FLORA AND VEGETATION SURVEY OF THE PROPOSED CLEARING AREA FOR RED HILL QUARRY - HANSON Prepared for: Hanson Construction Materials Pty Ltd Prepared by: Mattiske Consulting Pty Ltd May 2008 MATTISKE CONSULTING PTY LTD HQR0602/299/06 MATTISKE CONSULTING PTY LTD TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. SUMMARY................................................................................................................................................1 2. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................2 2.1 Climate................................................................................................................................................2 2.2 Landform and Soils.............................................................................................................................2 2.3 Regional and Local Vegetation...........................................................................................................2 2.4 Rare and Priority Flora......................................................................................................................5 2.5 Threatened Ecological Communities (TEC’s) ....................................................................................5 2.6 Declared Plant Species.......................................................................................................................5 2.7 Clearing of Native Vegetation ............................................................................................................6 3. OBJECTIVES.............................................................................................................................................7 4. METHODS.................................................................................................................................................7 4.1 Flora ...................................................................................................................................................7 4.2 Vegetation Mapping............................................................................................................................8 5. RESULTS...................................................................................................................................................8 5.1 Potential Rare and Priority and Threatened Flora ............................................................................8 5.2 Flora ...................................................................................................................................................9 5.3 Recorded Rare and Priority Flora....................................................................................................10 5.4 Exotic (introduced) species...............................................................................................................10 5.5 Vegetation.........................................................................................................................................13 5.6 Vegetation Condition ........................................................................................................................15 5.7 Review of Significance of Vegetation................................................................................................15 6. DISCUSSION...........................................................................................................................................16 7. RECOMMENDATIONS..........................................................................................................................18 8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................................................................18 9. LIST OF PERSONNEL............................................................................................................................18 10. REFERENCES .....................................................................................................................................19 TABLES 1: Landforms and Soils Expected to Occur in the Red Hill Quarry Project Area (from Churchward and McArthur 1980) 2: Representation of Vegetation Complexes Expected to Occur in the Red Hill Quarry Project Area (based on Mattiske and Havel 1998 and Conservation Commission of Western Australia 2004) 3: Exotic (introduced) species recorded in the Red Hill Quarry Project Area 4: Location of Priority Species in the Red Hill Quarry Project Area HQR0602/299/06 MATTISKE CONSULTING PTY LTD FIGURES 1: Hanson Quarry - Locality 2: Hanson Quarry - Aerial Photography 3: Hanson Quarry - Vegetation 4: Hanson Quarry - Priority Species APPENDICES A1: Definition of Rare and Priority Flora Species (Department of Environment and Conservation 2008a) A2: Definition of Threatened Flora Species (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 [Commonwealth]) A3: Definition of Threatened Ecological Communities (Department of Environment and Conservation 2008d) A4: Definition of Priority Ecological Communities (Department of Environment and Conservation 2008d) A5: Definition of Standard Control Codes for Declared Plant Species in Western Australia (Department of Agriculture and Food 2008) B: Potential Rare and Priority and Threatened Flora in the Red Hill Quarry Project Area C: Summary of Vascular Plant Species recorded at Red Hill Quarry 2006/2007 D: Summary of Vascular Plant species recorded by site at Red Hill Quarry 2006/2007 E: Summary of Vascular Plant species by vegetation community type at Red Hill Quarry 2006/2007 F: Comparison of Vascular Plant species on the Darling Scarp in the local region near the Red Hill Quarry G: Summary of Most Common Vascular Plant Species Recorded at Red Hill Quarry 2006/2007 H: GPS Site Locations at Red Hill Quarry 2006/2007 I: Location of introduced (exotic) species at Red Hill Quarry 2006/2007 HQR0602/299/06 MATTISKE CONSULTING PTY LTD 1. 1. SUMMARY Mattiske Consulting Pty Ltd was commissioned in 2006 by Hanson Construction Materials Pty Ltd (Hanson) to define the botanical values and the condition of the vegetation of the proposed clearing site in Hanson Red Hill Quarry, Toodyay Rd, Red Hill (Lot 11). The project area was surveyed over three months in April, October and December 2006. Initially a small section was surveyed just north of the current Red Hill operations and then a wider area was surveyed in October and December 2006. In addition a follow-up survey was conducted in winter 2007 to target ephemerals which germinate following rains. Consequently the sampling was spread over several seasons. A total of 349 taxa (species, subspecies and varieties) from 55 families, 160 genera and species were recorded within the Red Hill Quarry Project Area (Appendix C). A total of 25 introduced (exotic) taxa were recorded within the Red Hill Quarry Project Area. One of these, *Moraea flaccida, is listed as a Priority 1 Declared Plant species pursuant to section 37 of the Agricultural and Related Resources Protection Act 1976 [WA] and according to the Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food (2008). There was a substantial overlap of the species present within the Red Hill Quarry Project Area with John Forrest National Park, Darling Range (Shire of Kalamunda) reserves and other reserves in the local region (E. M. Mattiske and Associates 1991; Armstrong 1993; Markey 1997). Approximately 50% and 60% respectively of the taxon recorded in the Red Hill Quarry Project Area were also recorded in the John Forrest National Park and Darling Range (Shire of Kalamunda) reserves (E. M. Mattiske and Associates 1991; Armstrong 1993). The review of the Department of Environment and Conservation (2008a) databases highlighted a range of potential Rare and Priority flora species that may occur in the Red Hill Quarry Project Area. This review indicated a total of ten Rare, three Priority 1, six Priority 2, twenty-nine Priority 3 and nineteen Priority 4 flora species that may be in the area near the Red Hill Quarry Project Area. Of these species listed, the following species have been recorded historically in or near the Project Area: Halgania corymbosa (P3), Darwinia pimelioides (P4), Calothamnus ruprestris (P4) and Templetonia drummondii (P4). Many of the other species occur on the fringes of the Swan Coastal Plain and in the western fringes of the Darling Ranges. Of the potential species highlighted in the database review, five are Endangered and four are Vulnerable pursuant to s179 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 [Commonwealth]. No Declared Rare species pursuant to Subsection 2 of Section 23F of the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 [WA] and listed by the Department of Environment and Conservation (2008a) were located during the survey of the Red Hill Quarry Project Area. No Endangered or Vulnerable plant taxa, pursuant to s179 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 [Commonwealth] were located during the survey of the Red Hill Quarry Project Area. Three Priority species were recorded during the survey: Acacia oncinophylla subsp. oncinophylla (P3), Halgania corymbosa (P3) and Calothamnus rupestris (P4). None of these Priority flora species are restricted to the Red Hill Quarry Project Area. Good populations are located within the Hanson lease outside the proposed clearing areas and in other areas within the northern Jarrah forest (E. M. Mattiske and Associates 1991; Armstrong