Ecological Assessment
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APPENDIX 5 Ecological Assessment Orica Australia Pty Ltd Ecological Assessment – Proposed Ammonium Nitrate Emulsion Production Facility, and Continued Operation of Orica Mining Services Technology Centre, Richmond Vale, NSW December 2009 Ecological Assessment – Proposed Ammonium Nitrate Emulsion Production Facility, and Continued Operation of Orica Mining Services Technology Centre, Richmond Vale, NSW Prepared by Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited on behalf of Orica Australia Pty Ltd Project Director: Michelle Kirkman Project Manager: Emma Lodge Report No. 2586/R03/Final Date: December 2009 2/20 The Boulevarde PO Box 838 Toronto NSW 2283 Ph: 02 4950 5322 Fax: 02 4950 5737 Email: [email protected] Website: www.umwelt.com.au Ecological Assessment Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction .............................................................................. 1.1 1.1 Study Area and Description of Proposed Activity .......................... 1.1 1.2 Objectives of Assessment ................................................................ 1.2 1.3 Relevant Legislation .......................................................................... 1.2 2.0 Methods ..................................................................................... 2.1 2.1 Literature Review ............................................................................... 2.1 2.1.1 Mitchell McCotter (1990) Environmental Impact Statement ............................2.2 2.1.2 EDAW (1992) Technology Park Bushland Management Plan ........................2.3 2.2 Flora Survey ....................................................................................... 2.4 2.2.1 General Flora Survey ......................................................................................2.4 2.2.2 Targeted Threatened Flora Species Searches ...............................................2.4 2.3 Fauna Survey ..................................................................................... 2.5 2.3.1 Diurnal Birds ....................................................................................................2.5 2.3.2 Diurnal Reptiles and Amphibians ....................................................................2.6 2.3.3 Nocturnal Mammals, Birds, Amphibians and Reptiles ....................................2.6 2.3.4 Habitat Assessment .........................................................................................2.7 2.4 Vegetation Mapping .......................................................................... 2.7 3.0 Results ...................................................................................... 3.1 3.1 Floristics ............................................................................................ 3.1 3.1.1 General Flora ...................................................................................................3.1 3.1.2 Threatened Flora .............................................................................................3.2 3.1.3 Rare or Threatened Australian Plants .............................................................3.2 3.2 Vegetation Communities .................................................................. 3.2 3.2.1 Endangered Ecological Communities .............................................................3.3 3.3 Critical Habitat ................................................................................... 3.3 3.4 Endangered Populations .................................................................. 3.3 3.5 Fauna Habitat ..................................................................................... 3.4 3.6 Fauna Species ................................................................................... 3.4 3.6.1 Nocturnal and Diurnal Birds.............................................................................3.4 3.6.2 Nocturnal and Diurnal Mammals .....................................................................3.5 3.6.3 Reptiles and Amphibians .................................................................................3.5 3.6.4 Threatened Fauna ...........................................................................................3.5 Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited 2586/R03/Final December 2009 i Ecological Assessment Table of Contents 4.0 Impact Assessment .................................................................. 4.1 4.1 NSW Legislative Considerations ...................................................... 4.1 4.1.1 Fisheries Management Act 1994 .....................................................................4.2 4.1.2 State Environmental Planning Policies ............................................................4.2 4.2 Key Threatening Processes ............................................................. 4.3 4.3 Commonwealth Legislative Considerations ................................... 4.4 5.0 Ecological Impact Avoidance and Mitigation ........................ 5.1 6.0 Biodiversity Offsets ................................................................. 6.1 6.1 Background ....................................................................................... 6.1 6.2 Impacts Requiring Offsetting ........................................................... 6.1 6.3 Proposed On-site Biodiversity Offset Area ..................................... 6.2 6.3.1 Existing Vegetation ..........................................................................................6.2 6.3.2 Value to Threatened Species ..........................................................................6.2 6.3.3 Connectivity Values .........................................................................................6.3 6.3.4 Management of Proposed Biodiversity Offset Area ........................................6.4 6.4 Alternatives to an Onsite Offset Area .............................................. 6.4 6.4.1 BioBanking ......................................................................................................6.4 6.4.2 Environmental Contributions ...........................................................................6.5 6.4.3 Off-Site Offsetting Options ...............................................................................6.5 7.0 Conclusions .............................................................................. 7.1 8.0 References ................................................................................ 8.1 FIGURES 1.1 Locality Plan ............................................................................................... 1.1 1.2 Existing Operations, Proposed ANE Production Facility and Access Road .............................................................................................. 1.1 1.3 Proposed Biodiversity Offset Area ........................................................... 1.2 2.1 Survey Locations in Disturbance Footprint Area .................................... 2.1 2.2 Survey Locations for Proposed Biodiversity Offset Area ...................... 2.1 3.1 Vegetation Communities Recorded in Disturbance Footprint Area ...... 3.1 Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited 2586/R03/Final December 2009 ii Ecological Assessment Table of Contents 3.2 Vegetation Communities Recorded in the Proposed Biodiversity Offset Area ................................................................................................. 3.1 3.3 Threatened Species Recorded in Disturbance Footprint Area .............. 3.2 3.4 Threatened Species Recorded during Proposed Biodiversity Offset Area Surveys .............................................................................................. 3.5 APPENDICES A Ecological Values Assessment B Flora Species List C Fauna Species List D Test for Ecological Significance under Part 3a of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 E Assessment of Significance under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited 2586/R03/Final December 2009 iii Ecological Assessment Introduction 1.0 Introduction Orica is seeking to obtain a new project approval for the existing operations at the Technology Centre and a proposed Ammonium Nitrate Emulsion (ANE) Production Facility (the Project). Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited (Umwelt) has been commissioned by Orica to undertake an ecological survey and assessment of a proposed ANE Production Facility at Orica’s Mining Services Technology Centre (Technology Centre) at Richmond Vale in NSW The location of the Technology Centre is illustrated in Figure 1.1. The ecological survey and assessment has been undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act), the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act), the Fisheries Management Act 1994 (FM Act) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). 1.1 Study Area and Description of Proposed Activity The study area is defined as the Orica Technology Centre and is located within the Cessnock local government area (LGA). The land surrounding the Technology Centre is naturally vegetated and forms part of a large continuous area of forest that connects to the Sugarloaf State Conservation Area (SCA) to the south. There are several fire trails through the forest that provide access to the study area. The surrounding area encompasses a variety of land use activities including agriculture, bush land, rural residential area, rural industrial activities and transport corridors. Tasman Underground Mine is located approximately 2.5 kilometres to the south-east of the study