 35.0 13.6 16 2240_13 1 41.5 8.5 17 2 43.6 10.6 19 3 44.3 14.4 22 4 44.9 7.4 20 5 46.0 27.1 20 2239_42 1 45.3 11.5 25 2 48.8 30.5 19 3 45.3 30.5 20 Mean ± SD 42.3 ± 4.8 15.4 ± 8.4 19 ± 3.1 Min – max 34.7 – 49.1 5.8 – 30.5 13 – 25

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Figure 2. Sites surveyed at Jack Hills (red: adits, caves; blue: traverses along breakaway).

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Figure 3. Sites surveyed at Weld Range (red: adits, caves and shafts; blue: traverses along breakaway).

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BC

A

Plate 1. A: Adit JH1; B – D: shallow caves and overhangs JH2 – JH4 respectively; E: cave JH7 at Mt Matthew.

E D

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A B

C

Plate 2. A: adit WR2; B: adit WR3; C: Wilgie Mia ochre mine (rock pinnacle at top is head-height); D: shaft WR5; E: shaft WR6.

E D

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A B

Plate 3. A: cave WR1; B: cave WR4 behind boulders; C: terrain covered by the traverse TR1; D: terrain covered by the traverse TR3.

D C

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35

30

Macroderma gigas 25 (Weld Range) Macroderma gigas (Jack Hills) 20 Tg/Vf_confined

Q-factor 15 Taphozous hilli

10 Vespadelus finlaysoni

5

0 20 30 40 50 60 Fpeakc (kHz)

Figure 4. Bivariate plot of Fpeakc and Q-factor illustrating the similarity of putative calls of M. gigas from Jack Hills and Weld Range, and those of T. georgianus / V. finlaysoni made in a confined space (Tg/Vf_confined). Calls of T. hilli and V. finlaysoni from Wilgie Mia recorded with the Anabat – Mini-Disc combination are also included.

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2250_28 2251_59

2238_24 2239_42 2240_13

Figure 5. Anabat call sequences showing elongated pulses of either Taphozous georgianus or Vespadelus finlaysoni (those measured are indicated by red markers; time is compressed between pulses).

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Figure 6. Example of a time expanded sequence (preserves harmonic information) recorded from near Goldsworthy in the Pilbara showing three echolocation pulses from M. gigas in flight (Mg), and a single pulse from T. georgianus (Tg). Note that the high power components (blue colour) of M. gigas calls above 20 kHz are of very short duration, especially in comparison to the second harmonic of T. georgianus.

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DISCUSSION The purpose of the survey was to verify the presence of M. gigas at Jack Hills and Weld Range after putative calls of the species were identified from sequences recorded with the Anabat – Mini Disc system. The survey was designed to be as comprehensive as possible, to maximise the likelihood of detecting the species if it was present in the two areas, and included:

• daytime entry and examination of caves where putative calls of M. gigas had been recorded, with the intention of observing their signs (scats, prey remains) or individuals; • daytime entry and examination of mine adits and shafts that might be considered much better habitat for M. gigas because of their size (height and depth); • searching for and examining other caves in the same landscape units, including the relatively large Wilgie Mia ochre mine; • monitoring the entrances of mine shafts (Weld Range) and the Wilgie Mia mine that were not able to be fully searched during the daytime, using both direct observation (the large size and pale colour of M. gigas make them relatively easy to observe as they emerge) and by recording echolocation calls with two systems (Anabat – Mini Disc frequency division and Pettersson time expansion).

The validity of the approach relied on the assumption that scat material would be present in caves or mines even if M. gigas spent only a short period in them. I suggest this is not unreasonable, since faecal remains of M. gigas are distinctive in size and shape, are well preserved in caves for more than a few months (sometimes many years; Armstrong and Anstee 2000 – pers. obs at West Angeles in the Pilbara) and are typically found at the very end of such subterranean structures. However, absence of any evidence cannot be completely conclusive. Therefore, I also undertook an examination of the original calls. The main purpose of this was to offer an alternative explanation for the origin of the calls. Following this examination, it became clear that, when combined with the observations from the field survey, the calls are extremely unlikely to have come from M. gigas. My conclusion is made given the limitations listed in the Methods, but I suggest the weight of evidence against presence of M. gigas is compelling, which is detailed below:

Surveys 1. There are no previous records of M. gigas from Jack Hills or Weld Range (Figure 1). The most likely roost of the species in the area would be at the Wilgie Mia ochre mine. While I was unable to investigate the history of this mine in detail, historical

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observations and surveys for M. gigas in central Western Australia have been relatively well documented (Butler 1961; Douglas 1967; Molnar et al. 1984; Churchill and Helman 1990). It might be expected that the presence of a large, pale and therefore highly conspicuous bat would have been noted at Wilgie Mia, the largest subterranean structure in the area, given the importance of this site to the Aboriginal people.

2. No physical signs of M. gigas were observed on the survey, including scats, prey remains or individuals. In addition, no calls were noted from recordings made at Wilgie Mia, the shafts at Weld Range, or the cave at Mt Matthew where an Anabat detector was placed. The cave at Mt Matthew was also searched thoroughly during the day. Based on observations from the targeted surveys, M. gigas is unlikely to have occupied Jack Hills or Weld Range with any degree of permanency in the last 100 years.

3. The sites where putative calls of M. gigas were recorded are relatively shallow, and were smaller than those usually occupied by M. gigas in the Pilbara. Macroderma gigas is found in many of the relatively deep adits in iron formations in the Pilbara, as well as deep mines in the greenstone terrain (Hall et al. 1997; Armstrong and Anstee 2000; Armstrong 2001). Macroderma gigas is more likely to have been present in the two relatively deep adits at Weld Range, whether or not they were also present or had used smaller caves in the area. The lack of evidence in the larger structures carries more weight than apparent absence in shallower structures.

4. Macroderma gigas prefers warm, humid microclimates for roosting because of physiological constraints (Leitner and Nelson 1967; Kulzer et al. 1970), though it can survive in relatively shallow structures on at least a short term basis. Mr Bullen suggested that M. gigas moves roosts during wetter periods, presumably because individuals are less physiologically stressed (see quote below). The degree of movement within the Pilbara where most individuals occur has not been investigated. Recent genetic work suggests that males move much further and more frequently than females (Worthington Wilmer et al. 1999; Armstrong et al. in prep.), though it is not known if this occurs on a seasonal basis. While possible, the presence of M. gigas in marginal habitats 400 km south of their current known range as a response to seasonal rainfall associated with localised thunderstorms or unpredictable rainfall from cyclones has a low probability.

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“This year [2006] has been a very good one in the Murchison following the soaking from the twin cyclones in Jan and Feb. …. [Ghost bats] are known to disperse in good times.” “… I strongly recommend a second trip to both locations to try to spot or catch [a Ghost bat] to give absolute confirmation. Timing of course should be very quick before the next round of cyclones and more opportunity for the bats to disperse again.” (R.D. Bullen email communication to Ecologia Environment 11/10/06).

Acoustics Given the apparent absence of M. gigas based on the field survey, it is important to consider the way in which calls were identified as those from M. gigas, in order to determine if there is another likely source. To discount the opinion of another specialist is accompanied by the responsibility to provide an alternative explanation. The basis for the identification of the calls as being from M. gigas was as follows:

“The calls are strong with constant but flexible frequency and with variable duration and repeatability. I don't know of an insect, bird or bat that can give this type of call at the frequency range. Only people can generate noises like that in my experience.” (R.D. Bullen email communication to Ecologia Environment 11/10/06).

By “strong”, he refers to call power or amplitude, and this is likely to be true, since the species is large. By “constant but flexible” frequency he means that each pulse is typically a flat, shallow sweep through a small range of frequencies, but that the characteristic or minimum frequency varies with each successive pulse. With regard to “variable duration and repeatability”, this means that each pulse is of a different length in milliseconds. Finally, the “frequency range” referred to is the characteristic or peak frequency of the pulses, which he measured according to his published method (McKenzie and Bullen 2003; I established this after discussion on 3/2/07).

5. There are no published references of M. gigas recorded with the Anabat – Mini Disc system, and Mr Bullen does not provide an example for comparison. While he regards these identifications as tentative, hence his strong recommendation for a field survey, provision of comparative data in the first instance would have helped support his statement. The lack of a reference using the Anabat – Mini Disc system is an important limitation in the identification for several reasons. The Anabat detector uses a frequency division system and processes only the high amplitude components of bat calls, and therefore typically displays only the dominant harmonic (Parsons et al. 2000). Calls of M. gigas have multiple harmonics (Figure 6), with two of these of similar power,

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and sometimes both are represented in the output, even of Anabat – ZCA processed calls (e.g. Milne 2002). The spectrograms might therefore be expected to show a more complex structure than the relatively flat (but low quality; Appendix 3) examples identified as calls of M. gigas. The “flexible frequency” Mr Bullen refers to might result from the Anabat frequency division system choosing between alternate harmonics in successive pulses, but without reference sequences, this cannot be demonstrated or verified.

6. The duration of echolocation calls of M. gigas is extremely short in comparison to most other species. Pulse duration of M. gigas in flight has been noted as 0.7 – 2.0 msec (Kulzer et al. 1984) and 0.8 – 2.3 msec (Guppy et al. 1985). Measurements of pulse duration (made from the oscillograms in Cool Edit) from T. hilli, V. finlaysoni and the putative calls of M. gigas were all significantly longer (Table 2), with those from the putative calls of M. gigas between 5 and 45 msecs long. These values exceed even the typically long calls of species such as T. hilli (Table 2) and T. georgianus, as is well illustrated by an example sequence from the Pilbara (Figure 6).

7. Using the identification technique of McKenzie and Bullen (2003), I extracted and plotted Fpeakc and Q-factor of putative calls of M. gigas, and included examples of T. hilli and V. finlaysoni from Wilgie Mia. Also included were non-search-phase calls from within a cave containing T. georgianus and V. finlaysoni. These latter were most like the putative calls of M. gigas in terms of Fpeakc and Q-factor, but were of generally shorter duration (Table 2, Figure 5). This demonstration, while not totally conclusive, provides an alternative explanation that the calls actually came from either T. hilli or V. finlaysoni. Bats make a range of calls, especially in social situations, and when in confined spaces or ‘clutter’. Therefore, care must always be taken that only good quality search-phase calls are used for identifications.

In combination these three points call into doubt the identification, and are perhaps more suggestive of calls made by either T. hilli or V. finlaysoni in close proximity to the rocky breakaway, or as a response to others of their species (i.e. social calls).

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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 1. I suggest that presence of the ghost bat Macroderma gigas is highly unlikely, and that M. gigas would not need to be given special consideration in plans for mine development.

2. The two adits at Weld Range contain a significant number of the bat species Hill’s sheath-tailed bat Taphozous hilli and Finlayson’s cave bat Vespadelus finlaysoni. The size of colonies (total estimated at approximately 1000 of each species) and their use of the two adits as breeding sites (many young were present during the survey) suggest that the mines are of high significance to these species. The mines are artificial structures that provide superior habitat and have encouraged an artificial increase of numbers because bats occupy these adits in preference to the relatively uncommon and shallow caves that occur in the area. While both species are relatively common and not included in categories of conservation significance, the presence of such numbers places a responsibility on the mining company to avoid the situation where earthworks results in catastrophic and complete mortality of the colonies. Therefore, a carefully planned exclusion will need to be conducted before the adits are excavated. The company might consider providing an alternative habitat made of culverts and concrete, and sited in rehabilitated mine pits or tailings dumps, which might be a relatively low cost solution to the issue.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am grateful to Mr R. Bullen for being granted access to certain details of the call analysis and his email communications with Ecologia Environment, and for his time to discuss aspects of this project. In addition, I thank Biota Environmental Sciences Pty Ltd for permission to use Anabat files from the Pilbara.

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REFERENCES Armstrong, K.N. (2001). The distribution and roost habitat of the orange leaf-nosed bat Rhinonicteris aurantius, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Wildlife Research 28: 95–104.

Armstrong, K.N. and Anstee, S.D. (2000). The ghost bat in the Pilbara: 100 years on. Australian Mammalogy 22: 93–101.

Armstrong, K. and Higgs, P. (2002). Draft protocol for working safely in confined spaces. The Australasian Bat Society Newsletter 19: 20–28. [ISSN 1448-5877]

Butler, W.H. (1961). Occurrence of the Ghost Bat, Macroderma gigas, in the Great Victoria Desert, W.A. The Western Australian Naturalist 8(2): 42–43.

Churchill, S.K. and Helman, P.M. (1990). Distribution of the Ghost Bat, Macroderma gigas, (Chiroptera: Megadermatidae) in central and south Australia. Australian Mammalogy 13: 149–156.

Corben, C. (2003). Some useful functions in Analook. The Australasian Bat Society Newsletter 20: 44.

Douglas, A.M. (1967). The natural history of the Ghost bat, Macroderma gigas (Microchiroptera, Megadermatidae), in Western Australia. The Western Australian Naturalist 10(6): 125–137.

Guppy, A., Coles, R.B. and Pettigrew, J.D. (1985). Echolocation and acoustic communication in the Australian Ghost Bat, Macroderma gigas (Microchiropetra: Megadermatidae). Australian Mammalogy 8: 299–308.

Hall, L., Richards, G. McKenzie, N. and Dunlop, N. (1997). The importance of abandoned mines as habitat for bats. In: Conservation Outside Nature Reserves. (eds. P. Hales and D. Lamb) pp. 326–333. Centre for Conservation Biology, The University of Queensland.

IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 26 January 2007.

Kulzer E., Nelson J.E., McKean J.L. and Möhres F.P. (1970). Untersuchungen über die Temperaturregulation australischer Fledermäuse (Microchiroptera). Zeitschrift fuer Vergleichende Physiologie 69: 426–438.

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Kulzer, E., Nelson, J.E., McKean, J.L. and Moehres, F.P. (1984). Prey-catching behaviour and echolocation in the Australian Ghost Bat, Macroderma gigas (Microchiropetra: Megadermatidae). Australian Mammalogy 7: 37–50.

Leitner, P. and Nelson, J.E. (1967). Body temperature, oxygen consumption and heart rate in the Australian False Vampire Bat, Macroderma gigas. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 21: 65–74.

McKenzie, N.L. and Bullen, R.D. (2003). Identifying Little Sandy Desert bat species from their echolocation calls. Australian Mammalogy 25: 73–80.

Milne, D.J. (2002). Key to the bat calls of the Top End of the Northern Territory. Parks and Wildlife Commision of the Norther Territory, Technical Report No. 71.

Molnar, R.E., Hall, L.S. and Mahoney, J.H. (1984). New fossil localities for Macroderma Miller, 1906 (Chiroptera: Megadermatidae) in New South Wales and its past and present distribution in Australia. Australian Mammalogy 7: 63–73.

Parsons, S., Boonman, A.M. and Obrist, M.K. (2000). Advantages and disadvantages of techniques for transforming and analysing chiropteran echolocation calls. Journal of Mammalogy 81: 927–938.

Worthington-Wilmer, J., Hall, L., Barratt, E. and Moritz, C. (1999). Genetic structure and male-mediated gene flow in the Ghost Bat (Macroderma gigas). Evolution 53: 1582–1591.

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APPENDICES

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Appendix 1. Beginning and end coordinates of traverses (UTM/UPS, WGS84, zone 50J).

Traverse Begin End Jack Hills TR1 526072 7121267 526211 7121024 Weld Range TR1 547967 7015216 548152 7015184 Weld Range TR2 546909 7015132 547196 7015090 Weld Range TR3 547993 7019743 548643 7019931

Appendix 2. Details of the discs from the surveys of A) Ecologia in September 2006, and B) Ecologia – Molhar in December 2006. Mins: location of putative calls of M. gigas on the mini discs, in minutes.

Format and Date Label Mins division ratio A 26/9/06 Jack Hills, WP063 cave No ghost bat calls MDLP4, 16x 27/9/06 Weld Range, bat cave, west end 128.57, 136.15 MDLP4, 16x 28/9/06 Jack Hills, Cave WP 86.07 MDLP4, 16x 29/9/06 Jack Hills, Cave WP 120.31 MDLP4, 16x B 18/12/06 Weld Range, Wilgie Mia ochre mine No ghost bat calls MDLP4, 16x 19/12/06 Weld Range, shaft 1 at proposed camp No ghost bat calls MDLP4, 16x 19/12/06 Weld Range, shaft 2 at proposed camp No ghost bat calls MDLP4, 16x 19/12/06 Weld Range, shaft 3 at proposed camp No ghost bat calls MDLP4, 16x 20/12/06 Jack Hills, Mt Matthew No ghost bat calls MDLP4, 16x 21/12/06 Weld Range, shaft 1 at proposed camp No ghost bat calls MDLP4, 16x

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Appendix 3. Computer screenshots provided by R. Bullen to illustrate putative sequences of M. gigas, and corresponding screenshots made by myself after locating the same sequences.

Bullen screenshot Armstrong screenshot

27/9/06 Weld Range (128 mins 57 secs)

Sequence not located.

27/9/06 Weld Range (136 mins 15 secs)

28/9/06 Jack Hills (86 mins, 07 secs)

29/9/06 Jack Hills (120 mins 31 secs)

--end

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APPENDIX E VOUCHER SPECIMENS LODGED WITH THE WA MUSEUM

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment APPENDIX E1 Voucher Specimen Details

WAM # Species name Location / Survey Date Site Zone GPS (WGS84) M64936 Sminthopsis dolichura Weld Range, Phase 1 28/09/2006 7 50 J 583344 E, 7027403 N M64934 Pseudomys hermannsburgensis Weld Range, Phase 1 28/09/2006 4 50 J 562824 E, 7019682 N R166595 Ctenotus uber Weld Range, Phase 1 01/10/2006 5 50 J 576768 E, 7025101 N R166596 Ctenotus uber Weld Range, Phase 1 01/10/2006 5 50 J 576768 E, 7025101 N R166599 Delma australis Weld Range, Phase 1 01/10/2006 5 50 J 576768 E, 7025101 N R166593 Ctenotus severus Weld Range, Phase 1 24/09/2006 2 50 J 558909 E, 7017901 N R166594 Ctenotus severus Weld Range, Phase 1 24/09/2006 2 50 J 558909 E, 7017901 N R166592 Ctenotus leonhardii Weld Range, Phase 1 24/09/2006 2 50 J 558909 E, 7017901 N R166597 Lerista muelleri Weld Range, Phase 1 19/09/2006 1 50 J 555770 E, 7017012 N R166598 Menetia greyii Weld Range, Phase 1 19/09/2006 1 50 J 555770 E, 7017012 N R166016 Moloch horridus Weld Range, Phase 2 3/04/2007 Opp 50 J 570218 E, 7028247 N

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

APPENDIX F FAUNA POTENTIALLY OCCURRING AND FAUNA RECORDED

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment APPENDIX F1 Mammals Potentially Occurring at Weld Range and Recorded During the Survey

2009) and (MBS

fauna

(2008)

Family and Species Common Name

Faunabase

Hills Hills survey rare Dyck

Act

ecologia EPBC WC DEC WAM DEC records Jack 2005) Jack ( van Strahan This

TACHYGLOSSIDAE Tachyglossus aculeatus Echidna • • • • DASYURIDAE Antechinomys laniger Kultarr • • • Dasycercus blythi Brush‐tailed Mulgara P4 • Ningaui ridei Wongai Ningaui • Pseudantechinus woolleyae Woolley's Pseudantechinus • • • • Sminthopsis dolichura Little Long‐tailed Dunnart • • Sminthopsis longicaudata Long‐tailed Dunnart P3 • • • • Sminthopsis macroura Stripe‐faced Dunnart • • • • THYLACOMIDAE Macrotis lagotis Greater Bilby VU S1 • PHALANGERIDAE Trichosurus vulpecula Common Brushtail Possum • MACROPODIDAE Macropus robustus Euro • • • • • Macropus rufus Red Kangaroo • • • • • Petrogale lateralis lateralis Black‐footed Rock‐wallaby VU S1 • • MEGADERMATIDAE Macroderma gigas Ghost Bat P4 • MOLOSSIDAE Tadarida australis White‐striped Free‐tailed Bat • • • • EMBALLONURIDAE Saccolaimus flaviventris Yellow‐bellied Sheath‐tailed Bat • Taphozous georgianus Common Sheath‐tailed Bat • • Taphozous hilli Hill's Sheath‐tailed Bat • • •

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

2009) and (MBS

fauna

(2008)

Family and Species Common Name

Faunabase

Hills Hills survey rare Dyck

Act

ecologia Strahan This EPBC WC DEC WAM DEC records Jack 2005) Jack ( van VESPERTILIONIDAE Chalinolobus gouldii Gould's Wattled Bat • • • • Nyctophilus geoffroyi Lesser Long‐eared Bat • • Scotorepens balstoni Inland Broad‐nosed Bat • • • Scotorepens greyii Little Broad‐nosed Bat • Vespadelus finlaysoni Finlayson's Cave Bat • • • • MURIDAE Notomys alexis Spinifex Hopping‐mouse • • • • • Notomys mitchelli Mitchell's Hopping Mouse • Pseudomys chapmani Western Pebble‐mouse P4 • Pseudomys Sandy Inland Mouse • • • • hermannsburgensis Pseudomys fieldi Shark Bay Mouse (Djoongari) VU S1 • H CANIDAE Canis lupus dingo Dingo • • INTRODUCED MAMMALS *Bos taurus Cow • • *Canis lupus familiaris Dog • *Capra hircus Goat • • • *Equus caballus Horse • *Felis catus Cat • • *Mus musculus House Mouse • • • *Oryctolagus cuniculus Rabbit • • *Vulpes vulpes Fox • •

* introduced species H = historical record

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ecologia EPBC WC DEC WAM Birdata DEC records Jack 2005) Jack ( Simpson (2004) This CASUARIIDAE Dromaius novaehollandiae Emu • • • • • • MEGAPODIIDAE Leipoa ocellata Malleefowl VU, M S1 • • ANATIDAE Dendrocygna eytoni Plumed Whistling Duck • • Anas gracilis Grey Teal • • Cygnus atratus Black Swan • • Chenonetta jubata Australian Wood Duck • • Anas superciliosa Pacific Black Duck • • Malacorhynchus membranaceus Pink‐eared Duck • • Oxyura australis Blue‐billed Duck • Stictonetta naevosa Freckled Duck • Tadorna tadornoides Australian Shelduck • • PODICIPEDIDAE Tachybaptus novaehollandiae Australasian Grebe • • Poliocephalus poliocephalus Hoary‐headed Grebe • • COLUMBIDAE Geopelia cuneata Diamond Dove • • • • • Geopelia striata Peaceful Dove • Geophaps plumifera Spinifex Pigeon • Ocyphaps lophotes Crested Pigeon • • • • • Phaps chalcoptera Common Bronzewing • • • • • PODARGIDAE Podargus strigoides Tawny Frogmouth • • • • •

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ecologia (2004) This EPBC WC DEC WAM Birdata DEC records Jack 2005) Jack ( Simpson APODIDAE Apus pacificus Fork‐tailed Swift M • EUROSTOPODIDAE Eurostopodus argus Spotted Nightjar • • • • • • TRESKIORNITHIDAE Platalea flavipes Yellow‐billed Spoonbill • • • Threskiornis spinicollis Straw‐necked Ibis • • AEGOTHELIDAE Aegotheles cristatus Australian Owlet‐Nightjar • • • • • ANHINGIDAE Anhinga novaehollandiae Australasian Darter • • PHALACROCORACIDAE Microcarbo melanoleucos Little Pied Cormorant • • Phalacrocorax sulcirostris Little Black Cormorant • • PELCANIDAE Pelecanus conspicillatus Australian Pelican • • ARDEIDAE Egretta novaehollandiae White‐faced Heron • • Ardea ibis Cattle Egret M • Ardea modesta Eastern Great Egret M • • Ardea pacifica White‐necked Heron • • Nycticorax caledonicus Nankeen Night‐Heron • • ACCIPITRIDAE Accipiter cirrhocephalus Collared Sparrowhawk • • • • Accipiter fasciatus Brown Goshawk • • • • • Aquila audax Wedge‐tailed Eagle • • • • • Circus assimilis Spotted Harrier • •

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ecologia (2004) This EPBC WC DEC WAM Birdata DEC records Jack 2005) Jack ( Simpson Elanus axillaris Black‐shouldered Kite • • • Haliastur sphenurus Whistling Kite • • • • • Hamirostra melanosternon Black‐breasted Buzzard • • • • • Hieraaetus morphnoides Little Eagle • • Lophoictinia isura Square‐tailed Kite • Milvus migrans Black Kite • FALCONIDAE Falco berigora Brown Falcon • • • • • Falco cenchroides Nankeen Kestrel • • • • • • Falco hypoleucos Grey Falcon P4 • Falco longipennis Australian Hobby • • • • Falco peregrinus Peregrine Falcon S4 • • • • • RALLIDAE Fulica atra Eurasian Coot • • Tribonyx ventralis Black‐tailed Native‐hen • • OTIDIDAE Ardeotis australis Australian Bustard P4 • • • BURHINIDAE Burhinus grallarius Bush‐Stone Curlew P4 • • • • • RECURVIROSTRIDAE Himantopus himantopus Black‐winged Stilt • • Cladorhynchus leucocephalus Banded Stilt • Recurvirostra novaehollandiae Red‐necked Avocet • CHARADRIIDAE Charadrius australis Inland Dotterel • Charadrius ruficapillus Red‐capped Plover • • Charadrius veredus Oriental Plover M •

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ecologia (2004) This EPBC WC DEC WAM Birdata DEC records Jack 2005) Jack ( Simpson Elseyornis melanops Black‐fronted Dotterel • • Erythrogonys cinctus Red‐kneed Dotterel • • Thinornis rubricollis tregellasi Hooded Plover (Western ssp.) P4 • Vanellus tricolor Banded Lapwing • • • SCOLOPACIDAE Calidris acuminata Sharp‐tailed Sandpiper M • Tringa glareola Wood Sandpiper M • TURNICIDAE Turnix velox Little Button‐quail • • • • LARIDAE Larus novaehollandiae Silver Gull • Chlidonias leucopterus White‐winged Black Tern M • Chlidonias hybrida Whiskered Tern • • Gelochelidon nilotica Gull‐billed Tern • • CACATUIDAE Eolophus roseicapillus Galah • • • • • Calyptorhynchus banksii Red‐tailed Black‐Cockatoo • • Lophochroa leadbeateri Major Mitchell's Cockatoo S4 • • • Cacatua sanguinea Little Corella • • Nymphicus hollandicus Cockatiel • • • • PSITTACIDAE Barnardius zonarius Australian Ringneck • • • • • • Melopsittacus undulatus Budgerigar • • • • • Neophema elegans Elegant Parrot • • Neopsephotus bourkii Bourke's Parrot • • • • Psephotus varius Mulga Parrot • • • • • Pezoporus occidentalis Night Parrot EN,M S1 •

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ecologia (2004) This EPBC WC DEC WAM Birdata DEC records Jack 2005) Jack ( Simpson CUCULIDAE Chalcites basalis Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo • • • • • Chalcites osculans Black‐eared Cuckoo • • • Cacomantis pallidus Pallid Cuckoo • • • • STRIGIDAE Ninox novaeseelandiae Southern Boobook • • • TYTONIDAE Tyto javanica Easter Barn Owl • • HALCYONIDAE Todiramphus pyrrhopygia Red‐backed Kingfisher • • • • Todiramphus sanctus Sacred Kingfisher • • MEROPIDAE Merops ornatus Rainbow Bee‐eater M • • CLIMACTERIDAE Climacteris affinis White‐browed Treecreeper • • PTILONORHYNCHIDAE Ptilonorhynchus guttatus Western Bowerbird • • • MALURIDAE Malurus lamberti Variegated Fairy‐wren • • • • Malurus leucopterus White‐winged Fairy‐wren • • • Malurus splendens Splendid Fairy‐wren • • • • • PARDALOTIDAE Pardalotus rubricatus Red‐browed Pardalote • Pardalotus striatus Striated Pardalote • • • ACANTHIZIDAE Acanthiza apicalis Inland Thornbill • • • • • Acanthiza chrysorrhoa Yellow‐rumped Thornbill • • • • • •

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ecologia (2004) This EPBC WC DEC WAM Birdata DEC records Jack 2005) Jack ( Simpson Slender‐billed Thornbill Acanthiza iredalei iredalei • (western) VU • Acanthiza robustirostris Slaty‐backed Thornbill • • • • • Acanthiza uropygialis Chestnut‐rumped Thornbill • • • • • Aphelocephala leucopsis Southern Whiteface • • • • • Aphelocephala nigricincta Banded Whiteface • Calamanthus campestris Rufous Fieldwren (wheatbelt) • • Gerygone fusca Western Gerygone • • • • • • Pyrrholaemus brunneus Redthroat • • • • • Smicrornis brevirostris Weebill • • • MELIPHAGIDAE Acanthagenys rufogularis Spiny‐cheeked Honeyeater • • • • • • Certhionyx variegatus Pied Honeyeater • • Conopophila whitei Grey Honeyeater • • Epthianura albifrons White‐fronted Chat • Epthianura aurifrons Orange Chat • • Epthianura tricolor Crimson Chat • • • • • • Lichenostomus penicillatus White‐plumed Honeyeater • • • • • Lichenostomus virescens Singing Honeyeater • • • • • Lichenostomus ornatus Yellow‐plumed Honeyeater • Lichmera indistincta Brown Honeyeater • • • Manorina flavigula Yellow‐throated Miner • • • • • Purnella albifrons White‐fronted Honeyeater • • • Sugomel niger Black Honeyeater • • POMATOSTOMIDAE Pomatostomus superciliosus White‐browed Babbler • • • • • Pomatostomus temporalis Grey‐crowned Babbler • • • • •

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ecologia (2004) This EPBC WC DEC WAM Birdata DEC records Jack 2005) Jack ( Simpson PSOPHODIDAE Psophodes occidentalis Chiming Wedgebill • • • • Chestnut‐breasted Quail‐ Cinclosoma castaneothorax • thrush • • • • • NEOSITTIDAE Daphoenositta chrysoptera Varied Sittella • • • CAMPEPHAGIDAE Coracina maxima Ground Cuckoo‐shrike • • • • Coracina novaehollandiae Black‐faced Cuckoo‐shrike • • • • • Lalage sueurii White‐winged Triller • • • • • PACHYCEPHALIDAE Colluricincla harmonica Grey Shrike‐thrush • • • • • Oreoica gutturalis Crested Bellbird • • • • • Pachycephala pectoralis Golden Whistler • Pachycephala rufiventris Rufous Whistler • • • • • ARTAMIDAE Artamus cinereus Black‐faced Woodswallow • • • • • Artamus minor Little Woodswallow • • • • • Artamus personatus Masked Woodswallow • • • Cracticus nigrogularis Pied Butcherbird • • • • • Cracticus torquatus Grey Butcherbird • • • • • • Cracticus tibicen Australian Magpie • • • • • • RHIPIDURIDAE Rhipidura albiscapa Grey Fantail • • • Rhipidura leucophrys Willie Wagtail • • • • •

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ecologia (2004) This EPBC WC DEC WAM Birdata DEC records Jack 2005) Jack ( Simpson CORVIDAE Corvus bennetti Little Crow • • • • • Corvus orru Torresian Crow • • • • • MONARCHIDAE Grallina cyanoleuca Magpie‐Lark • • • • PETROICIDAE Microeca fascinans Jacky Winter • • • Melanodryas cucullata Hooded Robin • • • • Petroica goodenovii Red‐capped Robin • • • • • • ACROCEPHALIDAE Acrocephalus australis Australian Reed‐Warbler • MEGALURIDAE Cinclorhamphus mathewsi Rufous Songlark • • • • • Cinclorhamphus cruralis Brown Songlark • • HIRUNDINIDAE Cheramoeca leucosterna White‐backed Swallow • • • • Hirundo neoxena Welcome Swallow • • • Petrochelidon ariel Fairy Martin • • • Petrochelidon nigricans Tree Martin • • • • NECTARINIDAE Dicaeum hirundinaceum Mistletoebird • • • ESTRILDIDAE Emblema pictum Painted Finch • • Taeniopygia guttata Zebra Finch • • • • • MOTACILLIDAE Anthus novaeseelandiae Australasian Pipit • • • • •

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APPENDIX F3 Amphibians and Reptiles Potentially Occurring at Weld Range and Recorded During the Survey

and

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Family and Species Common Name (2008) 2005)

Hills Hills Survey rare

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ecologia Swan This EPBC WC DEC WAM FaunaBase DEC fauna Jack (MBS Jack ( 2008) Wilson

AMPHIBIA

HYLIDAE

Cyclorana platycephala Water‐holding Frog • • • Litoria rubella Desert Tree Frog • • • • Cyclorana maini Main's Frog • • MYOBATRACHIDAE Neobatrachus wilsmorei Goldfields Bull Frog • Platyplectrum spenceri Centralian Burrowing Frog • • REPTILIA CHELIDAE Chelodina steindachneri Plate‐shelled Turtle • • GEKKONIDAE Diplodactylus conspicillatus Fat‐tailed Gecko • • Diplodactylus granariensis Western Stone Gecko • Diplodactylus pulcher Fine‐faced Gecko • • • Gehyra punctata Spotted Dtella • • • • • Gehyra purpurascens Purple Arid Dtella • Gehyra variegata Tree Dtella • • • • • Heteronotia binoei Bynoe's Gecko • • • • • Lucasium squarrosum Mottled Ground Gecko • • Lucasium stenodactylum Sandplain Gecko • • Nephrurus wheeleri Banded Knob‐tailed Gecko • • Nephrurus vertebralis Midline Knob‐tailed Gecko • • Oedura marmorata Marbled Velvet Gecko • • • • Rhynchoedura ornata Beaked Gecko • • • • Strophurus elderi Jewelled Gecko •

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ecologia DEC fauna Jack (MBS Jack ( 2008) Wilson Swan This EPBC WC DEC WAM FaunaBase Strophurus strophurus Western Spiny‐tailed Gecko • • Strophurus wellingtonae • • Underwoodisaurus milii Barking Gecko • PYGOPODIDAE Delma australis • • Delma butleri Un‐banded Delma • • Delma fraseri Fraser's Delma • Delma nasuta Long‐nosed Delma • Delma tincta • Lialis burtonis Burton's Snake Lizard • Pygopus nigriceps Western Hooded Scaly‐foot • • SCINCIDAE Cryptoblepharus carnabyi • • Cryptoblepharus plagiocephalus Fence Skink • Ctenotus helenae • Ctenotus leonhardii • • • • Ctenotus mimetes • Ctenotus pantherinus Leopard Skink • Ctenotus saxatilis Rock Ctenotus • Ctenotus schomburgkii • • • Ctenotus severus • • • • Ctenotus uber • • Cyclodomorphus branchialis Gilled Slender Blue‐tongue S1 • • Cyclodomorphus melanops Spinifex Slender Blue‐tongue • • Egernia depressa Pygmy Spiny‐tailed Skink • • • • Egernia inornata Desert Skink • Egernia stokesii badia Western Spiny‐tailed Skink EN S1 • • Eremiascincus richardsonii Broad‐banded Sandswimmer • • • •

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ecologia DEC fauna Jack (MBS Jack ( 2008) Wilson Swan This EPBC WC DEC WAM FaunaBase Lerista bipes • Lerista eupoda P1 • • Lerista macropisthopus fusciceps • • • Lerista nichollsi • • Lerista rhodonoides • • • • Lerista uniduo • Lersita gerrardii • Menetia greyii Common Dwarf Skink • • • • • Menetia surda • Morethia butleri • Morethia obscura • Tiliqua occipitalis Western Blue‐tongue • AGAMIDAE Amphibolurus longirostris Long‐nosed Water Dragon • • • Caimanops amphiboluroides Mulga Dragon • • • • Ctenophorus caudicinctus Rock Ring‐tailed Dragon • • • • • Ctenophorus isolepis Military Dragon • Ctenophorus nuchalis Central Netted Dragon • • • • Ctenotus ornatus Ornate Dragon • Ctenophorus reticulatus Western Netted Dragon • • • Ctenophorus scutulatus Lozenge‐marked Dragon • • • Moloch horridus Thorny Devil • • Pogona minor Western Bearded Dragon • • • • • Tympanocryptis cephalus Pebble Dragon • • • • BOIDAE Antaresia perthensis Pygmy Python • • • • Antaresia stimsoni Stimson's Python • Aspidites ramsayi Woma •

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ecologia DEC fauna Jack (MBS Jack ( 2008) Wilson Swan This EPBC WC DEC WAM FaunaBase ELAPIDAE Acanthophis pyrrhus Desert Death Adder • Brachyurophis approximans NW Shovel‐nosed Snake • • • Brachyurophis fasciolatus Narrow‐banded Shovel‐nosed Snake • Demansia psammophis Yellow‐faced Whipsnake • • Furina ornata Moon Snake • • Parasuta monachus Monk Snake • • Pseudechis australis Mulga Snake • Pseudechis butleri Spotted Mulga Snake • • Pseudonaja modesta Ringed Brown Snake • • • Pseudonaja nuchalis Gwardar • • Simoselaps bertholdi Desert Banded Snake • • Suta fasciata Rosen's Snake • • TYPHLOPIDAE Ramphotyphlops grypus Beaked Blind Snake • Ramphotyphlops hamatus • • • • Ramphotyphlops waitii • VARANIDAE Varanus brevicauda • Varanus caudolineatus Stripe‐tailed Monitor • • • Varanus giganteus Perentie • • • Varanus gouldii Gould's Monitor • • Varanus panoptes Yellow‐spotted Monitor • • • • Varanus tristis Black‐headed Monitor • • •

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APPENDIX G SITE BY SPECIES MATRICES

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment APPENDIX G1 Mammals Recorded During Survey

Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Site 4 Site 5 Site 6 Site 7 Site 8 Site 9 Site 10 Site 11 Site 12 Site 13 Site 14 Site 15 Site 16 Site 17 OPP Family and Species Common name P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P2 P2 P2 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P1 P2 P3 P4 TACHYGLOSSIDAE Tachyglossus aculeatus Echidna 1 1 S DASYURIDAE Antechinomys laniger Kultarr 1 1 Pseudantechinus woolleyae Woolley's False Antechinus 3 2 12 S 2 25 4 1 5 1 11 2 Sminthopsis dolichura Little Long‐tailed Dunnart 1 1 Sminthopsis longicaudata Long‐tailed Dunnart 1 2 1 3 1 1 Sminthopsis macroura Stripe‐faced Dunnart 1 1 2 10 5 MACROPODIDAE Macropus robustus Euro 2 4 2 4 1 1 1 6 3 3 3 2 S 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 7 1 Macropus rufus Red Kangaroo 1 1 2 9 EMBALLONURIDAE Taphozous hilli Hill’s Sheathtail Bat A A A A A MOLLOSIDAE Tadarida australis White‐striped Freetail‐bat A A A VESPERTILIONIDAE Chalinolobus gouldii Gould’s Wattled Bat A A A A A Nyctophilus geoffroyi Lesser long‐eared bat A Scotorepens balstoni Inland Broad‐nosed Bat A A A Vespadelus finlaysoni Finlayson’s Cave Bat A A A A A MURIDAE Notomys alexis Spinifex Hopping Mouse 3 12 2 2 Pseudomys hermannsburgensis Sandy Inland Mouse 1 2 1 1 6 4 5 2 2 10 3 3 INTRODUCED MAMMALS *Bos taurus Cow S 1 S S S S S S S *Canis lupus Dog/Dingo S 1 1 1 1 *Capra hircus Goat S 4 S 10 S 1 S 1 S 3 S S 1 1 1 *Felis catus Cat 1 1 1 *Mus musculus House Mouse 29 3 44 10 3 2 1 4 10 8 5 27 24 3 1 2 9 *Oryctolagus cuniculus Rabbit S S 1 1 *Vulpes vulpes Red Fox S 1 1 T T

* introduced species A = Anabat recording S = Secondary evidence

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APPENDIX G2 Birds Recorded During Survey

Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Site 4 Site 5 Site 6 Site 7 Site 8 Site 9 Site 10 Site 11 Site 12 Site 13 Site 14 Site 15 Site 16 Site 17 OPP OPP Family and Species Common name P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P2 P2 P2 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P1 P2 P3 P4 CASUARIIDAE Dromaius novaehollandiae Emu 1 6 1 2 2 3 1 1 COLUMBIDAE Geopelia cuneata Diamond Dove 1 4 24 4 2 Ocyphaps lophotes Crested Pigeon 1 4 2 1 1 4 24 15 2 19 6 13 28 8 3 6 Phaps chalcoptera Common Bronzewing 1 1 2 2 3 1 1 22 3 2 1 3 8 5 1 PODARGIDAE Podargus strigoides Tawny Frogmouth 1 2 4 EUROSTOPODIDAE Eurostopodus argus Spotted Nightjar 2 1 3 1 2 3 AEGOTHELIDAE Aegotheles cristatus Australian Owlet‐nightjar 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 THRESKIORNITHIDAE Platalea flavipes Yellow‐billed Spoonbill 1 ACCIPITRIDAE Hamirostra melanosternon Black‐breasted Buzzard 1 Haliastur sphenurus Whistling Kite 1 1 Accipiter fasciatus Brown Goshawk 1 3 1 1 Accipiter cirrocephalus Collared Sparrowhawk 1 1 1 1 1 Aquila audax Wedge‐tailed Eagle 1 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 3 3 3 2 1 FALCONIDAE Falco cenchroides Nankeen Kestrel 1 3 1 1 2 4 1 Falco berigora Brown Falcon 1 1 3 3 3 1 Falco longipennis Australian Hobby 1 1 2 Falco peregrinus Peregrine Falcon 1 BURHINIDAE Burhinus grallarius Bush Stone‐curlew 1 4 1 TURNICIDAE Turnix velox Little Button‐quail 1 4 1 1 CACATUIDAE Eolophus roseicapillus Galah 2 1 1 2 1 5 12 3 50 4 3 2 8 1 2 1 2 1 Nymphicus hollandicus Cockatiel 4 3 3 12 2 37 5 PSITTACIDAE Barnardius zonarius Australian Ringneck 1 2 2 1 3 7 1 2 2 12 21 Psephotus varius Mulga Parrot 1 3 2 2 2 1 17 2 6 2 1 1 23 35 2 13 1 20 14 37 26 14 6 Melopsittacus undulatus Budgerigar 3 12 17 77 58 283 2 Neopsephotus bourkii Bourke's Parrot 6 9 57 2 4 Neophema elegans Elegant Parrot 1 CUCULIDAE Chalcites basalis Horsfield's Bronze‐Cuckoo 1 Chalcites osculans Black‐eared Cuckoo 1 1 1 2 1

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Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Site 4 Site 5 Site 6 Site 7 Site 8 Site 9 Site 10 Site 11 Site 12 Site 13 Site 14 Site 15 Site 16 Site 17 OPP OPP Family and Species Common name P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P2 P2 P2 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P1 P2 P3 P4 Cacomantis pallidus Pallid Cuckoo 1 5 STRIGIDAE Ninox novaeseelandiae Southern Boobook 1 PTILONORHYNCHIDAE Ptilonorhynchus guttatus Western Bowerbird 1 4 6 6 1 11 1 8 4 3 1 3 1 1 MALURIDAE Malurus splendens Splendid Fairy‐wren 1 5 17 2 7 12 29 4 11 8 2 4 6 6 11 40 Malurus leucopterus White‐winged Fairy‐wren 4 Malurus lamberti Variegated Fairy‐wren 4 16 6 1 4 ACANTHIZIDAE Pyrrholaemus brunneus Redthroat 1 1 3 1 4 1 4 1 5 1 2 2 2 6 8 10 2 7 6 Smicrornis brevirostris Weebill 4 7 Gerygone fusca Western Gerygone 1 1 1 1 5 1 13 3 Acanthiza robustirostris Slaty‐backed Thornbill 4 1 2 25 4 18 4 10 1 16 10 7 5 21 7 Acanthiza chrysorrhoa Yellow‐rumped Thornbill 2 8 3 3 2 1 5 4 4 30 4 33 6 14 4 9 Chestnut‐rumped Acanthiza uropygialis 1 13 4 15 4 6 1 22 9 18 5 15 5 2 2 2 14 3 16 9 2 24 2 12 22 Thornbill Acanthiza iredalei Slender‐billed Thornbill 1 Acanthiza apicalis Inland Thornbill 5 2 2 2 6 4 4 4 16 9 2 7 22 8 4 3 3 4 6 2 4 13 26 Aphelocephala leucopsis Southern Whiteface 1 1 2 1 6 1 9 3 10 17 12 9 4 18 12 6 6 16 9 PARDALOTIDAE Pardalotus striatus Striated Pardalote 1 2 16 MELIPHAGIDAE Lichenostomus virescens Singing Honeyeater 1 1 1 4 1 1 11 12 1 7 2 8 5 4 30 13 46 7 28 8 7 9 13 12 4 White‐plumed Lichenostomus penicillatus 1 58 12 2 1 4 16 2 Honeyeater Manorina flavigula Yellow‐throated Miner 5 2 3 17 2 24 15 5 3 4 26 3 1 5 34 13 4 8 8 1 14 4 Spiny‐cheeked Acanthagenys rufogularis 4 2 27 2 42 2 1 18 67 11 1 5 3 2 4 1 7 9 Honeyeater Conopophila whitei Grey Honeyeater 1 Epthianura tricolor Crimson Chat 1 2 6 5 2 3 1 Epthianura aurifrons Orange Chat 1 POMATOSTOMIDAE Pomatostomus temporalis Grey‐crowned Babbler 1 4 8 9 4 1 2 6 1 2 9 1 22 9 2 3 13 13 9 59 2 31 4 6 16 33 15 Pomatostomus White‐browed Babbler 4 2 6 18 19 3 5 2 4 32 superciliosus PSOPHODIDAE Chestnut‐breasted Quail‐ Cinclosoma castaneothorax 2 12 1 1 3 1 3 4 5 3 2 5 4 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 3 thrush CAMPEPHAGIDAE Coracina maxima Ground Cuckoo‐shrike 3 Coracina novaehollandiae Black‐faced Cuckoo‐shrike 7 2 1 9 2 1 11 Lalage sueurii White‐winged Triller 1 1 PACHYCEPHALIDAE

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Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Site 4 Site 5 Site 6 Site 7 Site 8 Site 9 Site 10 Site 11 Site 12 Site 13 Site 14 Site 15 Site 16 Site 17 OPP OPP Family and Species Common name P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P2 P2 P2 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P1 P2 P3 P4 Pachycephala rufiventris Rufous Whistler 2 4 7 1 3 13 3 11 3 2 2 1 1 8 8 4 16 1 2 3 4 4 1 11 Colluricincla harmonica Grey Shrike‐thrush 5 5 1 11 8 2 9 3 7 2 5 1 4 1 1 5 1 3 3 2 5 3 4 4 1 4 2 1 Oreoica gutturalis Crested Bellbird 3 1 1 1 5 2 5 1 5 1 6 8 11 17 4 16 2 12 3 11 3 6 ARTAMIDAE Artamus personatus Masked Woodswallow 1 4 1 Artamus cinereus Black‐faced Woodswallow 2 1 1 9 1 2 22 6 68 36 1 24 13 39 25 Artamus minor Little Woodswallow 23 1 3 6 2 Cracticus torquatus Grey Butcherbird 5 2 11 4 2 9 1 8 1 5 2 5 3 2 2 1 2 1 8 1 6 1 12 6 6 9 1 Cracticus nigrogularis Pied Butcherbird 1 4 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 7 2 7 1 2 13 Cracticus tibicen Australian Magpie 1 1 7 8 RHIPIDURIDAE Rhipidura albiscapa Grey Fantail 3 3 Rhipidura leucophrys Willie Wagtail 3 4 2 7 5 2 1 7 4 2 2 6 1 1 9 6 4 10 1 16 2 4 7 10 4 8 1 CORVIDAE Corvus bennetti Little Crow 1 7 3 2 2 3 2 1 3 1 77 4 6 3 2 Corvus orru Torresian Crow 13 2 1 1 7 MONARCHIDAE Grallina cyanoleuca Magpie‐lark 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 7 2 4 2 PETROCIDAE Petroica goodenovii Red‐capped Robin 3 12 3 5 2 4 16 1 4 1 4 2 Melanodryas cucullata Hooded Robin 1 1 4 9 5 4 5 MEGALURIDAE Cincloramphus mathewsi Rufous Songlark 2 HIRUNDINIDAE Cheramoeca leucosterna White‐backed Swallow 2 2 Hirundo neoxena Welcome Swallow 2 3 2 1 1 Petrochelidon ariel Fairy Martin 2 1 8 NECTARINIIDAE Dicaeum hirundinaceum Mistletoebird 1 ESTRILDIDAE

Taeniopygia guttata Zebra Finch 2 8 2 2 2 16 4 17 2 5 14 82 4 5 149 7 112 12 4 68 67 6 1 104 2

MOTACILLIDAE Anthus novaeseelandiae Australasian Pipit 1 1 1 1 2 7 1 1

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment APPENDIX G3 Amphibians and Reptiles Recorded During Survey

Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Site 4 Site 5 Site 6 Site 7 Site 8 Site 9 Site 10 Site 11 Site 12 Site 13 Site 14 Site 15 Site 16 Site 17 OPP OPP Family and Species Common name P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P2 P2 P2 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P1 P2 P3 P4 AMPHIBIA HYLIDAE Litoria rubella Desert Tree Frog 15 REPTILIA CHELUIDAE Chelodina steindachneri Plate‐shelled Turtle 1 GEKKONIDAE Diplodactylus pulcher Fine‐faced Gecko 1 1 1 2 Gehyra punctata Spotted Dtella 10 8 1 2 1 1 3 5 7 1 1 6 4 3 1 6 Gehyra variegata Tree Dtella 5 9 15 5 3 3 3 5 4 3 4 2 2 13 5 4 1 2 3 4 5 2 1 1 4 2 Heteronotia binoei Bynoe’s Gecko 4 6 4 2 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Lucasium squarrosum Mottled Ground Gecko 5 1 1 Nephrurus vertebralis Knob‐tailed Gecko 1 Oedura marmorata Marbled Velvet Gecko 6 3 4 1 5 2 Strophurus wellingtonae 1 1 2 2 SCINCIDAE Cryptoblepharus carnabyi 2 5 1 1 1 3 Ctenotus leonhardii 4 3 3 Ctenotus schomburgkii 1 2 1 9 3 1 3 5 Ctenotus severus 1 13 1 5 1 6 1 2 2 1 2 3 5 1 4 1 1 2 Ctenotus uber 2 5 2 1 3 Pygmy Spiny‐tailed Egernia depressa 1 2 1 3 4 7 6 1 2 2 1 7 1 2 2 2 Skink Eremiascincus richardsonii 3 Lerista eupoda 3 2 2 1 1 2 3 Lerista nichollsi 1 Lerista rhodonoides 5 9 7 2 4 3 5 1 4 2 4 1 4 3 2 1 1 2 2 1 4 1 Menetia greyii Common Dwarf Skink 5 2 17 1 3 1 14 3 3 6 1 3 2 1 5 4 3 6 5 7 3 5 1 7 1 PYGOPODIDAE Delma australis 1 Pygopus nigriceps Hooded Scaly‐foot 2 AGAMIDAE Amphibolurus longirostris Long‐nosed Dragon 1 Caimanops Mulga Dragon 1 amphiboluroides Rock Ring‐tailed Ctenophorus caudicinctus 7 1 3 2 2 1 1 3 2 2 2 2 2 4 Dragon Western Netted Ctenophorus reticulatus 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 3 1 Dragon Ctenophorus nuchalis Central Netted Dragon 1 6 2 7 5 1 Ctenophorus scutulatus Lozenge‐marked 1 4 1 2 1 1 1 3 9 12 1 2 4 8

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Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Site 4 Site 5 Site 6 Site 7 Site 8 Site 9 Site 10 Site 11 Site 12 Site 13 Site 14 Site 15 Site 16 Site 17 OPP OPP Family and Species Common name P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P1 P2 P2 P2 P2 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P3 P4 P1 P2 P3 P4 Dragon Moloch horridus Thorny Devil 2 1 Western Bearded Pogona minor 1 2 4 1 4 1 1 Dragon Tympanocryptis cephalus Pebble Dragon 1 1 BOIDAE Antaresia perthensis Pygmy Python 1 2 1 1 ELAPIDAE NW Shovel‐nosed Brachyurophis approximans 2 Snake Furina ornata Moon Snake 1 Parasuta monachus Monk Snake 1 1 1 2 1 Pseudechis butleri Spotted Mulga Snake 1 1 1 1 Pseudonaja modesta Ringed Brown Snake 1 Simoselaps bertholdi Jan's Banded Snake 1 Suta fasciata Rosen's Snake 1 TYPHLOPIDAE Ramphotyphlops hamatus 2 1 VARANIDAE Lined‐tailed Pygmy Varanus caudolineatus 1 2 3 1 2 5 2 2 Monitor Varanus giganteus Perentie 2 1 Yellow‐spotted Varanus panoptes 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 4 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 Monitor Varanus tristis Black‐headed Monitor 1

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APPENDIX H EXPLANATION OF CONSERVATION CODES

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APPENDIX H1 Relevant Categories under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act

CATEGORY DEFINITION The species is likely to become extinct unless the circumstances and factors Endangered threatening its abundance, survival or evolutionary development cease to operate; or (EN) its numbers have been reduced to such a critical level, or its habitats have been so drastically reduced, that it is in immediate danger of extinction. Within the next 25 years, the species is likely to become endangered unless the Vulnerable circumstances and factors threatening its abundance, survival or evolutionary (VU) development cease to operate. Species are defined as migratory if they are listed in an international agreement approved by the Commonwealth Environment Minister, including: • the Bonn Convention (Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals) for which Australia is a range state; Migratory • The Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government (M) of the Peoples Republic of China for the Protection of Migratory Birds and their Environment (CAMBA); or • The Agreement between the Government of Japan and the Government of Australia for the Protection of Migratory Birds and Birds in Danger of Extinction and their Environment (JAMBA).

APPENDIX H2 Schedules Under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950

SCHEDULE DEFINITION Schedule 1 Fauna which are rare or likely to become extinct, are declared to be fauna that is in (S1) need of special protection. Schedule 2 Fauna which are presumed to be extinct, are declared to be fauna that is in need of (S2) special protection. Birds which are subject to an agreement between the governments of Australia and Schedule 3 Japan relating to the protection of migratory birds and birds in danger of extinction, (S3) are declared to be fauna that is in need of special protection. Schedule 4 Declared to be fauna that is in need of special protection, otherwise than for the (S4) reasons mentioned above.

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APPENDIX H3 Department of Environment and Conservation Priority Codes

PRIORITY DEFINITION Taxa with few, poorly known populations on threatened lands. Priority One Taxa which are known from few specimens or sight records from one or a few localities, on lands not managed for conservation, e.g. agricultural or pastoral lands, (P1) urban areas, active mineral leases. The taxon needs urgent survey and evaluation of

conservation status before consideration can be given to declaration as threatened fauna. Taxa with few, poorly known populations on conservation lands. Taxa which are known from few specimens or sight records from one or a few Priority Two localities, on lands not under immediate threat of habitat destruction or degradation, (P2) e.g. national parks, conservation parks, nature reserves, State forest, vacant crown land, water reserves, etc. The taxon needs urgent survey and evaluation of conservation status before consideration can be given to declaration as threatened fauna. Taxa with several, poorly known populations, some on conservation lands. Priority Three Taxa which are known from few specimens or sight records from several localities, (P3) some of which are on lands not under immediate threat of habitat destruction or degradation. The taxon needs urgent survey and evaluation of conservation status before consideration can be given to declaration as threatened fauna. Taxa in need of monitoring. Priority Four Taxa which are considered to have been adequately surveyed, or for which sufficient (P4) knowledge is available, and which are considered not currently threatened or in need of special protection, but could if present circumstances change. These taxa are usually represented on conservation lands. Taxa in need of monitoring Priority Five Taxa which are not considered threatened but are subject to a specific conservation (P5) program, the cessation of which would result in the species becoming threatened

within five years.

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APPENDIX I DEWHA AND DEC THREATENED AND PRIORITY FAUNA DATABASE SEARCH RESULTS

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Threatened and Priority Fauna Database Page 1 of 3

25.79 °S 116.395 °E / 28.12 °S 118.919 °E Weld Range (plus ~100km buffer)

* Date Certainty Seen Location Name Method Schedule 1 - Fauna that is rare or is likely to become extinct

Dasycercus cristicauda Mulgara records1 This small carnivorous marsupial lives in burrows and occurs in arid sandy regions from the eastern Pilbara to central Australia. 1 Weld Range Fossil

Macrotis lagotis Bilby records2 This species shelters in burrows and occupies a range of habitats from grassland on clayey and stony soils or sandplains to mulga scrub and woodlands on red earths. It has suffered a large decline and contraction in distribution. 1961 1 Mileura 1984 3 Weld Range

Petrogale lateralis lateralis Black-flanked Rock-wallaby records2 This species thrives in steep, complex rocky habitats providing tunnels, caves and crevices for shelter and protection from predators. 1 Wilgie Mia Fossil 1854 2 Mt Farmer Dead

Leporillus conditor Greater Stick-nest Rat (Wopilkara) records1 This species is presumed extinct in the wild on the mainland but old stick nests remain in small caves and under ledges in breakaways and gorges. 1 Weld Range Fossil

Pseudomys fieldi Shark Bay Mouse (Djoongari) records1

1 Weld Range Fossil

Pezoporus occidentalis Night Parrot records1 This nocturnal species is known to inhabit treeless or sparsely wooded spinifex (Triodia spp) near water. 1854 1 1 Daggar Hills Caught or trapped

Cyclodomorphus branchialis Cyclodomorphus branchialis records1 A ground-dwelling and largely nocturnal skink which shelters in spinifex, leaf litter and under fallen timber. 2005 1 2 Mount Magnet Caught or trapped

Egernia stokesii badia Western Spiny-tailed Skink records5 This species occurs in semi-arid scrubs and woodlands of Shark Bay and the northern wheatbelt, sheltering in hollow logs and behind bark of fallen trees. 1996 1 Woodleigh Caught or trapped 1998 1 2 Austin Downs/Weld Range Caught or trapped 1998 1 1 Walga Rock Caught or trapped 1998 3 1 Austin Downs/Weld Range Caught or trapped 2003 1 4 Austin Downs Caught or trapped Schedule 2 - Presumed extinct

Chaeropus ecaudatus Pig-footed Bandicoot (Kantjilpa) records1

Thursday, 27 July 2006 Threatened and Priority Fauna Database Page 2 of 3

25.79 °S 116.395 °E / 28.12 °S 118.919 °E Weld Range (plus ~100km buffer)

* Date Certainty Seen Location Name Method 1 Weld Range Fossil

Leporillus apicalis Lesser Stick-nest Rat records1 This species is presumed extinct but old stick nests remain in small caves and under ledges in breakaways and gorges. 1 Weld Range Fossil

Notomys longicaudatus Long-tailed Hopping Mouse (Koolawa) records1

1 6 Weld Range Fossil Schedule 4 - Other specially protected fauna

Falco peregrinus Peregrine Falcon records3 This species is uncommon and prefers areas with rocky ledges, cliffs, watercourses, open woodland or margins with cleared land. 1973 1 1 Koonmarra Day sighting 2006 1 1 Jack Hills Day sighting 2006 1 1 Jack Hills Day sighting

Cacatua leadbeateri Major Mitchell's Cockatoo records2 This species is sporadically distributed through arid and semi-arid Australia and may occur in sparsely timbered grasslands and shrublands and rocky outcrops. 1975 1 9 Milly Milly Day sighting 1979 1 Mileura Priority One: Taxa with few, poorly known populations on threatened lands

Lerista eupoda Lerista eupoda records5 This species of skink is restricted to the vicinity of Cue and Meekatharra. 1 1 Coodardy 1 3 Nannine 1 2 Nannine 1990 1 1 Reedy Caught or trapped 1998 1 1 Reedy Caught or trapped

Branchinella simplex Branchinella simplex records1

1978 1 Lake Annean Caught or trapped

Branchinella wellardi Branchinella wellardi records1

1929 1 Dalgaranga Priority Four: Taxa in need of monitoring

Sminthopsis longicaudatus Long-tailed Dunnart records2 This small marsupial feeds mainly on arthropods and lives in rugged rocky areas. 1981 2 1 Meekatharra Day sighting 2005 1 1 Jack Hills Caught or trapped

Thursday, 27 July 2006 Threatened and Priority Fauna Database Page 3 of 3

25.79 °S 116.395 °E / 28.12 °S 118.919 °E Weld Range (plus ~100km buffer)

* Date Certainty Seen Location Name Method

Macroderma gigas Ghost Bat records1 This species is Australia’s only carnivorous bat and has a patchy distribution across northern Australia. It shelters in caves, mine shafts and deep rock fissures and is sensitive to disturbance. 1 0 Weld Range Scats

Pseudomys chapmani Western Pebble-mound Mouse (Ngadji) records1 This species is well-known for the characteristic pebble-mounds which it constructs over underground burrow systems. These mounds are most common on spurs and lower slopes of rocky hills. 1970 2 0 Mileura Stn

Ardeotis australis Australian Bustard records3 This species is uncommon and may occur in open or lightly wooded grasslands. 1974 1 2 Meka Day sighting 1974 1 3 Mileura Day sighting 1974 1 1 Wanarie Day sighting

Burhinus grallarius Bush Stonecurlew records1 A well camouflaged, ground nesting bird which prefers to ‘freeze’ rather than fly when disturbed. It inhabits lightly timbered open woodlands. 2005 1 Jack Hills Day sighting

Charadrius rubricollis Hooded Plover records1 This species frequents the margins and shallows of salt lakes, also along coastal beaches, where it forages for invertebrates along the water's edge. 2000 1 2 Lake Austin Day sighting

Calamanthus campestris montanellus Rufous Fieldwren (western wheatbelt) records1 This species lives in low, sparse heath, saltmarsh or samphire, with or without emergent trees. 1984 2 2 Hy Brazil Day sighting

Oreoica gutturalis gutturalis Crested Bellbird (southern) records5 This sedentary and solitary species inhabits the drier mallee woodlands and heaths of the southern parts of the State. 2005 2 Jack Hills Day sighting 2005 2 Jack Hills Day sighting 2005 2 Jack Hills Day sighting 2005 2 Jack Hills Day sighting 2005 2 Jack Hills Day sighting

* Information relating to any records provided for listed species:- Date: date of recorded observation Certainty (of correct species identification): 1=Very certain; 2=Moderately certain; and 3=Not sure. Seen: Number of individuals observed. Location Name: Name of reserve or nearest locality where observation was made Method: Method or type of observation

Thursday, 27 July 2006 26/11/2009 EPBC Act Protected Matters Report

Protected Matters Search Tool

You are here: Environment Home > EPBC Act > Search 26 November 2009 18:44 EPBC Act Protected Matters Report

This report provides general guidance on matters of national environmental significance and other matters protected by the EPBC Act in the area you have selected. Information on the coverage of this report and qualifications on data supporting this report are contained in the caveat at the end of the report.

You may wish to print this report for reference before moving to other pages or websites. The Australian Natural Resources Atlas at http://www.environment.gov.au/atlas may provide further environmental information relevant to your selected area. Information about the EPBC Act including significance guidelines, forms and application process details can be found at http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/assessmentsapprovals/index.html

Search Type: Area Buffer: 0 km Coordinates: -25.79,116.395, -25.79,118.919, - 28.12,118.919, -28.12,116.395

Report Contents: Summary Details Matters of NES

Other matters protected by the EPBC Act

Extra Information This map may contain data which are © Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) Caveat © PSMA Australia Limited Acknowledgments

Summary

Matters of National Environmental Significance

This part of the report summarises the matters of national environmental significance that may occur in, or may relate to, the area you nominated. Further information is available in the detail part of the report, which can be accessed by scrolling or following the links below. If you are proposing to undertake an activity that may have a significant impact on one or more matters of national environmental significance then you should consider the Administrative Guidelines on Significance - see http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/assessmentsapprovals/guidelines/index.html.

World Heritage Properties: None environment.gov.au/…/epbc_report.p… 1/5 26/11/2009 EPBC Act Protected Matters Report National Heritage Places: None Wetlands of International Significance: None (Ramsar Sites) Commonwealth Marine Areas: None Threatened Ecological Communities: None Threatened Species: 5 Migratory Species: 7

Other Matters Protected by the EPBC Act

This part of the report summarises other matters protected under the Act that may relate to the area you nominated. Approval may be required for a proposed activity that significantly affects the environment on Commonwealth land, when the action is outside the Commonwealth land, or the environment anywhere when the action is taken on Commonwealth land. Approval may also be required for the Commonwealth or Commonwealth agencies proposing to take an action that is likely to have a significant impact on the environment anywhere.

The EPBC Act protects the environment on Commonwealth land, the environment from the actions taken on Commonwealth land, and the environment from actions taken by Commonwealth agencies. As heritage values of a place are part of the 'environment', these aspects of the EPBC Act protect the Commonwealth Heritage values of a Commonwealth Heritage place and the heritage values of a place on the Register of the National Estate. Information on the new heritage laws can be found at http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/index.html.

Please note that the current dataset on Commonwealth land is not complete. Further information on Commonwealth land would need to be obtained from relevant sources including Commonwealth agencies, local agencies, and land tenure maps.

A permit may be required for activities in or on a Commonwealth area that may affect a member of a listed threatened species or ecological community, a member of a listed migratory species, whales and other cetaceans, or a member of a listed marine species. Information on EPBC Act permit requirements and application forms can be found at http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/permits/index.html.

Commonwealth Lands: 1 Commonwealth Heritage Places: None Places on the RNE: 8 Listed Marine Species: 4 Whales and Other Cetaceans: None Critical Habitats: None Commonwealth Reserves: None

Extra Information

This part of the report provides information that may also be relevant to the area you have nominated.

State and Territory Reserves: None Other Commonwealth Reserves: None Regional Forest Agreements: None

Details

Matters of National Environmental Significance environment.gov.au/…/epbc_report.p… 2/5 26/11/2009 EPBC Act Protected Matters Report Threatened Species [ Dataset Information ] Status Type of Presence Birds Acanthiza iredalei iredalei Vulnerable Species or species habitat likely to Slender-billed Thornbill (western) occur within area Leipoa ocellata Vulnerable Species or species habitat likely to Malleefowl occur within area Mammals Rhinonicteris aurantia (Pilbara form) Vulnerable Species or species habitat likely to Pilbara Leaf-nosed Bat occur within area Plants Minuria tridens Vulnerable Species or species habitat likely to Minnie Daisy occur within area Pityrodia augustensis Vulnerable Species or species habitat likely to Mt Augustus Foxglove occur within area Migratory Species [ Dataset Information ] Status Type of Presence Migratory Terrestrial Species Birds Leipoa ocellata Migratory Species or species habitat likely to Malleefowl occur within area Merops ornatus Migratory Species or species habitat may occur Rainbow Bee-eater within area Migratory Wetland Species Birds Ardea alba Migratory Species or species habitat may occur Great Egret, White Egret within area Ardea ibis Migratory Species or species habitat may occur Cattle Egret within area Migratory Marine Birds Apus pacificus Migratory Species or species habitat may occur Fork-tailed Swift within area Ardea alba Migratory Species or species habitat may occur Great Egret, White Egret within area Ardea ibis Migratory Species or species habitat may occur Cattle Egret within area Other Matters Protected by the EPBC Act Listed Marine Species [ Dataset Information ] Status Type of Presence Birds Apus pacificus Listed - Species or species habitat may occur Fork-tailed Swift overfly within area marine area Ardea alba Listed - Species or species habitat may occur Great Egret, White Egret overfly within area marine area Ardea ibis Listed - Species or species habitat may occur Cattle Egret overfly within area marine area Merops ornatus Listed - Species or species habitat may occur Rainbow Bee-eater overfly within area environment.gov.au/…/epbc_report.p… 3/5 26/11/2009 EPBC Act Protected Matters Report marine area Commonwealth Lands [ Dataset Information ] Unknown Places on the RNE [ Dataset Information ] Note that not all Indigenous sites may be listed. Historic Government Buildings WA Masonic Hall (former) WA Murchison Club Hotel WA Old Courthouse WA Indigenous Walga Rock Art and Habitation Site WA Wilgie Mia Ochre Mine WA Natural Dalgaranga Crater Reserve WA Mount Narryer Area WA

Caveat

The information presented in this report has been provided by a range of data sources as acknowledged at the end of the report.

This report is designed to assist in identifying the locations of places which may be relevant in determining obligations under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It holds mapped locations of World Heritage and Register of National Estate properties, Wetlands of International Importance, Commonwealth and State/Territory reserves, listed threatened, migratory and marine species and listed threatened ecological communities. Mapping of Commonwealth land is not complete at this stage. Maps have been collated from a range of sources at various resolutions.

Not all species listed under the EPBC Act have been mapped (see below) and therefore a report is a general guide only. Where available data supports mapping, the type of presence that can be determined from the data is indicated in general terms. People using this information in making a referral may need to consider the qualifications below and may need to seek and consider other information sources.

For threatened ecological communities where the distribution is well known, maps are derived from recovery plans, State vegetation maps, remote sensing imagery and other sources. Where threatened ecological community distributions are less well known, existing vegetation maps and point location data are used to produce indicative distribution maps.

For species where the distributions are well known, maps are digitised from sources such as recovery plans and detailed habitat studies. Where appropriate, core breeding, foraging and roosting areas are indicated under "type of presence". For species whose distributions are less well known, point locations are collated from government wildlife authorities, museums, and non-government organisations; bioclimatic distribution models are generated and these validated by experts. In some cases, the distribution maps are based solely on expert knowledge.

Only selected species covered by the migratory and marine provisions of the Act have been mapped.

The following species and ecological communities have not been mapped and do not appear in reports produced from this database:

threatened species listed as extinct or considered as vagrants some species and ecological communities that have only recently been listed some terrestrial species that overfly the Commonwealth marine area migratory species that are very widespread, vagrant, or only occur in small numbers. environment.gov.au/…/epbc_report.p… 4/5 26/11/2009 EPBC Act Protected Matters Report The following groups have been mapped, but may not cover the complete distribution of the species:

non-threatened seabirds which have only been mapped for recorded breeding sites; seals which have only been mapped for breeding sites near the Australian continent.

Such breeding sites may be important for the protection of the Commonwealth Marine environment.

Acknowledgments

This database has been compiled from a range of data sources. The Department acknowledges the following custodians who have contributed valuable data and advice:

New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Tasmania Department of Environment and Heritage, South Australia Planning SA Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory Environmental Protection Agency, Queensland Birds Australia Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme Australian National Wildlife Collection Natural history museums of Australia Queensland Herbarium National Herbarium of NSW Royal Botanic Gardens and National Herbarium of Victoria Tasmanian Herbarium State Herbarium of South Australia Northern Territory Herbarium Western Australian Herbarium Australian National Herbarium, Atherton and Canberra University of New England Other groups and individuals

ANUCliM Version 1.8, Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, Australian National University was used extensively for the production of draft maps of species distribution. Environment Australia is extremely grateful to the many organisations and individuals who provided expert advice and information on numerous draft distributions.

Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts Last updated: Thursday, 20-Nov-2008 14:17:56 EST GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia Telephone: +61 (0)2 6274 1111

© Commonw ealth of Australia 2004

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APPENDIX J CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANT SPECIES UNLIKELY TO OCCUR OR BE IMPACTED BY THE PROJECT

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment Appendix J1 Conservation Significant Species Returned from Database Searches that are Unlikely to Occur within the Weld Range Project Area, or are Unlikely to be Impacted by the Proposed Project

CONSERVATION SPECIES SIGNIFICANCE HABITAT PREVIOUS RECORDS LIKELIHOOD OF IMPACT EPBC WCA DEC Mammals LOW Spinifex hummock “Uncertain” record from No recent local records, but suitable habitat was Greater Bilby VU S1 grassland and acacia Weld Range in 1984 (DEC present in and around Weld Range. Ridge habitat (Macrotis lagotis) scrub. rare fauna). itself was not suitable. No evidence of the species at Welde Rang or surrounding areas. VERY LOW No recent records. Conspicuous species, but no sightings. Pre‐European habitat may have been Granitic outcrops in Fossil record from Weld Black‐footed Rock Wallaby suitable. Extensive browsing by goats and rabbits VU S1 remnants of mallee Range (DEC rare fauna (Petrogale lateralis lateralis) may have reduced food availability. Rocky habitat scrubs. database). was not of the type capable of providing protection from dogs and foxes by preventing access of these species. Scat recorded from Weld VERY LOW Ghost Bat Caves, rockpiles and P4 Range (DEC rare fauna). Extensive targeted survey for this species yielded (Macroderma gigas) abandoned mines. No date given. no confirming evidence. LOW Sandy areas with Fossil records only. Ridge habitat unsuitable. Brush‐tailed Mulgara moderately dense spinifex Fossil record from Weld P4 Better habitat in surrounding areas, but no recent (Dasycercus blythi) with ‘runways’ between Range (DEC rare fauna). records. Nearest known recent record was 180 clumps. km to north‐east (ecologia 2007). Recorded from Mileura Spurs and rocky hills with VERY LOW Western Pebble‐mouse station (1970), 70 km P4 many small pebbles No evidence of past or present occurrence at (Pseudomys chapmani) north of the project area vegetated by spinifex. Weld Range. (DEC rare fauna).

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CONSERVATION SPECIES SIGNIFICANCE HABITAT PREVIOUS RECORDS LIKELIHOOD OF IMPACT EPBC WCA DEC Birds Triodia hummock Recorded from Daggar VERY LOW grassland or chenopod Night Parrot Hills (1854), 100 km south No nearby records. Chenopod & bluebush EN S1 shrublands. Thick unburnt (Pezoporus occidentalis) of project area (DEC rare shrubland was open and extensively grazed and vegetation is most fauna). considered unsuitable for the species. suitable.

LOW Record within 50 km Recorded from region. Old, inactive mounds Malleefowl (WAM FaunaBase). recorded, but better, unburnt habitat was present VU Dry inland scrub, mallee. (Leipoa ocellata) Mounds recorded were in areas outside of project. Not expected to be inactive. resident at Weld Range at present but may persist in surrounding areas.

Undated record from VERY LOW Arid to semi‐arid lightly Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo Murchison River (Birdata No records from project area, little suitable S4 wooded country near (Lophochroa leadbeateri) 2009), approx. 150 km habitat present. Generally restricted to large water and tall eucalypts. west. creeks and rivers in region. VERY LOW Grey Falcon Lightly wooded coastal Within distribution of field P4 Some suitable foraging habitat present but no (Falco hypoleucos) and riverine plains. guide but no local records. records nearby. VERY LOW Hooded Plover (Western) Record from Lake Austin, Ocean beaches and inland Recorded to the south on Lake Austin, a large salt (Thinornis rubricollis P4 90 km east of project area salt lakes. lake. No equivalent or other suitable habitat was rubricollis) (DEC rare fauna). present in project area.

LOW Rufous Field‐wren Heath and low shrublands Single record from 35 km Only suitable habitat found in samphire area (Calamanthus campestris P4 on sandplains and lateritic south‐east of Weld Range north of the Gap. Unlikely to occur in areas of montanellus) ridges (NatureMap) impact.

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CONSERVATION SPECIES SIGNIFICANCE HABITAT PREVIOUS RECORDS LIKELIHOOD OF IMPACT EPBC WCA DEC

Numerous records from LOW Crested Bellbird (Southern) Acacia scrubs and eucalypt Jack Hills, Weld Range and High numbers recorded across project area and (Oreoica gutturalis P4 and casuarina woodlands surrounding region (DEC surrounding region. Not expected to be impacted gutturalis) records, NatureMap) by project.

NO IMPACT Almost entirely aerial, No regional records but Fork‐tailed Swift Wide‐ranging species is entirely aerial in the M particularly associated within distribution of field (Apus pacificus) region and, although may be present transiently with storm fronts. guide. on occasion, will not be affected by the proposal. Grassy habitats, shallow Cattle Egret No local records but within VERY LOW M water bodies and (Ardea ibis) distribution of field guide. No regional records and no suitable habitat. wetlands.

LOW Floodwaters, rivers, Recorded from Eastern Great Egret Recorded in region but would only be present M shallows of wetlands, surrounding areas (Birdata (Ardea modesta) transiently during wet conditions, and unlikely to intertidal mudflats. 2009). be impacted by the project.

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Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Pty Ltd Weld Range Fauna Assessment

CONSERVATION SPECIES SIGNIFICANCE HABITAT PREVIOUS RECORDS LIKELIHOOD OF IMPACT EPBC WCA DEC Reptiles Several records from within 60 km of the project area (Austin Downs, Woodleigh, Walga In the region, occupies Rocks) (DEC rare fauna). Western Spiny‐tailed Skink LOW EN S1 rock crevices in granitic Extensive recent records in (Egernia stokesii badia) No suitable habitat present. landforms. surrounding areas (ecologia unpubl. data), all in different habitats to those present at Weld Range. DEC record from Mt LOW Gilled Slender Blue‐tongue Magnet, 100 km from Semi‐arid shrublands on Suitable habitat present in project area and (Cyclodomorphus S1 project area, but no heavy red soils. surroundings, but no records at Weld Range branchialis) nearby WAM or other despite extensive trapping and searching. records.

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