Biodiversity Assessment Report

BERRIMA RAIL PROJECT — Environmental Impact Statement

Appendix J

www.emmconsulting.com.au BERRIMA RAIL PROJECT — Environmental Impact Statement

Appendix J ʊ Biodiversity Assessment Report J

www.emmconsulting.com.au Berrima Rail Project

Biodiversity Assessment Report

Prepared for Hume Coal Pty Limited | 2 March 2017

BerrimaRailProject

BiodiversityAssessmentReport

PreparedforHumeCoalPtyLimited|2March2017

GroundFloor,Suite01,20ChandosStreet StLeonards,NSW,2065

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BerrimaRailProject

Final

ReportJ12055RP1|PreparedforHumeCoalPtyLimited|2March2017

Preparedby KatieWhiting Approvedby NicoleArmit

Position EcologyServicesManagerPosition Environmental Assessment and ManagementServicesManager

Signature Signature

Date 2March2017Date 2March2017

This report has been prepared in accordance with the brief provided by the client and has relied upon the information collected at the time and under the conditions specified in the report. All findings, conclusions or recommendations contained in the report are based on the aforementioned circumstances. The report is fore the us of the client and no responsibilitywillbetakenforitsusebyotherparties.Theclientmay,atitsdiscretion,usethereporttoinformregulators andthepublic. © Reproduction of this report for educational or other nonͲcommercial purposes is authorised without prior written permissionfromEMMprovidedthesourceisfullyacknowledged.Reproductionofthisreportforresaleorothercommercial purposesisprohibitedwithoutEMM’spriorwrittenpermission.

DocumentControl

Version Date Preparedby Reviewedby

1 20January2017 KatieWhiting NicoleArmit 2 2March2017 KatieWhiting NicoleArmit

Tableofcontents

Chapter1 Introduction 1 1.1 Overview 1 1.2 Projectdescription 1 1.3 Projectarea 6 1.4 Thestudyarea 6 1.5 Assessmentguidelinesandrequirements 6

Chapter2 Methods 1 2.1 Databasesearches 1 2.2 Vegetationsurveymethods 2 2.2.1 Vegetationmappingreview 2 2.2.2 Vegetationtypemapping 2 2.2.3 Plotbasedsurveys 2 2.2.4 Threatenedecologicalcommunityidentification 3 2.3 Targetedspeciessurveys 3 2.3.1 Candidatefloraspecies 3 2.3.2 Targetedflorasurveymethods 4 2.3.3 Faunasurveyguidelines 5 2.3.4 Faunahabitatassessment 9 2.3.5 Targeteddiurnalbirdsurveys 9 2.3.6 Targetedmicrobatsurveys 9 2.3.7 Targetednocturnalbirdandmammalsurveys 10 2.3.8 Koalaspotassessments 10 2.4 Aquaticassessment 11

Chapter3 Existingenvironment 13 3.1 Overview 13 3.2 Databasesearchresults 13 3.3 Landscapefeatures 14 3.4 Streamsandaquatichabitat 14 3.5 Plantcommunitytypes 20 3.6 Threatenedecologicalcommunities 22 3.6.1 SouthernHighlandsShaleWoodlandintheSydneyBasinBioregion 24 3.6.2 TablelandsSnowGum,BlackSallee,CandlebarkandRibbonGumGrassy 25 WoodlandintheSouthEasternHighlands,SydneyBasin,SouthEastCorner andNSWSouthWesternSlopesBioregions 3.7 Vegetationzones 25 3.8 Threatenedspecies 26 3.8.1 Ecosystemcreditspecies 26

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Tableofcontents(Cont'd) 3.8.2 Speciescreditspecies 26

Chapter4 Preferredandalternativeoptionimpactassessment 31 4.1 Areasthatrequireassessment 31 4.2 Mattersforfurtherconsideration 31 4.3 ImpactsnotassessedundertheFBA 33 4.3.1 Aquaticandriparianenvironment 33 4.3.2 Edgeeffects 33 4.3.3 Fragmentation 33 4.3.4 Introducedspecies 34 4.3.5 Noise 34 4.3.6 Groundwaterdependentecosystemsandriparianvegetation 34 4.3.7 Protectedmatterssearch 34 4.4 Analysisofresultsincludingsummaryofdesignimpactdifferences 39 4.5 Cumulativeimpacts 39

Chapter5 Impactavoidance,minimisationandmitigation 43 5.1 Impactavoidanceandminimisation 43 5.2 Impactmitigation 43

Chapter6 Biodiversitycreditreport 45

Chapter7 Biodiversityoffsetstrategy 51 7.1 Strategy 51

Chapter8 Conclusion 53

References 55

Appendices

A Plotandtransectdata B Assessmentofthreatenedspecieslikelihoodofoccurrence C Assessmentsofsignificance D ComplianceoftheassessmentagainstFBArequirements E Individualsiteandlocationmaps F Biodiversitycreditreport

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Tables

1.1 Biodiversity–relevantSEARsissuedbyDP&E 7 1.2 NSWFisheriesandOEHassessmentrecommendationsrelatingtobiodiversity 7 2.1 Biodiversitydatabasesearchdetails 1 2.2 Vegetationinformationreviewedanddataobtained 2 2.3 Candidatefloraspecies 4 2.4 Candidatefaunaspecies 7 2.5 Classificationofwaterwaysforfishpassage 11 3.1 ThreatenedecologicalcommunitiesintheMossValeIBRAsubregionandidentifiedinthe ProtectedMattersSearchTool 13 3.2 Nativevegetationextentpriortoandfollowingdevelopment 14 3.3 StreamsinthestudyareaandtheirStrahlerorder 14 3.4 Vegetationcommunitiesinthestudyarea 21 3.5 Vegetationzonesummary 26 3.6 Predictedspeciescreditspecies 27 4.1 Assessmentagainstconditioncategories,classesandthresholdsforSouthernHighlands ShaleForestandWoodland(TSSC2015) 36 5.1 Mitigationmeasures 43 6.1 Ecosystemcreditsrequired 45 6.2 Speciescreditsrequired 49 7.1 Availablespeciescredits 51 7.2 Creditsgeneratedversuscreditsrequired 52 A.1 Plotdata A.1 A.2 Transectdata A.2 B.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km) ofthestudyarea B.1 C.1 AssessmentofsignificanceforPaddysRiverBox C.2 C.2 AssessmentofsignificancefortheAustralianPaintedSnipe C.4 C.3 Assessmentofsignificanceformigratorybirds:RainbowBeeͲeater,GreatEgret,CattleEgret andLatham’sSnipe C.5 D.1 AssessmentofcompliancewithFBArequirementsforthesitemap D.1 D.2 AssessmentofcompliancewithFBArequirementsforthelocationmap D.2 D.3 AssessmentofcompliancewithothermappinganddatarequirementsoftheFBA D.3

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Figures

1.1 Localityplan 3 1.2 Localcontext 4 1.3 Conceptualprojectcomponents 5 2.1 Biodiversityassessmentstudyareaandmethods 6 3.1 SitemapͲoverview 15 3.2 LocationmapͲoverview 16 3.3 Mappedkeyfishhabitats(StonyCreekindicatedbyblackbox,OldburyCreekindicatedby purplebox) 17 3.4 Plantcommunitytypes 23 3.5 Threatenedspecies 29 4.1 BlackGumrecordsinthelocality 32 6.1 Ecosystemcreditstobeoffset 46 6.2 Areasthatdonotneedtobeoffset 47 6.3 Speciescreditstobeoffset 48

Photographs

3.1 StonyCreekattheintersectionwithBerrimaRoad(left)anddam(right) 18 3.2 OldburyCreek(left)anditstributary(right),southwestoftheBerrimaCementWorks 18 3.3 DrainagedepressionalongsidetheOldHumeHighway 19 3.4 EphemeraltributaryofOldburyCreekapproximatelysouthwestoftherailloop 19

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1 Introduction

1.1 Overview

HumeCoalPtyLimited(HumeCoal)isseekingapprovalfortheconstructionandoperationofanewrail spurandloopintheSouthernHighlandsregionofNewSouthWales(NSW)(theBerrimaRailProject). HumeCoalisalsoseekingapprovalinaseparateStatesignificantdevelopmentapplicationtodevelopand operatetheHumeCoalProject;anundergroundcoalmineandassociatedmineinfrastructureintheNSW SouthernCoalfields.CoalproducedbytheHumeCoalProjectwillbetransportedtoportforexportorto domesticmarketsbyrailviaanewrailspurandloop,constructedaspartoftheBerrimaRailProject. ApprovalfortheBerrimaRailProject(theproject)isbeingsoughtunderPart4,Division4.1oftheNSW EnvironmentalPlanningandAssessmentAct1979(EP&AAct).Anenvironmentalimpactstatement(EIS)is arequirementoftheapprovalprocesses.ThisBiodiversityAssessmentReport(BAR)formspartoftheS.EI Itdocumentsthemethodologyandresultsoftheassessment,themeasurestakentoavoidandminimise impactsandtheadditionalmitigationandmanagementmeasuresproposed. The location of the project is shown in Figure 1.1, and the local context around the project area is illustratedinFigure1.2.

1.2 Projectdescription

The Berrima Rail Project will enable the transportation of coal produced by the Hume Coal Project to various customers. The new rail spur and loop will be connected to the western end of the existing Berrima Branch Line; a privately owned line branching off the Main Southern Rail Line at the Berrima Junctionapproximately2.5kmnorthofMossVale.TheBerrimaBranchLineisownedandusedbyBoral CementLtd(Boral)forthetransportationofcement,limestone,coalandclinkertoandfromtheBerrima CementWorks.ItisalsousedbyInghamsEnterprisesPtyLimited(Inghams)forthetransportationofgrain toitsfeedmilleastofthecementworks,andbyOmya(Australia)PtyLtd(Omya)forthetransportationof limestonetotheirMossValeplantattheBerrimaJunction. Inadditiontotheconstructionofthenewrailspurandloop,theprojectalsoinvolvesupgradestothe BerrimaBranchLineandtheuseoftherailinfrastructurebyHumeCoalandBoral.Therailprojectandthe HumeCoalProjectarethesubjectoftwoseparatedevelopmentapplicationsastherailprojectinvolves railinfrastructureusedbyusersotherthanHumeCoal,asnotedabove. Hume Coalwilltransportproductcoalbyrail,primarilytoPortKemblaforexport,andpossiblytothe domesticmarketdependingondemand.HumeCoalwilltransportupto3.5Milliontonnesperannum (Mtpa)ofproductcoalwhichwillrequireuptoeighttrainpathsperday(fourineachdirection),witha typicaldayinvolvingfourtosixpaths(twotothreeineachdirection). Insummarytheprojectinvolves: x upgrades to Berrima Junction (at the eastern end of the Berrima Branch Line) to improve the operationalfunctionalityofthejunction,includingextendingthenumber1siding,installationof newturnoutsandassociatedsignalling;

x constructionofanewraillineconnectedtothewesternendoftheexistingBerrimaBranchLine approximately700meastoftheBerrimaCementWorks;

x constructionofarailwaybridgeoverBerrimaRoad;

x constructionofanewrailconnectionintotheBerrimaCementWorksfromtherailwaybridge;

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x decommissioning of the existing rail connection into the Berrima Cement Works including the BerrimaRoadlevelrailcrossing; x constructionofanewrail spurlinefromtheBerrimaBranchLineconnectiontotheHumeCoal Projectcoalloadingfacility; x constructionofagradeseparatedcrossing(railwaybridge)overtheOldHumeHighway; x constructionandoperationofamaintenancesidingandbasicprovisioningfacilityonthewestern sideoftheOldHumeHighway,includinganassociatedaccessroad,carparkingandbuildings;and x construction of the Hume Coal rail loop with the Hume Coal Project Area, adjacent to Medway Road.

TheconceptualprojectlayoutisillustratedinFigure1.3.Asshown,approvalissoughtfortwoalignments ofthenewraillinewhereitwillcrossBerrimaRoad.Thepreferredoptionisthebluerailalignmentshown inFigure1.3,whichincludesconstructionofarailwaybridgeoverBerrimaRoadasdescribedinthepoints above.ThispreferredprojectdesignhasbeendevelopedinconsultationwithBoralastheownerofthe BerrimaBranchLine.

Thealternativeoption(orangealignmentinFigure1.3)accountsforaproposalbyWingecarribeeShire Council(WSC)torealignapproximately700mofBerrimaRoadbetweenTaylorAvenueandStonyCreek toreplacetheTͲintersectionatBerrimaRoadandTaylorAvenuewitharoundabout,andtoreplacethe existingraillevelcrossingintotheBerrimaCementWorkswitharailoverbridge.IfWSCrelocatesBerrima RoadtothealignmentshowninFigure1.3,thenthefollowingprojectcomponentswouldvary: x the turnout for the new spur line to service the Hume Coal Project would be installed on the existingBerrimaBranchLineapproximately1000meastofthecementworks.Ashortsectionof theexistingBerrimaBranchLinewouldbeshiftednorth,withintherailcorridoronBoralͲowned land,toaccommodatethespurline; x theconstructionofarailwaybridgeoverBerrimaRoadwouldbereplacedbyarailwayunderpass beneaththerealignedBerrimaRoad,constructedthroughtheelevatedembankmentfortheroad; x theconstructionofanewrailconnectionintotheBerrimaCementWorksfromtherailwaybridge wouldnolongerberequired,andthecementworksaccesswouldremainunchanged;and x theexistingrailconnectionintotheBerrimaCementWorksandtheBerrimaRoadlevelrailcrossing would not be decommissioned, since the road would be realigned to pass over the existing rail alignmentusingabridge.

ThisBARhasconsideredtheimpactsofbothoptionsshowninFigure1.3.

J12055RP1 2 T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR001_RegionalSiteLocation_20170214_02.mxd 14/02/2017 information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR001_RegionalSiteLocation_20170214_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 ¯ Figure 1.1 Locality plan

Park Royal

National

PACIFIC OCEANPACIFIC Berrima RailBerrima Project HELENSBURGH BULLI Biodiversity assessment report assessment Biodiversity PORT KEMBLA KIAMA WOLLONGONG MINNAMURRA WERRI BEACH GERRINGONG DAPTO JAMBEROO CAMPBELLTOWN HEADS

Source: LPMA MinView (2011) GA (2015); EMM (2016); (2016); Source: SHOALHAVEN ORIENT POINT BERRY DOUGLAS PARK CAMDEN

State Forest Currambene NOWRA BOMADERRY PICTON

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Gurnang TARALGA GOULBURN NEWCASTLE km 0 SYDNEY WOLLONGONG 6 02 BerrimaRail Project area area Project Coal Hume Main road line Rail Drainage line NPWS reserve State forest CROOKWELL 01 PROJECT AREAPROJECT Existing features VICTORIA NEW SOUTH WALES KEY GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 MGA Zone 1994 GDA BERRIMA AY MEDWAY ILW ME RA DWAY ROA Y N D A B ER W E H ¯ R H R UT IG IM O H A S E R IN O A M A U D M H D L O NEW BERRIMA BURRADOO

SEE INSET BELANGLO STATE FOREST BERRIMA FEED MILL Medway Dam

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Y A W H IG H E M U KEY H INSET Berrima Rail Project area SUTTON FOREST Hume Coal Project area

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R Local road O A D

Rail line B ER R Drainage line HODDLES IM K A AY E ILLAWARRA HIGHW E B CROSS R R State forest C A ROADS Y N C 012 N B E H O R T R L S IN km WERAI IM E A Note: Berrima Rail Project area, Hume Coal Project area R O and A349 boundaries have been offset for clarity. A Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016);D LPI (2015) 30/01/2017 information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR002_BerrimaRailLocationPlan_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Local context Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Figure 1.2 Y A OLDB

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OMYA KEY

Project area Berrima Road relocation (works by Wingecarribee Shire Council) EEK Project elements CR Y BERRIMA JUNCTION 6 Rail temporary construction facility N New rail line - preferred option STO Topsoil stockpiles UR New rail line - alternative option LDB Y O RO Existing featuresAD Noise wall B E R Drainage line R Rail maintenance facility access road IM 0250500 A R Main road m O Turning lane/shoulder A D GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); LPI (2015)

Local road information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR003_DisturbanceArea_20170130 EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Conceptual project components Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Figure 1.3

1.3 Projectarea

The project area is located in the Southern Highlands region of NSW in the Wingecarribee local governmentarea,approximately100kmsouthͲwestofSydney.Itoccupiesacorridorthatisaround8km long,stretchingfromtheBerrimaJunctionontheoutskirtsofMossVale,headingwestinparallelwith DouglasRoadpasttheBerrimaFeedMill,aroundthesouthernsideoftheBerrimaCementWorks,across theOldHumeHighwayandundertheHumeHighwaythroughanexistingunderpassintotheHumeCoal Projectarea,southofMedwayRoad.

The project area is in a semiͲrural setting. It is surrounded by grazing properties, smallͲscale farm businesses,scatteredruralresidences,largeandsmallindustriesandistraversedbytheHumeHighway. The project area contains predominately cleared agricultural land consisting of improved pasture for grazing,andoverathirdoftheareacomprisestheexistingBerrimaBranchLine.

The villages of New Berrima, Berrima and Moss Vale are located in the general area. Medway is also locatednearbywhileBowralandMittagongarelocatedbetween6and10kmnorthͲeastoftheeastern end of the project area, respectively. There are also scattered homesteads, dwellings and other built structuresassociatedwithagriculturalproductionsurroundingtheprojectarea.

1.4 Thestudyarea

The study area for the biodiversity assessment is shown in Figure2.1. The edge of a large patch of vegetationoccursinthestudyarea.Accordingly,thestudyareawasextendedoutsidetheprojectareain thislocationsothatthepatchofvegetationcouldbeaccuratelycharacterised.

1.5 Assessmentguidelinesandrequirements

ThisBARwaspreparedinaccordancewiththeFrameworkforBiodiversityAssessment:NSWBiodiversity Offsets Policy for Major Projects (OEH 2014). It identifies potential direct and indirect impacts of the projectonthreatenedbiodiversitylistedundertheNSWThreatenedSpeciesConservationAct1995(TSC Act)andCommonwealthEnvironmentProtectionandBiodiversity9Act199 (EPBCAct).Italsoaddresses potential impacts of the project on riparian land, aquatic environments and groundwater dependent ecosystems.

The BAR demonstrates how measures have been incorporated into the project design to avoid and minimiseimpactsonbiodiversityandmeasurestomitigateimpactsduringconstructionandoperation.A biodiversityoffsetstrategyisprovidedtocompensateforresidualbiodiversityimpactsafteravoidance; minimisationandmitigationmeasureshavebeenapplied.Thestudyassessestheimpactsofthepreferred andalternativeprojectoptions(refertoFigure1.3).

ThisassessmenthasbeenpreparedinaccordancewithrequirementsoftheDP&E,assetouteinth SEARs for the project. A copy of the SEARs is attached to the EIS as Appendix B. Table 1.1 lists individual requirementsrelevanttothisbiodiversityassessmentandwheretheyareaddressedinthisreport.

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Table1.1 Biodiversity–relevantSEARsissuedbyDP&E

SEAR Whereaddressed Anassessmentofthelikelybiodiversityimpactsofthedevelopment,inaccordance Thisassessmenthasbeen withtheFrameworkforBiodiversityAssessment,byapersonaccreditedin preparedinaccordancewiththe accordancewiths142(B)(1)(c)oftheThreatenedSpeciesConservationAct1995,and SEARSbyKatieWhitingofEMM, havingregardtoOEH'sandDPI'srequirementsandrecommendations. accreditedassessornumber196. Thecomplianceoftheassessment againsttheFBAmapping requirementsisprovidedin AppendixD. Astrategytooffsetanyresidualimpactsofthedevelopmentinaccordancewiththe Anoffsetstrategyispresentedin NSWBiodiversityOffsetsPolicyforMajorprojects. Chapter7.

DP&Einvited othergovernmentagenciestorecommendmatterstoaddressintheEIS.NSWFisheries, OEH,andDPIWaterraisedrequirementsrelevanttobiodiversity,asreproducedinTable1.2.

Table1.2 NSWFisheriesandOEHassessmentrecommendationsrelatingtobiodiversity

Agency Requirement Whereaddressed NSWFisheries Analysisofanyinteractionsoftheproposedrailprojectwithaquatic Indirectimpactsonriparian andriparianenvironmentsandpredictionsofanyimpactsupon vegetationareaddressedinSection aquaticandriparianenvironments(includingfishandaquaticand 4.3.6,whilepotentialimpactsonthe riparianvegetation)fromtherailproject(bothtemporaryand riparianandaquaticenvironment permanent).Thisshouldincludeassessmentofbothdirectimpacts areaddressedinSection4.3.1. (removal,disturbance,smothering)andindirectimpacts(e.g. shading,permanentlossofhabitat). OEH Assessmentofthepotentialimpactonbiodiversity,including Anassessmentofpotentialdirect threatenedspecies,populations,ecologicalcommunities,ortheir andindirectimpactsoftheproject habitatslikelytooccurwithinornearthesubjectsite. onthreatenedbiodiversityis providedinChapter4. OEH Biodiversityimpactsrelatedtotheproposeddevelopmentaretobe Thisbiodiversitychapterhasbeen assessedanddocumentedinaccordancewiththeFrameworkfor preparedtomeetthereporting BiodiversityAssessment(FBA),unlessotherwiseagreedbyOEH,byarequirementsoftheFBAbyKatie personaccreditedinaccordancewiths142B(1)(c)oftheThreatened Whiting,accreditedassessor196. SpeciesConservationAct1995. OEH Impactsonthefollowingpopulationswillrequirefurther Thepotentialimpactsoftheproject considerationandprovisionoftheinformationspecifiedins9.2of onBlackGumareassessedin theFrameworkforBiodiversityAssessment: Section4.2. x BlackGum(Eucalyptusaggregata) DPIWater Assessmentofimpactsonsurfaceandgroundwatersources(both Anassessmentofriparianlandand qualityandquantity)relatedinfrastructure,adjacentlicensedwater groundwaterdependentecosystems users,basiclandholderrights,watercourses,riparianlandand isprovidedinSection4.3.6,while groundwaterdependentecosystems,andmeasuresproposedto mitigationmeasuresareprovidedin reduceandmitigatetheseimpacts. Section5.2.Anassessmentof surfaceandgroundwaterimpacts andmitigationmeasuresisprovided inChapter13oftheEIS.

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2 Methods

2.1 Databasesearches

Table2.1summarisesthedatabasesearchesperformedtoidentifyanythreatenedterrestrialfloraand fauna species, important habitat for migratory species and/or critical habitats recorded in and surroundingthestudyarea.Threatenedspecies,populationsandcommunitieslistedundertheTSCAct and/orEPBCActpreviouslyrecordedorpredictedtooccurwithinanapproximate10kmofthestudyarea areprovidedinTable2.3andTable2.4.

PreliminarylistingadviceswerealsoconsultedundertheTSCandEPBCActstodetermineanyspecies, populations or communities that may be listed in the future, or existing species that may increase in conservationstatus(ieexistingvulnerablespeciesthatareproposedtobeupgradedtoendangered).

Table2.1 Biodiversitydatabasesearchdetails

Source Searchdate(s) Searchextent PlantNETspatialdatabasesearchforrareandthreatenedAustralian 22March2016 WingecarribeeLGA Plants http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/search/spatial.htm AtlasofNSWWildlife 2November2015 10kmradiusaround www.environment.nsw.gov.au/atlasapp/ 22March2016 approximatestudyarea ProtectedMattersSearchTool 2November2015 10kmradiusaround www.environment.gov.au/webgisͲframeworkͲapps/pmst/pmst.jsf/ 22March2016 approximatestudyarea Reviewofnewlistings on5May2016 NSWVegetationInformationSystem(VIS)ClassificationDatabase, 2November2015 HawkesburyͲNepean VegetationBenchmarksDatabaseandOverͲclearedLandscapes 22March2016 MajorCatchmentArea Database (MCA) www.environment.nsw.gov.au/ Threatenedspeciesprofiledatabase 2November2015 Relevantspecieswithin www.environment.nsw.gov.au/atlasapp/ 22March2016 HawkesburyͲNepean MCA Criticalhabitatregister 2November2015 Allregisteredsites www.environment.nsw.gov.au/criticalhabitat/CriticalHabitatProtecti 22March2016 weresearched.No onByDoctype.htm areasofdeclared criticalhabitatwithin oradjacenttothe studyarea. AustralianWetlandsDatabase 2November2015 Searchbynamefor http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/water/waterͲourͲ 22March2016 eachwetlandwithin environment/wetlands/australianͲwetlandsͲdatabase approximately10kmof thestudyarea DepartmentofPrimaryIndustriesRecordsViewer 14July2016 Searchforthreatened www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/speciesͲprotection/records speciesand communitiesinthe WingecarribeeLGA KeyFishHabitatMap:Wingecarribee 14July2016 Determiningthekey www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/_data/assets/pdf_file/0011/634376/Wingecarr fishhabitatsinthe ibee.pdf studyarea

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Table2.1 Biodiversitydatabasesearchdetails

Source Searchdate(s) Searchextent Preliminarydeterminationsbydate(TSCAct) 14July2016 Searchofall http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/committee/PreliminaryDeter preliminary minationsByDate.htm determinations Listingassessmentsforpubliccomment(EPBCAct) 14July2016 Searchofall http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/nominatio preliminary ns/comment determinations

2.2 Vegetationsurveymethods

2.2.1 Vegetationmappingreview

Existing vegetation mapping and databases were reviewed to provide information on the vegetation communitiespreviouslyrecordedorlikelytooccurinthestudyarea.Table2.2providesasummaryof informationreviewedanddataobtainedforthestudyarea.

Table2.2 Vegetationinformationreviewedanddataobtained

Source Dataobtained Relevancetotheassessment WingecarribeeBiodiversityStrategy Vegetationtypesforthe Indicativeofvegetationtypesinthewider (EcoLogical2003) WingecarribeeLGA studyarea BiometricVegetationTypes(DECC Vegetationtypesforthe Usedtoassignvegetationofthestudyarea 2012) HawkesburyͲNepeanMCA toabiometrictype VegetationInformationSystem(VIS) Plantcommunitytypesforthe Usedtodeterminetheplantcommunity database(OEH2016a) HawkesburyNepeanMCA typespresentintheregion

2.2.2 Vegetationtypemapping

Vegetationtypeboundariesweremappedinthefield,eitheronfootor fromavehicle,usingaglobal positioning satellite (GPS) receiver, whilst referencing aerial photographs and topographic maps. FieldͲ based assessments were followed by aerial photograph interpretation and analysis using a geographic informationsystem(GIS)tocreateacomprehensivevegetationmapoftheentirestudyarea.

Oncevegetationtypeswithinthestudyareahadbeenidentified,theNSWBiometricVegetationTypes Database(DECC2012)wasreviewedtoprovideanappreciationoftheextentanddistributionofthese vegetationtypeswithinthelocalityandregionmorebroadly.

2.2.3 Plotbasedsurveys

SevenplotsandtransectswerecompletedinaccordancewithSection5.3.2ofFrameworkforBiodiversity Assessment:NSWBiodiversityOffsetsPolicyforMajorProjects(OEH2014),hereafterreferredtoasthe FBA. Surveys were completed over four days (11 September 2015 and 28 to 30 September 2015). As requiredbythepolicy,plotswereina20x20mareaandtransectswere50mlong.Plotandtransect data was compared to the OEH Plant Community Type (PCT) Database (OEH 2016a) and to the final determinationsofthreatenedcommunitiespredictedtooccurinthearea.Plotassessmentlocationsare shownin Figure2.1.

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Seven(20x20m)plotandtransect(50m)florasurveyswereundertakeninthestudyareainaccordance withSection5.3.2oftheFBA.TheFBAprovidesguidanceonhowmanyplotsandtransectsareneededfor each‘vegetationzone’toensureadequatesurveycoverageacrossastudyarea.Accordingly,thenumber ofquadratstobecompletedwasdeterminedthroughstratificationusingregionalvegetationmappingfor thearea,andthencalculatingtherequisitenumberofplotsandtransectsforeach‘strata’or‘vegetation zone’inthestudyarea.

InaccordancewithSection5.3.2oftheFBA,siteattributesrecordedintheplotsandtransectsincluded: x nativeplantspeciesrichness; x nativeplantcover(percentagecover)withinthecanopy,midͲstoreyandgroundcover,respectively; x exoticplantcover(percentagecover)withineachvegetationstratum/percentageofthetotalmidͲ storeyandgroundcover; x thenumberoftreeswithhollows; x proportionofcanopyspeciesoccurringasregeneration;and x thetotallengthoffallenlogs.

ThelocationsofplotsandtransectsareshownonFigure2.1.

2.2.4 Threatenedecologicalcommunityidentification

Vegetation plot data and rapid assessment data were reviewed against the Commonwealth and NSW Government descriptions of threatened ecological communities (TECs) known from the region, to determine their presence (or otherwise) in the study area. A comparison was also undertaken with publishedTECspecieslists,habitatdescriptionsanddistributions,andpublishedidentificationguidelines.

2.3 Targetedspeciessurveys

2.3.1 Candidatefloraspecies

Theresultsofthedesktopstudyidentifiedthreatenedfloraspecies(listedundertheEPBCActand/orTSC Act)previouslyrecorded,orpredictedtooccur(basedonknowndistributionsandthepotentialpresence of suitable habitat), in or near the study area. The results were also used to identify threatened flora species (listed under the EPBC Act and/or TSC Act) to target during the surveys. These were generally thosespeciespreviouslyrecorded,orpredictedtohaveamoderateorhighlikelihoodofoccurring(based onknowndistributionsandthepotentialpresenceofsuitablehabitat),inornearthestudyarea.

Table2.3liststhespeciestargetedandthesurveydetectionmethodsandtiming.Florasearcheswere timedtomaximisethepotentialforidentificationofthethreatenedspeciesbeingtargeted.Assurveys were completed in September 2015, targeted surveys were completed for all candidate flora species withintheiroptimalsurveytiming.

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Table2.3 Candidatefloraspecies

Species TSCActstatus EPBCAct Surveymethods Optimalsurvey status timing DwarfKerrawang E E Targetedflorasearch Yearround Rulingiaprostrata DwarfPhyllota V V Targetedflorasearch Yearround Phyllotahumifusa Bynoe'sWattle E V Targetedflorasearch SeptembertoMarch Acaciabynoeana BlackGum V(species) V Targetedflorasearch Februaryto Eucalyptusaggregata E(population) December HoarySunray Ͳ E Targetedflorasearch Yearround Leucochrysumalbicansvar.tricolor PaddysRiverBox E E Targetedflorasearch Yearround Eucalyptusmacarthurii CambageKunzea V V Targetedflorasearch Yearround Kunzeacambagei MittagongGeebung E V Targetedflorasearch Yearround Persooniaglaucescens Notes: 1.TSC ActͲThreatened Species Conservation Act 1995, EPBC ActͲEnvironment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. 2.VͲvulnerable,E–endangered.

2.3.2 Targetedflorasurveymethods

Targeted searches for threatened flora were undertaken over 56 person hours within suitable or potentially suitable habitats of the study area, using the random meander method. Targeted searches were undertaken at all flora survey locations shown on Figure2.1. Survey effort was based on the vegetation type and the likely presence of suitable habitats. Where a rare or threatened species was recorded,thefollowingdatawascollected: x numberofindividuals; x reproductivestatusofthepopulation(egflowering/fruiting); x the location(s) of each individual, recorded using a GPS (where individuals were less than 1m apart,asinglepointwasrecordedandthenumberofplantsatthatpointnoted); x habitatfeaturespresent(egrockyoutcropsandassociatedfloraspecies); x aspectand/ordegreeofslope; x vegetationtype;and x threats(ifany)and/orpreviousdisturbances.

ThelocationsoftargetedflorasurveysareshownonFigure2.1.

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2.3.3 Faunasurveyguidelines

Faunasurveyswerealsocompletedinaccordancewiththefollowingguidelines: x SurveyguidelinesforAustralia'sthreatenedbats(DEWHA2010a); x SurveyguidelinesforAustralia'sthreatenedbirds(DEWHA2010b); x SurveyguidelinesforAustralia'sthreatenedmammals(SEWPaC2011a);and x Threatened Biodiversity Survey and Assessment: Guidelines for Developments and Activities (DEC 2004).

J12055RP1 5 INSET 1 ¯ BERRIMA Y WA H Y IG A H

W E M MEDWAY RO H U AD G H I D !( H L OLD HUME HIGHWAY O !( E !( !(

U !( Y

H A KEY BERRIMA ROAD ECARR LW B G IB I L IN EE RA A W RIVE C R N R Project area OL K E DB EK S URY CRE PR TH IN U G Biodiversity assessment study S O CREEK S area IN A M Zone of direct impacts !( !( SEE INSET 1 Direct disturbance footprint - NEW BERRIMA !( preferred option !(!( Direct disturbance footprint - alternative option (where !( different from preferred !( option) !( !( SEE INSET 2 !( !(!(!( !( Zone of potential indirect impacts !( !(!( MEDWAY RIVULET !(!( !( Construction buffer zone - !(

preferred option

R E

V I Construction buffer zone - R E E B

alternative option I

R R

A Survey point B C ERR E IMA B G

R N AN I !( Camera CH L INE W !( Detector INSET 2 !( Fish survey site !( Plots and transects EEK CR Y !( N Rapid assessment !( O !( T !( S Spotlighting, bird surveys & RYRO !( OLDBU A Koala scat searches BERRIMA ROAD D

Existing features GOLDEN VALE ROAD !( ELLS CR Main road W EEK !( !( Local road !( Rail line !( !( !(

DrainageHUME HIGHWAY line

K Waterbody E !( E ITESC R WH R 00.51 C EEK Y N km O T S Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015)

GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 14/02/2017 information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR004_Biobanking_StudyMethods_20170214_03.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055

Biodiversity assessment study area and methods Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Figure 2.1

AnassessmentofthecomplianceoffaunasurveysagainsttheseguidelinesisprovidedinTable2.4.All fauna surveys were compliant with the above guidelines, with the exception of three species. These specieswerethereforeassumedtobepresentforimpactassessmentandoffsettingpurposes. a. Targetfaunaspecies

AllTSC Actthreatenedspeciesrecordedwithin10kmofthe study areaweretargetedduring surveys. Records for the listed species predicted by the Protected Matters Search Tool (DoE 2016a) were interrogated on the Atlas of NSW Wildlife (OEH 2016b) and Atlas of Living Australia (ALA 2016) to determine if theynhad bee recorded within 10km of the study area. Species on this list greater than 10km from the study area and not likely to occur (ie coastal species) were excluded from targeted surveys.

Surveymethodsforthreatenedfaunaweredeterminedfollowingtheresultsofthedesktopstudyand assessmentofthepresenceofsuitablehabitat.Thiswasdonefollowingthesamegeneralprocessasfor threatenedflora,describedabove.Table2.4providesalistofthreatenedandmigratoryfaunaspecies (listedundertheEPBCActand/orTSCAct)whichwereidentifiedashavingamoderatetohighpotential to occur prior to surveys. The table also summarises survey methods and optimal survey timing for detection.Surveyswerecompletedforallthreatenedfaunaduringoptimalsurveytiming.

Table2.4 Candidatefaunaspecies

Species TSCAct EPBCAct Surveyguidelines Optimalsurvey Surveycompletedin status status timing1 accordancewith guidelines2andoptimal surveytiming1? BlueͲbilledDuck VͲ Searchesinwetlands Yearround Yes Oxyuraaustralis FreckledDuck VͲ Searchesinwetlands Yearround Yes Stictonettanaevosa AustralasianBittern E E Areasearchineach Yearround Yes Botauruspoiciloptilus stratificationunit LittleEagle VͲ Areasearchineach Yearround Yes stratificationunit Hieraeetus morphnoides AustralianPainted E E Areasearchinwetlands Yearround Yes Snipe Rostratulaaustralis GangͲgangCockatoo VͲ Areasearchineach Yearround Yes stratificationunit Callocephalon fimbriatum PowerfulOwl VͲ Atleast6visitspersite Yearround No.Only3visitswere Ninoxstrenua (habitatarea) completedpersite.The speciespresencehas beenassumed. MaskedOwl VͲ Atleast6visitspersite Yearround No.Only3visitswere Tytonovaehollandiae (habitatarea) completedpersite.The speciespresencehas beenassumed.

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Table2.4 Candidatefaunaspecies

Species TSCAct EPBCAct Surveyguidelines Optimalsurvey Surveycompletedin status status timing1 accordancewith guidelines2andoptimal surveytiming1? VariedSittella VͲ Areasearchineach Yearround Yes Daphoenositta stratificationunit chrysoptera ScarletRobin VͲ Areasearchineach Yearround Yes Petroicaboodang stratificationunit FlameRobin VͲ Areasearchineach Yearround Yes Petroicaphoenicia stratificationunit SpottedͲtailQuoll V E 2x1hourand1kmup Yearround Spotlightingandcall Dasyurusmaculatus to200haof playbackwere maculatus stratificationunit undertaken.Cameras spotlightingandcall wereleftonsiteforone playback week.Thespecies Camerasleftonsitefor presencehasbeen aminimumoftwo assumed. weeks Koala V V Koalasurvey,habitat Yearround Yes Phascolarctoscinereus assessmentandspot assessments SquirrelGlider VͲ 2x1hourand1kmup Yearround Spotlightingandcall Petaurusnorfolcensis to200haof playbackwere stratificationunit undertaken,however spotlightingandcall trappingwasnot.The playback speciespresencehas 4trapnightsovertwo beenassumed. consecutivenightsper 100ha EasternBentwingBat VͲ 4trapnightsovertwo Octoberto Yes Miniopterus consecutivenightsper March schreibersiioceanensis 100haand/ortwo detectorsfor2nights per100ha SouthernMyotis VͲ Harptrappingand Octoberto Yes Myotismacropus ultrasonicdetection March Notes: 1.OptimalsurveytiminginaccordancewiththeBioBankingCalculator. 2.SurveyguidelineslistedinSectioniiiabove. 3.TSCActͲThreatenedSpeciesConservationAct1995,EPBCActͲEnvironmentProtectionandBiodiversityConservationAct 1999,VͲvulnerable,EͲendangered,Mi–migratory.

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2.3.4 Faunahabitatassessment

Anassessmentoffaunahabitattypesandhabitatconditionwasundertakenateachplotlocation(a50m bufferaroundeachplot)todetermineappropriatelocationsfortargetedfaunasurveys.Specifichabitat featuresandsignsthatweresearchedforincluded: x hollowͲbearingtrees,includingstags; x bushrockandrockyoutcrops; x logsandartificialcover(egdiscardedmetalroofing); x wetlands,streams,rivers,damsandotherwaterbodies; x permanentsoaksandseepages; x areasthatcouldactasdispersalcorridorsforplantsandanimals; x winterͲfloweringeucalypts; x nests,roosts,burrowsanddens; x gliderfeedingscarsandKoalafeedtrees; x chewedSheͲoak(Allocasuarinaspp.)orCypressPine(Callitrisspp.)cones;and x scats.

2.3.5 Targeteddiurnalbirdsurveys

Timedsearches,eachbeing20minutesinduration,wereusedtosurveydiurnal(dayactive)birdsatfour sites. Timed searches were extended to one person hour at sites where new species continued to be encountered.

The presence and abundance of all birds observed in the study area during the timed searches were recorded.Birdswereidentifiedvisually,withtheaidofbinocularsand/orbycallidentification.Surveys commencedintheearlymorning,withinanhourofsunrise,whenbirdactivityisgreatest(Bibbly,Burgess andHill1992).SurveylocationsareshowninFigure2.1.

2.3.6 Targetedmicrobatsurveys

Ultrasonic (Wildlife Acoustics SM2Bat) detectors were set up at four locations in eight general areas within representative, potential microchiropteran bat habitat in the study area to record echolocation calls (Figure2.1). Calls were recorded over the entire night, with a minimum of four nights at each location. A total of 10 detector nights were surveyed at the four locations. Microbat sonograms were viewedinAnalookforWindows(Corben2011).

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2.3.7 Targetednocturnalbirdandmammalsurveys

Spotlightsearcheswerecarriedout,principallyforthreatenedandothernocturnalmammal,birdandfrog species within the study area, though opportunistic sightings of other nocturnal fauna were also recorded.

Nocturnalbirdspotlightingsurveyscommencedatsunset(tocapturespeciesemergingfromroostsites and hollows) during favourable weather, that is, outside times of extreme wind. Call broadcasting for threatenedowlspeciesincludingthePowerfulOwlandBarkingOwlwasalsoconducted.Thetotalsurvey effortfornocturnalbirdswas16personhours.

MotionͲsensitive infrared (IR) cameras were placed in four locations throughout the study area (Figure2.1),foratotalof10cameratrapnights.Thecameratrapswerebaitedwithaspongesoakedin honey and truffle oil, targeting groundͲbased carnivores and omnivores. Cameras were positioned in identifiedfaunarunways,ofteningulliesorinareaswherewaterwasavailable.

Inadditiontonocturnalspotlightsurveys,searchesforanyevidenceofowls(egpellets,washontrees andusedhollows)wereundertakenduringsearchesforsignsoffauna.Thetotalsurveyeffortforfauna signswasover24personhours.

Nocturnalsurveyswereconductedoveratotalofthreenights,totalling16personhoursofsurveyeffort. Where possible, nights with rainfall and greater moon influence were avoided, as they are known to affectspotlightsuccess(DEC2004).

Opportunistic records of tracks, scats and signs (that indicate mammalian use of an area) were noted while completing other survey tasks. These tracks, scats and signs can sometimes lead to the identificationoftaxatothespecieslevelandarethereforeimportantpresenceindicators.Atotalofover 32personhourswerespentsearchingfortracks,scatsandsigns.

2.3.8 Koalaspotassessments

Koalasinasociallystablebreedingpopulationareknowntorepeatedlyfeedonasmallnumberoftrees (homerangetrees).Assuch,highactivityareascanbedeterminedbasedonthelocationanddistribution offaecalpelletsinsuitablehabitat.Thespotassessmenttechnique(SAT)(PhillipsandCallaghan2011) wasusedtoassessthepresenceandactivitylevelofKoalasinthestudyarea.

Spot assessments were completed at each plot and transect location to determine presence and/or activitylevels.Atotalof32personhourswasspentsearchingforhabitatsigns,specificallyKoalapellets, overthesurveyperiod.

InaccordancewithSEPP44,areaswereidentifiedaspotentialKoalahabitatwherefeedtreeslistedin Schedule 2 of the SEPP comprised more than 15% of the total number of trees in the upper or lower strataofthecanopylayer.HabitatassessmentswerealsoundertakenforKoalasintheselocations.

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2.4 Aquaticassessment

Theaquaticassessmentutilisedacombinationofdesktopresearchandfieldsurvey.

The desktop research included studying the Key Fish Habitat maps (DPI no date) to determine the potential presence of such habitat in the study area. Strahler stream order was also mapped for all streamsintersectingthestudyarea.

AfieldsurveywascompletedbyJSAEnvironmentalforboththerailprojectandtheHumeCoalProject, whichinvolvedsurveysproximaltotheroadandrailcrossingsassociatedwiththerailproject.Habitat assessmentswerecompletedproximaltotheprojectareaatfoursitesshowninFigure2.1.Allcrossings wereinspectedtodetermineiffishhabitat(iewater,snags,pools,runsandrockysubstrates)oraquatic vegetationwaspresent.

ThedocumentPolicyandGuidelinesforFishHabitatConservationandManagementUpdate2013(DPI 2013)definesfourclassesoffishhabitatinNSW,aslistedinTable2.5.

Table2.5 Classificationofwaterwaysforfishpassage

Classification Characteristicsofwaterwayclass Class1majorkeyfish Marineorestuarinewaterwayorpermanentlyflowingorfloodedfreshwaterwaterway(eg habitat riverormajorcreek),habitatofathreatenedorprojectfishspeciesorcriticalhabitat. Class2moderatekeyfish NonͲpermanentlyflowing(intermittent)stream,creekorwaterway(generallynamed)with habitat clearlydefinedbedandbankswithsemiͲpermanenttopermanentwatersinpoolsorin connectedwetlandareas.Freshwateraquaticvegetationispresent.Type1and2habitatsare present. Class3Minimalkeyfish Namedorunnamedwaterwaywithintermittentflowandsporadicrefuge,breedingorfeeding habitat areasforaquaticfauna(egfish,yabbies).SemiͲpermanentpoolsformwithinthewaterwayor adjacentwetlandsafterarainevent.Otherwise,anyminorwaterwaythatinterconnectswith wetlandsorotherClass1Ͳ3fishhabitats. Class4Unlikelyfish Waterway(generallyunnamed)withintermittentflowfollowingraineventsonly,littleorno habitat defineddrainagechannel,littletonofloworfreestandingwaterorpoolspostrainevents(eg drygulliesorshallowfloodplaindepressionswithnoaquaticflorapresent).

Fishhabitatinthevicinityofprojectroadsandrailcreekcrossingswasclassifiedinaccordancewiththe abovetable,andwithconsiderationoftheKeyFishHabitatmaps,streamorder,andJSAEnvironmental andEMMfieldsurveys.Thepreferredwaterwaycrossingsforfishhabitatswereidentifiedbasedonthe class offishhabitat,inaccordancewithTable3ofDPI(2013).

A habitat assessment was also completed for the Macquarie Perch (Macquaria australasica), which is listedasanendangeredspeciesundertheFisheriesManagementAct1994(FMAct)andtheEPBCAct,as ithasbeenpreviouslyrecordedin theWingecarribeeLGA.

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3 Existingenvironment

3.1 Overview

Theprojectisinanareathathasalonghistoryofgrazing.Themajorityofthedisturbancefootprintis characterisedbyexoticpasture.Somelargerpatchesofnativevegetationoccur;however,manyaresmall andhighlyfragmented.Theremainingpatchesofnativevegetationarecurrentlyinuseforgrazingand haveahighlydegradedunderstorey.Consequently,nativevegetationinthestudyareaexistsasnative canopytreeswithanexoticunderstorey.

The following sections describe the results of database searches, and the outcomes of field survey in relationtolandscapefeatures,plantcommunitytypes,andecosystemandspeciescreditspeciesinthe studyarea.Thischapteralsosummarisestheimpactsrequiringoffsetting,avoidance,minimisationand offsettingmeasures.

3.2 Databasesearchresults

AsearchoftheBioNetAtlasofNSWWildlife(OEH2016b)indicatedthat10threatenedflora,11birdand 5mammalspecieslistedundertheTSCActhavebeenpreviouslyrecordedina10kmradiusofthestudy area.

AsearchoftheCommonwealthProtectedMattersSearchTool(DoE2013)forMNESundertheEPBCAct indicatedthat4TECs,14threatenedplant,6bird,3frog,8mammal,1reptileand7terrestrialmigratory birdspeciesmayoccurwithin10kmofthestudyarea.

The study area is within the Moss Vale IBRA (Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia) subͲ region(refertothefiguresinAppendixE).TherehavebeeneightTECslistedundertheTSCActrecorded intheIBRAsubͲregion.ThesecommunitiesandtheirconservationstatusareprovidedinTable3.1.

Table3.1 ThreatenedecologicalcommunitiesintheMossValeIBRAsubregionandidentifiedin theProtectedMattersSearchTool

Communityname TSCAct EPBCAct conservation conservation status status SouthernHighlandsShaleWoodlandintheSydneyBasinBioregion(TSCAct)andSouthern E CE HighlandsShaleForestandWoodlandintheSydneyBasinBioregion(EPBCAct) MontanePeatlandsandSwampsoftheNewEnglandTableland,NSWNorthCoast,Sydney E E Basin,SouthEastCorner,SouthEasternHighlandsandAustralianAlpsBioregions(TSCAct) andTemperateHighlandPeatSwampsonSandstone(EPBCAct) TablelandBasaltForestintheSydneyBasinandSouthEasternHighlandsBioregions E E TablelandSnowGum,BlackSallee,CandlebarkandRibbonGumGrassyWoodlandinthe EͲ SouthEasternHighlands,SydneyBasin,SouthEastCornerandNSWSouthWesternSlopes Bioregions MountGibraltarForestintheSydneyBasinBioregion(TSCAct)andUplandBasaltForestsof E E theSydneyBasinBioregion(EPBCAct) RobertsonBasaltTallOpenForestintheSydneyBasinBioregion(TSCAct)andUpland E E BasaltForestsoftheSydneyBasinBioregion(EPBCAct) CoastalUplandSwampsintheSydneyBasinBioregion EͲ Notes: 1.TSCAct–ThreatenedSpeciesConservationAct1995,EPBCAct–EnvironmentProtectionandBiodiversityConservationAct 1999,E–endangeredecologicalcommunity,CEͲcriticallyendangeredecologicalcommunity.

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3.3 Landscapefeatures

Landscapefeaturesoftheprojectareaandsurroundsareshownontheoverviewsitemap(Figure3.1) andoverviewlocationmap(Figure3.2).TheFBArequiresthatthesitemapisata1:1,000scaleandthe location map is at the 1:10,000 scale. Due to the large size of the project area, an overview site and locationmaphasbeenmadetosummarisealllandscapefeatures.Individualsiteandlocationmapsare providedinAppendixE,instrictaccordancewiththemappingscalerequirementsoftheFBA.

ThemajorityofthestudyareaisontheMossValeHighlandsMitchelllandscape,withasmallareaofthe Nattai Plateau Mitchell landscape near Berrima Road. The study area is within the Sydney Basin IBRA bioregionandMossValeIBRAsubͲregion.

Astheprojectisalineardevelopment,thenativevegetationextentwasassessedwithinabufferareaby calculating the centreline of the direct disturbance footprint (preferred option) using a geographic informationsystem(GIS).A550mbufferwasthenplacedoneachsideofthecentreline.Theareaandthe perimeter of native vegetation were has been assessed in the buffer area prior to and following development(Figure3.1andFigure3.2)forthepreferredandalternativeoption.Aregionallysignificant biodiversitylinkispresentatthewesternendofthebufferarea;however,itwillnotbeaffectedbythe project.

Thepreferredandalternativeoptionshavethesameareaandperimeterofnativevegetation.Thereisno proportionalchangeinthenativevegetationtoperimeterratiofollowingdevelopmentforbothoptions, assummarisedinTable3.2.

Table3.2 Nativevegetationextentpriortoandfollowingdevelopment

Factor Priortodevelopment Followingdevelopment Bufferarea 1215 1215 Nativevegetationcoverinthebufferarea(ha) 140 138 Nativevegetationperimeter(m) 55,414.20 51,797 Nativevegetationdividedbyperimeter 0.002 0.002 Nativevegetationtoperimeterratio 1 1

3.4 Streamsandaquatichabitat

Twostreamsandminordrainagelinesintersectthestudyarea.ThesestreamsandtheirStrahlerOrder aresummarisedinTable3.3.RiversandstreamsareshownonFigure3.1andFigure3.2.Thereareno wetlandsinthestudyarea.

Table3.3 StreamsinthestudyareaandtheirStrahlerorder

Streamname Strahlerorder StonyCreek 1,2,4,5 OldburyCreek 1,2,3,4 Notes: 1.Source:Strahler(1995).

StonyCreekandOldburyCreekareidentifiedontheKeyFishHabitatmapforWingecarribeeLGA(DPIno date),andshownonFigure3.3.

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T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR005_Overview_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd 30/01/2017 information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR005_Overview_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055

¯ L I

Figure 3.1 T

O S

N I

A M Berrima Rail Project Site mapSite - overview Biodiversity assessment report assessment Biodiversity

N I

M I

R E B DoE (2012) LPI (2015); Hume Coal (2016); EMM (2016); Source: km 0.9

A 0.45

O 1994 MGA 56 GDA Zone

K E E R

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I Plateau Nattai road Main road Local Rail line Cadastral boundary

R N R O

B T S 0 Existing features Existing

T S

RY BERRIMA

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2 3 4 5 Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Moss Vale Highlands D

L O Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7)sub-regions Mitchell landscape

A D O A R O Y R

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H E M U H Direct disturbance footprint - footprint disturbance Direct (where option alternative different from preferred option) - zone buffer Construction preferred option - zone buffer Construction option alternative 1

Zoneof potential indirectimpacts Strahlerstream order class

E GOLDEN VALE ROAD

HUME HIGHWAY Project area HUME area Buffer Native vegetation Regionally significant biodiversity link - footprint disturbance Direct preferred option

U B

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O KEY Native vegetationextent Zone of direct impacts Y

W BERRIMA H ¯ G I Y WA H H E IG MEDWAY H M E Y U A MEDWAY R M W OAD H U L H AI D R L N O ER TH U BERRIMA ROAD SO N AI M O CREEK L D BURY

NEW BERRIMA

way Dam

K BE E R RIMA E BRAN R C H LI C NE Y N O ST KEY

O YR Project area Zone of potential indirect impacts MitchellL UR landscapeO DB AD Buffer area Construction buffer zone - Moss Vale Highlands preferred option Native vegetation extent Nattai Plateau Construction buffer zone - Native vegetation Existing features alternative option Regionally significant GOLDEN VALE ROAD Main road Strahler stream order class biodiversity link Local road HUME HIGHWAY 1 Zone of direct impacts Rail line 2 Direct disturbance footprint - 3 preferred option M OS 4 S V Direct disturbance footprint - ALE U NANDERRA RAILWA alternative option (where Y 5 MOSS VALE different from preferred IL LAWA option) Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for RR A H Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions IG 00.51 HW AY Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss km T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR006_Overview_LocationMaps_20170130_02.mxd 30/01/2017 information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR006_Overview_LocationMaps_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Vale sub-region GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) Location map - overview Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Figure 3.2

Figure3.3 Mappedkeyfishhabitats(StonyCreekindicatedbyblackbox,OldburyCreekindicatedbypurplebox)

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TheprojectareaintersectsStonyCreekatBerrimaRoad,OldburyCreekanditstributariessouthofthe BerrimaCementWorks,andatributaryofOldburyCreeksouthoftheOldHumeHighwaycrossingandin therailloop.ThesecrossingsareshowninPhotographs3.1to3.4.

Photograph3.1 StonyCreekattheintersectionwithBerrimaRoad(left)anddam(right)

Photograph3.2 OldburyCreek(left)anditstributary(right),southwestoftheBerrimaCement Works

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Photograph3.3 DrainagedepressionalongsidetheOldHumeHighway

Photograph3.4 EphemeraltributaryofOldburyCreekapproximatelysouthwestoftherailloop

ThesmalldamonStonyCreek(Photograph3.1),whichisupstreamofalargerdam,hadawaterheightof upto0.5mduringthesurvey.Ithadasmoothearthsubstratewithnosnagsorotherfishhabitatfeatures oraquaticvegetationpresent.AlthoughStonyCreekcontainspermanentwaterupstreamoftheBerrima RoadCrossing,ithasbeendammedtothenorthofBerrimaRoad,andthereforeisnotconnectedtothe WingecarribeeRiver.ThisdamwouldthereforepreventfishpassagetothesmalldamonStonyCreek, and as such the waterway is likely to only provide habitat for common reptiles including the Eastern SnakeͲneckedTurtle(Chelodinalongicollis)andYabby(Cheraxdestructor).

ThetributariesofOldburyCreek(Photograph3.2and3.3)didnotcontainwaterduringthesurvey.They consistofashallowdepression(lessthan0.05m)wherewatermayflowafterrainfallanddonotcontain aquaticvegetation.TheephemeraltributaryofOldburyCreeksouthwestoftherailloop(Photograph3.4) didnotcontainanywateroraquaticvegetation, howeversomeembeddedsurfacerockswerepresent. SimilartotheOldburyCreektributaries,OldburyCreekinthislocationhasapoorlydefinedandshallow channelwherewatermayflowafterrainfall.

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Although Oldbury Creek and some of its tributaries are identified on the Key Fish Habitat map for WingecarribeeLGA(Figure3.3),theydonotcontainkeyfishhabitat.DPI(2013)defineskeyfishhabitats asareasthatarecrucialtothesurvivalofnativefishstocks.ThetermexcludesmanͲ madehabitats,such asagriculturaldrainsandoffͲstreamdamsandponds,andthosenaturalwaterwayswhicharedryforthe majorityofthetimeorhavelimitedhabitatvalue.Streamsintersectingtheprojectareahavebeenheavily modifiedbyagriculturalactivitiesandthecreationofupstreamdams.Thesestreamsaredrymostofthe time, even though discharges from the Berrima Sewerage Treatment Plant are relatively constant.,Therefore,thesestreamsdonotrepresentkeyfishhabitatsasdefinedbyDPI(2013).

Basedonthefindingsofthefieldsurvey,thesedrainagelineshavebeenclassifiedasClass4Ͳunlikelyfish habitat(refertoTable2.5)astheyarewaterwayswithintermittentflowfollowingraineventsonly,with littleornodefineddrainagechannel,andlittletonofloworfreestandingwaterorpoolspostrainevents (iedrygulliesorshallowfloodplaindepressionswithnoaquaticflorapresent).AlthoughthedamyonSton Creekhasstandingwaterandisonaminorwaterway,itdoesnotconnectwithanywetlandsorClass1to 3fishhabitatsandflowtotheWingecarribeeRiverisimpededbythedamwall.Therefore,thedamon StonyCreekandupstreamsectionshasbeenclassifiedasClass4unlikelyfishhabitat.

StreamsintersectingthestudyareadonotcontainhabitatfortheMacquariePerch.TheDraftReferral Guidelines for the Macquarie Perch (SEWPaC 2011b) states that to provide habitat for the species, streamsmustcontain: x deep,rockypools; x clearwaterinterspersedwithriffles; x slowtofastflowingwaterbodies;and x ample cover from rocks, overhanging banks, logs, branches, emergent and submerged aquatic plants,trailingbankvegetation,stumpsandclaybanks.

Thestreamsintersectingthestudyareadonothavethesehabitatcharacteristics,andthereforedonot providehabitatfortheMacquariePerch.

Wetlandsandnationalparksareabsentfromthestudyareaandsurrounds.

3.5 Plantcommunitytypes

Twonativeandoneexoticvegetationcommunitywererecordedinthestudyarea,comprising: x BroadͲleavedPeppermintNarrowͲleavedPeppermintgrassywoodland; x SnowGumWoodland;and x Clearedland.

Descriptions of the vegetation communities and their plant community types (PCT) are provided in Table3.4andillustratedinFigure3.4.PlotdataisprovidedinAppendixA.

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Table3.4 Vegetationcommunitiesinthestudyarea

Vegetation Dominantcanopy Plantcommunity Dominant Dominantunderstorey Landscapeposition community species1 type(PCT) midstorey species1 andsoils species1 BroadͲleaved BroadͲleaved PCT731BroadͲ None Kikuyu(Pennisetum Occursongently Peppermint Peppermint leavedPeppermintͲ clandestinum*),Finger undulatinglandat NarrowͲ (Eucalyptusdives), RedStringybark Grass(Dactyloctenium approximately leaved NarrowͲleaved grassyopenforest radulans),Cocksfoot 700mabovesea Peppermint Peppermint(E. onundulatinghills, (Dactylisglomerata*) level(ASL)ondeep grassy radiata),Paddys SouthEastern andLambsTongues shalesoils. woodland RiverBox(E. HighlandsBioregion (Plantagolanceolata*). macarthurii) SnowGum SnowGum(E. PCT1191Snow None GlossyNightshade Occursinfrost woodland pauciflorasubsp. GumͲCandleBark (Solanumamericanum), hollowflatsand pauciflora) woodlandonbroad BasketGrass,Tussock footslopesin valleyflatsofthe Grass(Poalabillardieri), undulating tablelandsand Rytidosperma tablelandareas slopes,South racemosumvar. between600and EasternHighlands racemosum,SpinyͲ 1100mASL. Bioregion headedMatRush, Catsear(Hypochaeris radicata*),Cocksfoot andSerratedTussock (Nassellatrichotoma*). Clearedland None N/A None PaddockLovegrass Occurson (Eragrostis undulatingland leptostachya),Catsear, from650Ͳ700m HairyHawkbit ASLonclayloam (Leontodon soils. taraxicoides*), SubterraneanClover (Trifolium subterraneanum*), Couch(Cynodon dactylon),Perennial Ryegrass(Lolium perenne*),Paspalum (Paspalumdilatatum*) andKentuckyBluegrass (Poapratensis*). Notes: 1. Dominant species are those that have a high projected foliage cover, or those that are present across most vegetation samplingpoints. 2.*denotesintroducedspecies.

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3.6 Threatenedecologicalcommunities

Thevegetationcommunitiesrecordedinthestudyareawerecomparedtothefinaldeterminationsfor theeightTECsthatoccurintheMossValeIBRAsubͲregion.TheBroadͲleavedPeppermintNarrowͲleaved Peppermintgrassywoodlandhassomerepresentativespeciesof‘SouthernHighlandsShaleWoodlandin theSydneyBasinBioregion’,which islistedasanendangeredecologicalcommunity(EEC)undertheTSC Act. The Snow Gum Woodland has a representative canopy species of 'Tablelands Snow Gum, Black Sallee, Candlebark and Ribbon Gum Grassy Woodland in the South Eastern Highlands, Sydney Basin, SouthEastCornerandNSWSouthWesternSlopesBioregions;whichislistedasanEECundertheTSCAct.

Acomparisonofvegetationcommunitiesinthestudyareatothesetwolistedcommunitiesisprovidedin thefollowingsections.ThesecommunitiesdidnotcontainrepresentativespeciesoftheremainingTECs previouslyrecordedintheMossValeIBRAsubregionandthereforewerenotconsideredfurther.

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N I W Berrima Rail Project Plant community types

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H D E M - zone buffer Construction option alternative PCT 731 Broad-leaved Stringybark Red - Peppermint grassy open forest on undulating hills, South Eastern Highlands Bioregion (low condition, site value<17) PCT 1191 Snow Gum - Candle valley on broad woodland Bark and tablelands the of flats Highlands Eastern South slopes, value >17) site condition, (low U H D E L

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3.6.1 SouthernHighlandsShaleWoodlandintheSydneyBasinBioregion

ThefinaldeterminationforSouthernHighlandsShaleWoodlandintheSydneyBasinBioregion(OEH2011) states that it ranges in structure from open forest to woodland and scrub, though is predominantly a woodland.TypicaltreespeciesinthelistedcommunitycompriseNarrowͲleavedIronbark,PaddysRiver Box,SnowGum,WhiteStringybark(E.globoidea),MonkeyGum(E.cypellocarpa),WhiteͲtoppedBox(E. quadrangulata),CabbageGum(E.amplifolia)andSwampGum(E.ovata).OthertreescanincludeGully Gum (E. smithii), Messmate (E. obliqua), Brown Barrel (E. fastigata), Ribbon Gum (E. viminalis), River Peppermint (E. elata), Grey Gum (E. punctata), Forest Red Gum (E. tereticornis), Brittle Gum (E. mannifera)andArgyleApple(E.cinerea).

Southern Highlands Shale Woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion contains a variety of small trees including Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon), TwoͲveined Hickory (A. binervata), Sweet Pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum) and shrubs including Native Indigo (Indigofera australis), Prickly BeardͲheath (Leucopogon juniperinus), Olearia microphylla and Blackthorn (Bursaria spinosa). Groundcovers can include Kangaroo Grass (Themeda australis), Longhair Plumegrass (Dichelachne crinita) and Weeping MeadowGrass(Microlaenastipoides).

Thecommunityoccursonsclaysoil derivedfromWianamattaShaleontheSouthernHighlandsbetween 600 to 800m ASL. Disturbed remnants are considered to form part of the community including areas where the vegetation would respond to assisted natural regeneration, because the natural soil and associatedseedbankisstillatleastpartiallyintact.

BroadͲleaved Peppermint NarrowͲleaved Peppermint grassy woodland was compared to the final determinationforSouthernHighlandsShaleWoodlandintheSydneyBasinBioregiongiventhepresence ofsomerepresentativecanopyspecies.Althoughrepresentativecanopyspeciesarepresent(ieNarrowͲ leaved Peppermint, Paddys River Box and Cabbage Gum), a native midstorey is absent and the understoreyisdominatedbyexoticgrassandforbspecies.Thesparsenativegroundcoverspresent(ie RatsͲtail Grass (Sporobolus creber) and Finger Grass (Dactyloctenium radulans)) which are disturbanceͲ tolerant species, while characteristic disturbanceͲsensitive groundcovers including Kangaroo Grass (Themedaaustralis)areabsent.Theareahasalonghistoryofgrazing,andiscurrentlyinuseforcattle grazingpurposes.Thegrassheightacrossmuchofthecommunitywasoftenlessthan0.1minheight, indicatinghighgrazingpressure.Giventhelonghistoryofdisturbanceitisunlikelythatthesoilprofileand seedbankareintact.

Althoughsomerepresentativecanopyspeciesarepresent,theBroadͲleavedPeppermintNarrowͲleaved Peppermint grassy woodland in the study area does not represent the EEC Southern Highlands Shale WoodlandintheSydneyBasinBioregionas: x anativemidstoreyisabsent; x theunderstoreyisexoticͲdominated;and x thesoilprofileandseedbankareunlikelytobeintactgiventhelongdisturbancehistory.

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3.6.2 TablelandsSnowGum,BlackSallee,CandlebarkandRibbonGumGrassyWoodland intheSouthEasternHighlands,SydneyBasin,SouthEastCornerandNSWSouth WesternSlopesBioregions

TablelandsSnowGum,BlackSallee,CandlebarkandRibbonGumGrassyWoodlandintheSouthEastern Highlands,SydneyBasin,SouthEastCornerandNSWSouthWesternSlopesBioregionstypicallyoccursas anopenforest,woodlandoropenwoodlandthatgradesintograssland.Representativecanopyspecies compriseSnowGum,BlackSallee(E.stellulata),Candlebark(E.rubida)andRibbonGum.Othereucalypts includingBlackGumandSmallͲleavedGum(E.parvula)occurinfrequently.

AshrublayercomprisingTreeViolet(Hymenantheradentata)andUrnHeath(Melichrusurceolatus)may be present. The understorey is dominated by grasses and herbs including Kangaroo Grass, Tussock Grasses(Poaspp.),Speargrasses(Austrostipaspp.),WallabyGrasses(Rytidospermaspp.),ScalyButtons (Leptorhynchos squamatus), Yellow Buttons (Chrysocephalum apiculatum) and Common Woodruff (Asperulaconferta).Thecommunitymayalsooccurasasecondarygrasslandwheredominanttreeshave beenremovedbutthegroundstratumremains.Thecommunityoccursonvalleyfloors,themarginsof frosthollows,footslopesandundulatinghillsbetweenapproximately600and1400mASL.

Snow Gum Woodland has been compared to the final determination for Tablelands Snow Gum, Black Sallee, Candlebark and Ribbon Gum Grassy Woodland in the South Eastern Highlands, Sydney Basin, South East Corner and NSW South Western Slopes Bioregions. It contains one representative canopy species of the listed community, namely Snow Gum. The understorey was dominated by two noxious weeds, namely Serrated Tussock (Nassella trichotoma) and African Lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula), and contains other weed species frequently encountered in agricultural environments. The sparse native understoreyspeciespresent(egClimbingSaltbush(Einadianutans))isadisturbanceͲtolerantspeciesthat canpersistinheavilygrazedareas.Theareahasalonghistoryofgrazing,andiscurrentlyinuseforcattle grazingpurposes.

Althoughonerepresentativecanopyspeciesispresent,themSnowGu Woodlandinthestudyareadoes notrepresenttheEECTablelandsSnowGum,BlackSallee,CandlebarkandRibbonGumGrassyWoodland in the South Eastern Highlands, Sydney Basin, South East Corner and NSW South Western Slopes Bioregionsas: x theunderstoreyisexoticͲdominated;and x thesoilprofileandseedbankareunlikelytobeintactgiventhelongdisturbancehistory.

NootherTECswererecordedinthestudyarea.

3.7 Vegetationzones

Twovegetationzonesoccurinthestudyarea.AsummaryoftheseisprovidedinTable3.5andshownin Figure3.4. The size and composition of the vegetation zones is consistent across the preferred and alternativeoptions.

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Table3.5 Vegetationzonesummary

Vegetation PCT BVT Area(ha) Conditionclass Requiredsurvey Plots zone effort completed 1 731 HN514 1.8 Low 1plot 6plots 2 1191 HN589 0.2 Low 1plot 1plot Notes 1.PCT–plantcommunitytype,BVT–biometricvegetationtype.

3.8 Threatenedspecies

Threatened species identified in and around the project area are illustrated in Figure3.5. As shown, PaddysRiverBoxistheonlythreatenedspeciesrecordedinthestudyarea.

3.8.1 Ecosystemcreditspecies

No ecosystem credit species were predicted by the Biobanking Calculator as related to the plant communitytypesthatoccurinthestudyarea.Additionally,noecosystemcreditspecieswererecordedin thestudyarea.

Potentialhabitatispresentforthefollowingecosystemcreditspeciesthathavepreviouslybeenrecorded nearthestudyarea,butwerenotrecordedduringthesurvey(AppendixB): x LittleEagle; x GangͲgangCockatoo; x ScarletRobin; x FlameRobin; x PowerfulOwl;and x MaskedOwl.

3.8.2 Speciescreditspecies

TheBiobankingcalculatorpredictedthatsixspeciescreditspeciesmayoccurinthestudyarea(Table3.6). Thetabledescribesthesurveytype,ifthespecieswasrecorded,thespeciesabundanceandhabitat,the sizeofthespeciespolygonandifitcanwithstandfurtherloss.

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Table3.6 Predictedspeciescreditspecies

Speciescredit Survey Species Speciesabundance Habitatinthestudy Species Canthe species type recorded? intheprojectarea area polgyon(ie species theareaof withstand habitat furtherloss?1 impacted) Dwarf Targeted No Thespeciesisnot Lowlikelihood.The 0 No.Cannot Kerrawang survey predictedtooccurin SnowGumWoodland withstand theprojectareaasit containspotential furtherloss. wasnotrecorded habitatforthespecies, However,the duringtargeted howevertargeted speciesis surveys. surveyscompleted absentfrom throughoutthissmall theproject area(0.2ha)failedto area. detectthespecies. Eastern Targeted No Thespeciesisnot None.Thestudyarea 0 Yes.Upto10% Pygmy survey predictedtooccurin doesnotcontainheath foragingand Possum theprojectareaasit vegetationwithBanksia 5%breeding Cercartetus wasnotrecorded spp.andmyrtaceous habitat. nanus duringtargeted shrubs. However,the surveys. speciesis absentfrom theproject area. HoarySunray Targeted No Thespeciesisnot Lowlikelihood.This 0 Yes.However, Leucochrysum survey predictedtooccurin speciesmaypotentially thespeciesis albicansvar. theprojectareaasit occurinwoodlandalong absentfrom tricolor wasnotrecorded roadsides;howeverthey theproject duringtargeted arehighlydependenton area. surveys. thepresenceofbare ground.Asthe groundcover(nativeand exotic)inwoodlandof thestudyareaisdense theyareunlikelyto occurandwerenot recordedduring targetedsurveys. Koala Targeted No Thespeciesisnot Lowlikelihood.Although 0 Cansustainup survey predictedtooccurin Koalashavebeen to5%lossin theprojectareaasit recordednorthͲeastof foraging wasnotrecorded thestudyarea,thisis habitat duringtargeted fragmentedfromthe provided surveys. studyareabyBerrima clearingdoes RoadandtheBerrima notincrease Branchline.Inaddition, fragmentation. thefragmentedpatches ofnativevegetationonly containsasmallnumber offeedtreespecies (CabbageGum)andis dominatedby Peppermintspeciesthat arenotclassifiedasfeed trees.

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Table3.6 Predictedspeciescreditspecies

Speciescredit Survey Species Speciesabundance Habitatinthestudy Species Canthe species type recorded? intheprojectarea area polgyon(ie species theareaof withstand habitat furtherloss?1 impacted) PaddysRiver Targeted Yes Sixteenindividual Recordedinthestudy 1 No.The Box survey PaddysRiverBox area,howeverthe individual speciescannot wererecordedinthe designhasbeen (preferred withstand studyarea,withan modifiedsuchthatany option furtherloss. additional24 directimpactstothe only) Onlyone individualsrecorded specieshasbeen individualwill tothesouthwest. minimisedforthe beremoved preferredoptionand forthe avoidedforthealternate preferred option. option.Offsets areproposed tocompensate forthe removalof onetreeifthe preferred optionis selected. Squirrel Assumed N/A Thespecies Moderatelikelihood. 2ha Yes.Upto10% Glider abundanceis Largeeucalypts offoraging unknownasitwas containinghollowsmay habitatand notrecordedduring providedenningand 5%of surveys. foraginghabitatforthe breeding species. habitat. Notes: 1.SpeciesthatcannotwithstandfurtherlossaredeterminedbytheThreatenedSpeciesProfileDatabase(OEH2016).

Onlyonethreatenedspecieswasrecordedinthestudyarea;PaddysRiverBox.SixteenPaddysRiverBox, aspeciescreditspecies,wererecordedinthestudyarea,withafurther24individualsrecordedsouthͲ westofthestudyarea.TheSquirrelGliderhasamoderatelikelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudyareagiven thepresenceoflargeeucalyptscontaininghollows.Nootherspeciescreditspeciesarepredictedtooccur inthestudyarea.

J12055RP1 28 BERRIMA INSET 1 MEDWAY ROAD AY HW IG H ¯ E M U Y H A LD O W LDB O URY ST H REET

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A KEY !( !( M EEK RY CR !( OLDBU Project area BERRIMA ROAD !( !( !( !( Zone of direct impact !( SEE INSET 2 Direct disturbance footprint - !(!( preferred option !(!( !(!(!(!(!( !( Direct disturbance footprint - !(!( alternative option (where different from preferred !( option) !(!( !( Zone of potential indirect impact !(!(!( !( !(!(!(!( Construction buffer zone - !(!(!( preferred option !( !(!( !(!( BE !(!(!(!( RRIM !(!(!( !( A BR !(!(!(!( Y Construction buffer zone - ANC !( A H LIN W alternative option E H IG H ThreatenedE flora M U H !( Paddys River Box tree location Existing features EEK CR Y Main road N TO Local road S R URY O Rail line OLDB AD Drainage line Waterbody 00.51 km Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015)

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Threatened species Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Figure 3.5

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4 Preferredandalternativeoptionimpactassessment

Thischapterdescribestheimpactsrequiringoffsettingassociatedwithnativevegetationclearanceforthe projectandtheindirectimpactsassociatedwiththeconstructionandoperationoftheprojectasawhole. Thischapteralsoassessesthepreferredandalternativeoptions.

4.1 Areasthatrequireassessment

Thedirectdisturbancefootprint(iethezoneofdirectimpactshowninFigure3.1andFigure3.2)hasbeen optimised such that direct impacts on native vegetation will be minimised for the preferred and alternative options. Direct impacts on Paddys River Box will be avoided by the alternative option. However, one tree will be removed for the preferred option (see Figure 6.3). Both preferred and alternativeoptionswillinvolvetheclearingofapproximately2haofnativevegetation.

Potentialdirectimpactstobiodiversityincludevegetationclearing,lossoffaunaandflorahabitat,habitat fragmentation, edge and barrier effects, injury and mortality and changed hydrology. The project will directlyimpactthefollowingvegetationcommunitiesandthreatenedfloraspeciesthroughclearing: x approximately 1.8ha of low condition BroadͲleaved PeppermintͲRed Stringybark grassy open forestonundulatinghills,SouthEasternHighlandsBioregion(PCT731); x approximately0.2haoflowconditionSnowGumͲCandlebarkwoodlandonbroadvalleyflatsof thetablelandsandslopes,SouthEasternHighlandsBioregion(PCT1191); x approximately2haofpotentialhabitatthatcontainssuitablehollowbearingͲtreesfortheSquirrel Glider,aspeciescreditspecies;and x removalofonePaddysRiverBox(preferredoptiononly).

As the two plant communities in the project area contain habitat for threatened species, both communitiesrequireassessmentinaccordancewiththeFBA.

PotentialindirectimpactsarediscussedinSection4.3,andthezoneofpotentialindirectimpactsisshown inFigure3.1andFigure3.2.

4.2 Mattersforfurtherconsideration

MattersthatrequirefurtherconsiderationinaccordancewithSection9.2oftheFBAarethosethatare consideredtobecomplicatedorsevere.TheSEARShaveidentifiedimpactstoBlackGum,athreatened speciesandpopulationintheWingecarribeeLGA,asamatterforfurtherconsiderationintheEIS.

Targeted surveys were completed for Black Gum throughout the study area, however none were detected.ThereareeightrecordsofBlackGuminthewiderarea(Figure4.1).Theserecordscouldnotbe confirmedduringthefieldsurveyastheywerelocatedonprivateproperty.However,forthepurposesof thisstudy,itisconservativelyassumedthattheyarestillpresent.Noneoftheseindividualswillbedirectly impactedbythepreferredoralternativeoptionsastheyarelocatedoutsidethesurfaceinfrastructure areas.

No other impacts related to the project meet the thresholds for matters for further consideration in accordancewithSection 9.2.1.3oftheFBA.

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4.3 ImpactsnotassessedundertheFBA

4.3.1 Aquaticandriparianenvironment

Thepreferredandalternativeoptionsintersectthesamefivestreams,comprising:

1. StonyCreekattheBerrimaRoadintersection;

2. OldburyCreeksouthoftheBerrimaCementWorks;

3. atributaryofOldburyCreeksouthoftheBerrimaCementWorks;

4. atributaryofOldburyCreekattheintersectionwiththeOldHumeHighway;and

5. theintersectionoftheephemeraltributaryofOldburyCreekwithintherailloop.

Drainageculvertswillbeconstructedatstreamintersections2to5forthepreferredandalternativeroute options.Althoughindifferentlocations,culvertswillalsobeinstalledattheStonyCreekintersectionfor the preferred and alternative options. Therefore, drainage will be maintained at all the stream intersections.

Thestreamswerenotfoundtocontainaquaticvegetationorfishhabitat.Therefore,theprojectwillnot resultindirectimpacts(ieremoval,disturbanceorsmothering)orindirectimpacts(shading)onaquatic vegetation or habitat. There will be some temporary disturbance of habitat for Eastern SnakeͲnecked Turtles and Yabbies during construction of the drainage culverts at Stony Creek for the preferred or alternativeoption.Thesewillbemanagedthroughtheimplementationofsedimentanderosioncontrols outlinedinChapter14oftheEIS(soilandlandresources),andaquatichabitatmanagementmeasuresin Section5.2.

4.3.2 Edgeeffects

Theclearingofnativevegetationfortheprojectwillonlyresultinminoredgeeffectsgiventhatonlytwo patcheswillbefragmented,whileconnectivitywithotherpatcheswillberetained.Severalinvasiveweeds including African Lovegrass and Serrated Tussock dominate the understorey in the study area. This constitutes the key threatening process (KTP) listed under the TSC Act “Invasion of native plant communitiesbyexoticperennialgrasses”.Astheunderstoreyofnativevegetationinthestudyareais dominated by exotic species, the potential for new weed species to invade following clearing for the projectislow,andadditionalmitigationisnotconsiderednecessary.

4.3.3 Fragmentation

Native vegetation in the study area is in a highly fragmented state given its agricultural setting. The alignmentoftheprojecthasbeendesignedsuchthatfurtherfragmentationisminimised,bythesitingof the preferred and alternative options in exotic grassland as much as possible. Further, the project disturbance footprint has been restricted to a 4m buffer surrounding the rail line to minimise fragmentationimpacts.

TheprojectwillremovetheedgeofalargerpatchofwoodlandsouthͲwestoftheBerrimaCementWorks. Asonlytheedgeofthispatchwillberemoved,itwillnothaveadverseeffectsonvegetationconnectivity. The project will fragment two larger patches of woodland directly southͲwest of Berrima Road. These patcheswillbemanagedsuchthatedgeeffectsareminimised(refertoSection5.2).

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Theexistinglevelofaquaticconnectivitywillbemaintainedthroughtheinstallationofdrainageculverts ateachstreamintersection.

4.3.4 Introducedspecies

EuropeanRabbit(Oryctolaguscuniculus)andRedFox(Vulpesvulpes)scatswererecordedinthestudy area.Thesepestspeciescanspreadintonewareasandcompetewithnativespecieswiththecreationof newlineardevelopmentsthatfragmentlargetractsofnativevegetationandincreasetheeaseofaccess for these species. However, given the project's agricultural setting and the poor condition and fragmentationofvegetation;theprojectisunlikelytoincreaseopportunitiesforsuchspecies.

4.3.5 Noise

Thestudyareaisbisected byBerrimaRoad,theBerrimaBranchLine,theHumeHighwayandtheOld HumeHighwayandboundedbyMedwayRoad.Theareahashighlevelsofexistingtrafficnoisewhichcan beadeterrenttonativefaunaspecies.Theminorclearanceofnativevegetationandoperationofthe projectwillnotsignificantlyincreasetrafficnoise(bothroadandrail)fromexistinglevelsinretainedareas ofnativevegetationandfaunahabitats.Theprojectwillresultinuptofourtrainmovementsperday(in both directions), which would increase noise from existing levels. However, as the project is located betweentheexistingHumeHighwayandBerrimaRoad,faunaintheareaarelikelytobemoretolerantof noisedisturbancesandareexpectedtoacclimatisetoadditionalnoise.

4.3.6 Groundwaterdependentecosystemsandriparianvegetation

The interactive map on the Atlas of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (BOM 2016) was queried to identifythepresenceofanygroundwaterdependentecosystemsinthestudyarea.Theatlasreportsthat thegeomorphologyofthestudyareaischaracterisedbyadeeplydissectedsandstoneplateaux,which wasconfirmedduringthesurveyinthewestofthestudyarea,whileremainingpartsofthestudyareaare characterisedbygentlyundulatingagriculturalland.Italsoreportsthatthewatertableis2–20mbelow groundlevelinthisarea,andthatthevegetationhasalowpotentialforgroundwaterinteractionand dependence.

Theprojectwillnotintersectortakegroundwaterfromunderlyingsystemsandtherewillbenoimpactto groundwaterlevelsorflowasaresultoftheproject(seeChapter13oftheEIS).Therefore,theprojectwill notresultinanychangesorimpactsongroundwateravailabilityorgroundwater dependentecosystems.

Riparianvegetationwillnotbedirectlyimpactedbytheproposeddevelopment.Potentialindirectimpacts including weed invasion of riparian vegetation along the nearby Wingecarribee River will be managed throughtheimplementationoferosionandsedimentcontrolmeasures(Section5.2)duringtheproject whichwillminimiseweedinvasion.

4.3.7 Protectedmatterssearch

Aprotectedmatterssearchtoolwascompletedwithina10kmradiusaroundthestudyarea(DoE2015). ThesearchtoolpredictedthatthisareamaycontainthreeTECs,comprising: x SouthernHighlandsShaleForestandWoodlandoftheSydneyBasinBioregion; x UplandBasaltEucalyptForestsoftheSydneyBasinBioregion;and x WhiteBoxͲYellowBoxͲBlakely’sRedGumGrassyWoodlandandDerivedNativeGrassland.

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Theprotectedmatterssearchtoolalsopredictedthat28threatenedspecieslistedundertheEPBCAct mayoccurinthestudyareaand/orsurrounds.PaddysRiverBox,formerlyonlylistedundertheTSCAct, waslistedasanendangeredspeciesundertheEPBCActon5May2016.

Theprotectedmatterssearchtoolpredictedthatnineterrestrialandwetlandmigratorybirdsmayoccur inthestudyarea.

Adiscussionofthespeciesidentifiedbytheprotectedmatterssearch,theirlikelihoodofoccurrenceand potentialtobeimpactedbytheprojectisprovidedinthefollowingsubͲsections. a. Listedecologicalcommunities

Thesoils,geology,structure,floristicsandlocationofeachvegetationcommunitywerecomparedagainst thelistingadviceforeachoftheTECspredictedtooccurbytheprotectedmatterssearchtool(DoE2015).

In accordance with the Approved Conservation Advice (including listing advice) for Southern Highlands Shale Forest and Woodland eof th Sydney Basin Bioregion (TSSC 2015), to be considered a matter of nationalenvironmentalsignificanceundertheEPBCAct,areasoftheecologicalcommunitymustmeet: x thekeydiagnosticcharacteristics:

- anopenforestorwoodlandwithacanopydominatedbyoneormoreeucalyptspecieslisted inTable1oftheApprovedConservationAdvice(TSSC2015);

- hasagroundlayerincludingnativegrassesand/orotherherbs;

- occursintheSouthernHighlandsintheSydneyBasinBioregion;

- occursatelevationsbetween470to830mASLonclaysoilsderivedfromWianamattaShale; and x atleasttheminimumconditionthresholdsformoderatequality.

TheBroadͲleavedPeppermintNarrowͲleavedPeppermintgrassywoodlandcommunitysharessimilarities withtheSouthernHighlandsShaleForestandWoodlandTEC.Ithasanopenwoodlandstructurewitha canopydominatedbyBroadͲleavedPeppermintandNarrowͲleavedPeppermint,listedinTable1ofthe Approved Conservation Advice. Another two species in Table 1 of the Approved Conservation Advice infrequentlyoccurinthestudyarea,namelyPaddysRiverBoxandCabbageGum.Ithasagroundlayer whichcomprisesamixofnativeandexoticgrasses.ItoccursintheSouthernHighlands,andwithinthe requiredelevationsandonshale.

However,BroadͲleavedPeppermintNarrowͲleavedPeppermintgrassywoodlanddoesnotmeetthekey diagnostic characteristics of the listed community because it does not satisfy the minimum condition thresholdsformoderatequality.Anassessmentagainstconditioncategories,classesandthresholdsfor Southern Highlands Shale Forest and Woodland described in the Approved Conservation Advice (TSSC 2015)ispresentedinTable4.1.

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Table4.1 Assessmentagainstconditioncategories,classesandthresholdsforSouthernHighlands ShaleForestandWoodland(TSSC2015)

Categoryandrationale Thresholds Assessment A1.Highconditionclass Patchsizeш2ha Althoughpatchsizeisш2ha,the Alargerpatchwithgoodquality And understoreydoesnotcontain nativeperennialunderstorey nativeunderstorey ш50%oftheperennialunderstoreyvegetation species,asitisdominatedby cover*ismadeupofnativespecies annualgrasses.Itonlycontains1 Or –2nativegrassspeciesperha. ш30nativeunderstoreyspeciesperha Therefore,itdoesnotmeet categoryA1. A2.Highconditionclass Patchsizeш0.5ha Althoughpatchsizeisш0.5ha, Apatchwithverygoodquality And theunderstoreydoesnotcontain nativeperennialunderstorey nativeunderstorey ш70%oftheperennialunderstoreyvegetation species,asitisdominatedby coverismadeupofnativespecies annualgrasses.Therefore,itdoes notmeetcategoryA2. B1.Moderateconditionclass Patchsizeш0.5ha Althoughpatchsizeisш0.5ha, Apatchwithgoodqualitynative And theunderstoreydoesnotcontain nativeperennialunderstorey understorey ш50%oftheperennialunderstoreyvegetation species,asitisdominatedby coverismadeupofnativespecies annualgrasses.Itonlycontains1 Or –2nativegrassspeciesperha. ш15nativeunderstoreyspeciesperha Therefore,itdoesnotmeet categoryB1. B2.Moderateconditionclass Patchsizeш0.5ha Althoughpatchsizeisш0.5ha, Amoderatesizedpatchwith And theunderstoreydoesnotcontain nativeperennialunderstorey connectivitytoanative ш30%oftheperennialunderstoreyvegetation species,asitisdominatedby vegetationarea,oramature coverismadeupofnativespecies tree,oratreewithhollows annualgrasses. And Thepatchis Or Thepatchhasat Thepatchesarenotwithin100m contiguous** leastonetree ofanothertypeofvegetation withanother withhollowsper remnantwithnativevegetationin typeofnative 0.5haoratleast eachstrata.Patchesthatare vegetation onelargelocally proximaltoeachothercontain remnant(ieany indigenoustree thetreecomponentofthe native (>60cmdbh)per community,butdonotcontain vegetation 0.5ha anynativeherbs,andthe wherecoverin understoreyisamixofnativeand eachlayer exoticgrassestypicalofits presentin agriculturalsetting. dominatedby Allpatchescontainatleastone nativespecies) treewithhollowsper0.5ha. ш1hainarea However,astheunderstoreydoes notcontainnativeperennial understoreyspeciesaswellas hollows,itdoesnotmeet categoryB2. Notes: 1.dbh–diameteratbreastheight,*perennialunderstoreyvegetationcoverincludesvascularplantspeciesofthegroundand shrub layers (where present) within a life cycle of more than two growing seasons. The ground layer includes herbs (ie graminoids, forbs and low shrubs [woody plantsч0.5 m high]). Measurements of perennial understorey vegetation cover exclude annuals, cryptogams, leaf litter or exposed soil. **Contiguous means the patch of the ecological community is continuouswith,orincloseproximityto(within100m)toanotherareaofvegetationthatisdominatedbynativespeciesineach vegetationlayerpresent.

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TheSnowGumBlackSalleegrassywoodlandwasalsocomparedtotheApprovedConservationAdvice (includinglistingadvice)forSouthernHighlandsShaleForestandWoodlandoftheSydneyBasinBioregion (TSSC2015).AlthoughitcontainsSnowGum,italsocontainsBlackSalleewhichisrecognisedintheadvice asacontraͲindicativespecies(ieindicatesthatthecommunityisnotpresent)forthecommunity(TSSC 2015).

Snow Gum Black Sallee grassy woodland was also compared to the listing advice for Upland Basalt Eucalypt Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion (TSSC 2011). The study area is in the Sydney Basin Bioregion,andhaselevationsandmeanannualrainfallthatmayallowthiscommunitytooccur.TheSnow Gum Black Sallee grassy woodland was found on soils derived from basalt or basaltͲlike structures. However,itsdominantcanopyspeciesisSnowGum,whichdonotformpartofthelistedcommunity.It doesnotcontaintherequiredcanopyspeciesofthethreatenedecologicalcommunityandthereforeit doesnotoccur.

Grasslandsrecordedinthestudyareaaredominatedbyexoticspeciesanddonotmeetthecriteriafor WhiteBoxYellowBoxBlakely’sRedGumDerivedNativeGrassland(TSSC2006).Thetreespresentarenot the required canopy species; therefore this community does not occur and is unlikely to have ever occurredinthestudyarea. b. Listedflora

Theprotectedmatterssearchtoolpredictedthat11listedfloraspeciesmayoccurwithinthestudyarea. Anassessmentofthelikelihoodthatthesespecieswouldoccurwascompleted(AppendixB).Thestudy area contains 16 Paddys River Box trees, listed as an endangered species under the EPBC Act. These individualsareapproximately18Ͳ20minheight.Afurther24individualswererecordedsouthofthestudy area, and had a similar height to those individuals in the study area, but appeared to be older. Some maturetreeswithgreaterthan1mdiameteratbreastheightwererecordedsouthofthestudyarea.

The preferred option requires the removal of one Paddys River Box tree, while the alternative option avoids all direct impacts. The closest Paddys River Box to the alternative option is 4m, and would be protected from inadvertent damage from vehicles and plant during construction and operation by fencing.

IndirectimpactsonPaddysRiverBoxincludingchangestosurfacewaterflowregimeswereconsideredfor thepreferredandalternativeoptions.TheconservationadviceforPaddysRiverBox(DoE2016b)states thatthealterationofsurfacehydrologyisapotentialthreattothespecies.PaddysRiverBoxinthestudy area occurs near to or within drainage lines and therefore is likely to depend on surface flows for a portionofitswaterrequirements.

ExistingsurfaceflowswillbemaintainedinallstreamswherePaddysRiverBoxoccurs(Figure3.5).Seven Paddys River Box trees are present within the area that will be inside the rail loop embankment. Appropriatedrainageinfrastructure(suchasculverts)willthereforebeinstalledwithintheembankment toensurethatexistingoverlandflowpathsthroughtherailloopareaaremaintainedthroughoutthelife oftheproject,asdescribedinSection5.2.

An assessment of significance was completed for potential impacts on Paddys River Box from the preferredandalternativeoptions(AppendixC).Theassessmentconcludedthattheprojectwillnotresult insignificantimpactsonPaddysRiverBox,as: x directimpactswillbelargelyavoidedbythepreferredoption; x directimpactswillbecompletelyavoidedbythealternativeoption;and

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x indirectimpactswillbemanagedinaccordancewiththeCEMP.

Thestudyareadoesnotcontainhabitatforanyotherlistedthreatenedfloraspecies(AppendixB). c. Listedfauna

Theprotectedmatterssearchtoolpredictedthathabitatmaybepresentfor17listedfaunaspeciesinthe studyarea.Anassessmentofthelikelihoodthatthesespecieswouldoccurwascompleted(AppendixB). A farm dam directly adjacent to the study area may contain potential habitat for the endangered Australian Painted Snipe, which was recorded at a farm dam in Berrima in 2010 (OEH 2016b). This assessmentisrelevanttoboththepreferredandalternativeoptions.

Anassessmentofsignificance(AppendixC)wascompletedfortheendangeredAustralianPaintedSnipein accordance with EPBC Act Policy Statement 1.1 Significant Impact Guidelines: Matters of National EnvironmentalSignificance(DoE2013).Theassessmentconcludedthattheprojectisunlikelytoresultina significantimpacttotheAustralianPaintedSnipeas: x directimpactswillnotoccurasitspotentialhabitatisoutsidethestudyarea;and x onlyaminorincreaseinindirectimpacts(ielightandnoise)isexpectedaspartoftheprojectarea whichcontainsanexistingrailline.

Thestudyareaisnotpredictedtoprovidehabitatforanyotherlistedfaunaspecies(AppendixB). d. Migratoryfauna

Anassessmentofthelikelihoodthatethes specieswouldoccurwascompleted(AppendixB).Thereisa moderatelikelihoodthatfourmigratoryspecies,namelytheGreatEgret(Ardeaalba),CattleEgret(Ardea ibis),RainbowBeeͲeater(Meropsornatus)andLatham’sSnipe(Gallinagohardwickii)mayoccurinalowͲ lying area east of Berrima Road following high rainfall events. This assessment is relevant to both the preferredandalternativeoptions.

Anassessmentofsignificance(Appendix C)wascompletedformigratoryspecies,namelythe Rainbow BeeͲeater,GreatEgret,CattleEgretandLatham’sSnipe,inaccordancewithEPBCActPolicyStatement1.1 SignificantImpactGuidelines:MattersofNationalEnvironmentalSignificance(DoE2013).Theassessment concludedthattheprojectisunlikelytoresultinasignificantimpacttotheabovemigratoryspeciesas: x importanthabitatisabsentfromthestudyareaandthereforewillnotbesubstantiallymodified; x theprojectwillnotincreasethespreadofinvasivespecies;and x thelifecycleofanecologicallysignificantproportionofthemigratoryspeciespopulationswillnot bedisrupted,asbreedingoccursoutsidethestudyarea.

Thestudyareaisnotpredictedtoprovidehabitatforanyotherlistedmigratoryspecies(AppendixB). e. Wetlandsofinternationalimportance,worldheritagepropertiesandnationalheritageplaces

TheclosestRamsarwetlandisTowraPointNatureReserve(DoE2016a),locatedover95kmnorthͲeastof thestudyarea.TheclosestwaterwaystoTowraPointNatureReserve(theGeorgesandNepeanRivers) terminate56kmand26kmnorthofthestudyareainCataractandEastKangaloon,respectively.

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Theprojectwillnothaveanydirectorindirectimpactstowetlandsofinternationalimportance(declared Ramsar wetlands). There is no potential for the project to affect the Ramsar wetland in Towra Point NatureReserve.

Therearenoworldheritagepropertiesornationalheritageplaceswithinoradjoiningthepreferredor alternativeoptions.

4.4 Analysisofresultsincludingsummaryofdesignimpactdifferences

The preferred and alternative options will result in similar, and minor, impacts to biodiversity. Both optionswillresultinapproximately2haofnativevegetationclearingandwillrequiretheinstallationof culvertsatfivedifferentstreamintersections.Theonlydifferencebetweenthetwoisthatthepreferred optionrequirestheremovalofonePaddysRiverBoxtree,whilethealternativeoptionwouldavoidall directimpactstothespecies.

4.5 Cumulativeimpacts

Thepotentialcumulativebiodiversityimpactshavebeenassessedwiththefollowingprojects: x theproposedHumeCoalProjectͲaspreviouslydescribedinthisEIS,HumeCoalisalsoapplyingfor Statesignificantdevelopmentconsentforanundergroundcoalmine,whichwillbeservicedbythe project. x NewBerrimaClay/ShaleQuarry–TheAustralBrickCompanyPtyLtd(Austral)wasgrantedProject Approval for the New Berrima Quarry in July 2012. This approval allowed the extraction of clay/shale from a resource within the Mandurama property, approximately 1.5km east of New Berrimaand1.5kmnorthͲeastoftheBerrimaCementWorks,fortransportationanduseprincipally atBoral’sBowralbrickplant.Noconstructionorextractionoperationshavebeenundertakensince ProjectApprovalwas granted,andAustralrecentlysoughtamodificationtothe originalproject approval to allow the relocation of the extraction area. The PAC recommended approval to the modification in November 2015. The quarry location is approximately 4km from the eastern boundaryoftheprojectarea. x GreenValleySandQuarry–RoclaMaterialsPtyLtd(Rocla)receivedapprovalon21June2013for theconstructionandoperationofasandquarryinanarea28kmsouthͲwestofBerrimaand14km northͲeastofMarulan.Theapprovalallowstheextractionofsandstone,dryandwetgprocessin operationsanddespatchofsandproductstomarketsontheSouthCoast,SouthernHighlandsand Sydney.Thequarryisnotyetoperational. x SuttonForestQuarry–SEARsfortheSuttonForestQuarrywereissuedon7February2014.The SSDproposalinvolvestheestablishmentofaquarryofftheHumeHighway,approximately20km southͲwestofMossVale,toextractandprocessupto1.15Mtpaofsandfromatotalresourceof approximately25milliontonnes.AdevelopmentapplicationandaccompanyingEIShasnotbeen submittedforthequarry.Thecumulativeimpactsofthisdevelopmenthavenotbeenconsideredas theSEARSwereissuedgreaterthantwoyearsago,andadevelopmentapplicationhasnotbeen lodged.

Cumulativebiodiversityimpactshavebeenassessedfortherelevantthreatenedspeciesandcommunities thatoccuroneachproject.

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EMMhasalsocompletedabiodiversityassessmentfortheHumeCoalProject. Whilemostimpactsto nativevegetationandhabitatwillbeavoidedbytheHumeCoalProject,itwillresultinminorresidual impactsonpotentialSquirrelGliderhabitat.PaddocktreesrepresentingpotentialSquirrelGliderhabitat, whichhavebeenconvertedtoaneffectiveclearingareaof8.3hausingthepaddocktreecalculatorwill beclearedfortheHumeCoalProjectandapproximately2haofpotentialhabitatwillbeclearedforthe Berrima Rail Project, resulting in a minor cumulative potential habitat loss of approximately 10.3 ha. SpeciescreditshavebeengeneratedfortheSquirrelGliderforbothprojects,andappropriateoffsetswill beprovidedtooffsettheminorcumulativeimpacttotheirpotentialhabitat.

AfloraassessmentwascompletedbyCunningham(2010)fortheBerrimaShale/ClayQuarry.Cunningham (2010)concludedthatnothreatenedfloraspeciesorecologicalcommunitieslistedundertheTSCorEPBC Actsoccurredatthesite.Therefore,therewillbenocumulativeimpactonthreatenedfloraspeciesand communitiesbetweentheprojectandtheBerrimaShale/ClayQuarry.

AfaunaassessmentwascompletedbyAquilaEcologicalSurveys(2010)fortheBerrimaShale/ClayQuarry. AquilaEcologicalSurveys(2010)concludedthatnothreatenedfaunaspecieslistedundertheTSCorEPBC Acts occurred at the site. Therefore, there will be no cumulative impact on threatened fauna species betweentheprojectandtheBerrimaShale/ClayQuarry.

ApreliminaryecologicalassessmenthasbeenundertakenbyKevinMillsandAssociates(2013)andLesryk (2013)fortheproposedSuttonForestQuarryaspartoftheRequestforSEARsdocument(RWCorkery 2013). Kevin Mills and Associates (2013) reports six native vegetation types from the Sutton Forest Quarry, namely Peppermint Tall Forest, Sydney Peppermint Forest, Stringybark Forest, Scribbly Gum Woodland, Regrowth Peppermint Forest, and Freshwater Wetland (Swamp). The broad descriptions of thesevegetationtypeswerecomparedtothosethatoccurintheprojectarea,andfoundtobedifferent. Therefore, there will be no cumulative loss of similar vegetation types between the project and the proposedSuttonForestQuarry,shoulditproceed.

KevinMillsandAssociates(2013)alsorecognisepotentialhydrologicalimpactsonMontanePeatlandsand Swamps endangered ecological community, occurring north of the proposed Sutton Forest Quarry. As MontanePeatlandsandSwampendangeredecologicalcommunityisabsentfromtheprojectareaand surrounds, and no groundwater will be accessed for the project, no cumulative impacts on this communitywilloccur.

KevinMillsandAssociates(2010)completedaFloraandFaunaAssessmentfortheproposedGreenValley Sand Quarry. Similar vegetation types were reported as for the proposed Sutton Forest Quarry (Kevin MillsandAssociates2013),whicharedifferenttothevegetationcommunitiesoftheprojectarea,and therefore no cumulative loss of similar vegetation types will occur. Kevin Mills and Associates (2010) recorded three threatenedflora species, namely Paddys River Box, Mountain Swamp Gum (Eucalyptus aquatica)andDwarfPhyllota(Phyllotahumifusa)attheproposedGreenValleySandQuarry.

WhilePaddysRiverBoxoccurswithintheprojectarea,noneoftheseindividualswillbeimpactedbythe designforthealternativeoption,whileonewouldbeimpactedforthepreferredoption.Therefore,ifthe alternateoptionisselected,therewillbenocumulativelossofPaddysRiverBoxbetweentheprojectand the proposed Green Valley Sand Quarry. However, if the preferred option is selected, there will be a cumulativeimpactinthelossofoneadditionalPaddysRiverBoxtree.

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The same threatened fauna species were recorded by Kevin Mills and Associates (2010) as mentioned abovefortheproposedSuttonForestQuarry(KevinMillsandAssociates2013),withtheexceptionofthe GlossyBlackCockatoo.TheSquirrelGliderwasalsorecordedattheproposedGreenValleySandQuarry, and its area of potential habitat was reported as 46.1 ha. Therefore there will be a minor cumulative impactonSquirrelGliderhabitatfortheBerrimaRailProject,removinganadditional2haofpotential habitat.

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5 Impactavoidance,minimisationandmitigation

5.1 Impactavoidanceandminimisation

Theprojectareaisinapredominantlyclearedagriculturalarea.Thenewraillinehasbeendesignedsuch thattheclearingofnativevegetationhaslargelybeenavoided,andthevegetationtobeclearedisinpoor condition. In particular, the rail line has been designed such that all direct impacts to the endangered Paddys River Box will be avoided with the exception of the clearance of one individual tree if the preferredoptionisconstructed.Assuch,impactsonnativevegetationandthreatenedspecieshabitats havebeenlargelyavoided.

Theprojectwillresultintheresidualimpactof2.0haofnativevegetationclearing.Thisclearingcannot beavoidedduetospecificalignmentrequirementsandtherequirementtomeettrackdesignstandards. Measuresareproposedtomitigateandoffsettheseresidualimpactsinthefollowingsections.

5.2 Impactmitigation

Aconstructionenvironmentalmanagementplan(CEMP)willbedevelopedandimplementedduringthe constructionphaseoftheproject.AnumberofmeasureswillbeincorporatedintotheCEMPtominimise impactstobiodiversity,aslistedinTable5.1.

Table5.1 Mitigationmeasures

Impact Action Outcome Timing Responsibility Clearingof PaddysRiverBoxtreestobe Preventionof Priortothe HumeCoal threatened retainedwithintheproject inadvertentclearing construction Environmental flora areawillbeidentifiedand commencing Coordinator markedtoensuretheyare avoidedduringconstruction Clearingof Agrounddisturbancepermit Preventionof Duringdevelopment HumeCoal native systemwillbedevelopedthat inadvertentclearing oftheCEMP, Environmental vegetation willbeimplementedforall implementationprior Manager andfauna clearingactivities. toclearing habitats ApreͲclearinginspectionwill AllhollowͲbearing Beforevegetation HumeCoal becompletedtomarkall treestoberemoved clearing Environmental hollowͲbearingtreestobe inthedisturbance Coordinator removedinthedisturbance footprintwillbe footprint,forlater markedforlater managementduring managementduring construction. construction FellingofhollowͲbearing HollowͲdependent Beforedan during HumeCoal treesintheprojectareawill faunaaregiventhe vegetationclearing Environmental followatwoͲstageclearing opportunitytoselfͲ Manager protocol,whereby relocate,avoiding surroundingnonͲhollow handlingstress vegetationiscleared24 hourspriortothehollow treestoallowfaunatimeto move.

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Table5.1 Mitigationmeasures

Impact Action Outcome Timing Responsibility Asuitablytrainedand HollowͲdependent Duringvegetation HumeCoal experiencedecologistor faunaarerescued clearing Environmental faunahandlerwillbepresent andrelocatedsafely Coordinator duringhollowͲbearingtree clearingtorescueand relocatedisplacedfauna. Erosionand Erosionandsedimentation Minimisationof Beforeandduring HumeCoal sedimentation controlmeasureswillbe indirectimpactsfrom vegetationclearing, Environmental implementedinaccordance erosionandsediment duringproject Coordinator withthemeasuresoutlinedin transportoffsite(ie operation Chapter14oftheEIS. increasedweed growth) Appropriatedrainage Avoidthepotential Duringdetailed HumeCoalMine infrastructure(suchas riskofimpacton designand Designer culverts)willbeinstalled PaddysRiverBox construction HumeCoal withintherailloop withintherailloop Environmental embankmenttoensurethat throughthe Manager existingoverlandflowpaths alterationofsurface throughtherailloopareaare waterflows maintainedthroughoutthe lifeoftheproject. Weed Weedmanagementcontrol Minimiseweed Duringconstruction HumeCoal invasion measureswillbe growth Environmental implemented Coordinator

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6 Biodiversitycreditreport

ABiodiversityCreditReportwasproducedusingdatacollectedinaccordancewiththeFBA.Thisdatawas enteredintotheCreditCalculatorVersion4.0forMajorProjects.Thecreditsrequiredaresummarised below,whilethecreditreportisprovidedinAppendixF.

No ecosystem credit species were identified by the Biobanking Calculator; however several ecosystem species previously recorded within 10km of the study area were identified (Little Eagle, GangͲgang Cockatoo,ScarletRobinandFlameRobin)andthereforethecalculationshavebeenadjustedtoreflectthe species with the highest offset multiplier. The species associated with both PCTs and the highest threatenedspeciesmultiplierweretheMaskedOwlandPowerfulOwl,withanoffsetmultiplierofthree (Table6.1).

Atotalofsixecosystemcreditsarerequiredtocompensatefortheproject'simpactsonnativevegetation communitiesandthreatenedspecieshabitats(Table6.1).

Table6.1 Ecosystemcreditsrequired

Vegetation PCT Area EEC Lossin Current Ecosystemcredit Credits zone (ha) sitevalue sitevalue specieswiththe requiredto score score highest offset multiplier impact 1 BroadͲleaved 1.8 No 3.5 12.32 MaskedOwl, 0 PeppermintͲRed PowerfulOwl Stringybarkgrassy openforeston undulatinghills,South EasternHighlands Bioregion 2 SnowGumͲCandle 0.2 No 3.5 46.35 MaskedOwl, 6 Barkwoodlandon PowerfulOwl broadvalleyflatsof thetablelandsand slopes,SouthEastern HighlandsBioregion Totalecosystemcreditsrequired 6

ItisnotedthatnocreditsarerequiredforBroadͲleavedPeppermintͲRedStringybarkgrassyopenforest on undulating hills, South Eastern Highlands Bioregion. This is because the current site value score is 12.32,andvegetationwithasitevaluescoreoflessthan17doesnotrequireoffsettinginaccordance with Section 5.3.1.5 of the FBA (OEH 2014). In addition, offsets are not required for cleared land. Therefore,theonlyvegetationtobeoffsetistheSnowGumͲCandlebarkwoodlandonbroadvalleyflats of the tablelands and slopes, South Eastern Highlands Bioregion, and the ecosystem credit species it providespotentialhabitatfor.TheecosystemcreditstobeoffsetareshowninFigure6.1,whileareasthat donotneedtobeoffsetareshowninFigure6.2.

Atotalof44speciescreditsarerequiredtocompensatefortheproject'simpactsonpotentialhabitatfor theSquirrelGlider.Ifthepreferredoptionisadopted,14speciescreditswillberequiredforPaddysRiver Box(Table6.2).TheareaofSquirrelGliderhabitattobeoffsetisthe0.2haoftheSnowGumͲCandlebark woodlandonbroadvalleyflatsofthetablelandsandslopes,SouthEasternHighlandsBioregionandthe 1.8haofBroadͲleavedPeppermintͲRedStringybarkgrassyopenforestonundulatinghills,SouthEastern HighlandsBioregion,andisshowninFigure6.3.

J12055RP1 45 T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR010_Biobanking_AreasRequiringOffset_20170309_03.mxd 9/03/2017 information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR010_Biobanking_AreasRequiringOffset_20170309_03.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 ¯

Figure 6.1

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ringOffset_20170313_04.mxd 13/03/2017 ringOffset_20170313_04.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR011_Biobanking_AreasNOTRequi EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 ¯

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Project area !( Zone of direct impacts Direct disturbance footprint - preferred option SEE INSET Direct disturbance footprint - alternative option (where

different to the preferredY A option) HW E HIG HUM Threatened floraLD M O BE E RR D YRIVU IMA WA L BR Y E ANC A PaddysT River Box tree to be H LIN W E H removed (preferred option !(IG H only) (species that cannot E M withstand loss) U H Squirrel Glider habitat (species that can withstand loss) EEK CR Y Existing features N O T S Y Main road A W OL D L D OA I Local road BURY R RA

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H T Drainage line U O 00.51 S N I km A

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GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR012_SpeciesCreditsToBeOffset EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055

Species credit to be offset Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Figure 6.3

Table6.2 Speciescreditsrequired

Species Threatenedspeciesoffsetmultiplier Creditsrequiredtooffsetimpact SquirrelGlider 2.2 44 PaddysRiverBox(preferredoption 1.4 14 only)

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7 Biodiversityoffsetstrategy

7.1 Strategy

Thestrategytoidentifyoffsetstocompensatefortheproject'simpactswillinvolvethefollowingsteps,in orderofpriority:

1. identifying if suitable credits are available on the BioBanking Credit Register to meet offset requirements;

1. findingpotentialoffsetsiteswiththebiodiversityvaluesrequiredtocompensatefortheproject’s impacts;

2. intheabsenceofsuitableoffsetcreditsorproperties,applyingthevariationcriteriarulesofthe FBAandfindingsuitableoffsetstomeettherequirements;and

3. afinancialcontribution.

TheBioBankingCreditRegisterwassearchedon21November2016forecosystemcreditsissuedforPCT 1191 (HN589) and species credits for the Squirrel Glider and Paddys River Box (Option 1). No suitable ecosystemcreditsforPCT1191(HN589)wereavailableontheregisteratthistime.Speciescreditswere available on the BioBanking Credit Register for the Squirrel Glider; however no credits were listed for PaddysRiverBox.DetailsoftheavailablespeciescreditsareshowninTable7.1.

Table7.1 Availablespeciescredits

Speciescreditspecies CreditregisterID/name Creditsavailable SquirrelGlider 204 180

Fromacostperspective,itwouldbemorepracticaltofindasingleoffsetsitethatcontainstherequired ecosystemandspeciescreditsfortheproject.Therefore,Option2wasconsidered.

Vegetationmappingandthreatenedspeciesrecordswerereviewedfortheprojectareatodetermineif potentially suitable offset areas were present, that would satisfy the offset requirements for both the HumeCoalProjectandBerrimaRailProject(seeAppendixHoftheHumeCoalBARforpotentialoffset calculations).Apotentialoffsetsitewasassessedinthenorthoftheprojectarea,alongOldburyCreek.

Thepotentialoffsetsitecomprises32haoftwodifferentvegetationtypes(HN570andHN589),andtwo PaddysRiverBoxtreestoberetainedintheprojectarea..Table7.2summarisesthecreditsgeneratedby the offset site, and how these compare with the credit requirements for the Hume Coal Project and BerrimaRailProject.AlthoughtargetedsurveyshavenotbeencompletedfortheSquirrelGlider,forthe purposesofthisinvestigation,itspresencewasassumed.TargetedsurveysfortheSquirrelGliderwould becompletedinthepotentialhabitattoberemovedandthepotentialoffsetsiteshoulditbeincludedin thefinalbiodiversityoffsetpackage.

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Table7.2 Creditsgeneratedversuscreditsrequired

Factor Ecosystemcredits Speciescredits Vegetationtype HN570 HN589 Koala SquirrelGlider Southern PaddysRiverBox Myotis Arearequired(ha) 29.1 2.9 32 32 32 2trees foroffset Creditsgeneratedby 332 40 227 227 227 14 offsetsite Creditsrequiredfor 101 2 216 227 183 14 HumeCoalProject andBerrimaRail Project Doesthesitesatisfy Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes thecredit requirement?

Thesizeofthepotentialoffsetsiteisgovernedbytheneedtofind227speciescreditsfortheSquirrel Gliderforbothprojects,conservativelyassumingthatthespeciesisrecordedduringtargetedsurveysand speciescreditsarerequired.Allotherecosystemandspeciescreditsprovideinexcessofwhatis required, andthereforeifselected,itwouldprovideasuitablesitethatsatisfiestheoffsetrequirementsforthe HumeCoalProjectandBerrimaRailProject.

IfalandͲbasedoffsetisnotavailable(Option2),thevariationcriteriawillbeapplied(Option3).Underthe FBA,ifalandͲbasedoffsetisnotavailable,theoffsetrulescanbevaried.Thevariationcriteriaallowsthe BioBankingAssessortoassignthenumberofecosystemcreditsgeneratedtoasimilarPCTfromwithinthe same vegetation formation. Where possible and if needed, the variation rules will be applied to the projectandsuitablePCTsinthesamevegetationclasswillbeidentifiedpriortomatchingbyformation. Theapplicationofthevariationcriteria,ifneeded,willbecompletedinconsultationwithOEHandDP&E.

IfOption3isnotpossible,adiscussionwouldbeheldwithOEHtodetermineiftheproponentcouldpay intotheBioBankingTrustFund(Option4).TheOEH'sBioBankingTrustFundisnotcurrentlyoperational, andthereforetheapprovalofOEHwouldberequiredpriortotheimplementationofthisoption.

HumeCoalwillprepareaBiodiversityOffsetPackageinconsultationwithOEHandDP&E,andwillsubmit theedrafttoth Secretaryforapprovalwithin12monthsofdevelopmentconsentbeinggranted.

J12055RP1 52

8 Conclusion

The biodiversity assessment recorded two native vegetation communities and a population of the endangeredPaddysRiverBoxinthestudyarea,aswellaspotentialhabitatforthevulnerableSquirrel Glider, endangered Australian Painted Snipe, and migratory species comprising the Great Egret, Cattle Egret,RainbowBeeͲeaterandLatham'sSnipe.Nokeyfishhabitatorhabitatforthreatenedfishspecies wererecorded.

The preferred and alternative route options have been specifically designed to minimise impacts on nativevegetationandthreatenedspecieshabitats.Bothpreferredandalternativeoptionswillresultin minorresidualimpactson2.0haofnativevegetationandpotentialSquirrel Gliderhabitat.Thepreferred optionwillalsoremoveonePaddysRiverBoxtree,whilethealternativeoptionwouldretainit.

Indirect impacts including changes to surface water flows and the potential spread of soilͲborne pathogensandweedswillbemanagedthroughthepreparationandimplementationoftheprojectCEMP, whichwillincludemeasurestomanagepotentialimpactstobiodiversityduringconstruction.

Anoffsetstrategyhasbeenpreparedtocompensatefortheresidualimpactson2haofnativevegetation andpotentialSquirrelGliderhabitat,andtheremovalofonePaddysRiverBoxtree,shouldthepreferred optionbeadopted.ABiodiversityOffsetPackagewillbepreparedinconsultationwithOEHandDP&E, andsubmittedtotheSecretaryforapproval.

J12055RP1 53

J12055RP1 54

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AquilaEcologicalSurveys2010,NewBerrimaClay/ShaleQuarryFaunaAssessment.Reportpreparedfor AustralBricks.

AtlasofLivingAustralia(ALA)2016,TheAtlasofLivingAustralia,viewedMarch2016,www.ala.org.au.

Bibbly,C,Burgess,NandHill,D1992,BirdCensusTechniques,AcademicPress,London.

BureauofMeteorology(BoM)2016b,AtlasofGroundwaterDependentEcosystems,viewedMarch2016, www.bom.gov.au/groundwater/gde.

Corben,C2011,AnalookforWindows.

Department of Environment (DoE) 2013, EPBC Act Policy Statement 1.1 Significant Impact Guidelines: MattersofNationalEnvironmentalSignificance,viewedJuly2016,www.environment.gov.au.

- 2016a,ProtectedMattersSearchTool,viewedMarch2016,www.environment.gov.au.

- 2016b, Conservation Advice for Paddys River Box, viewed July 2016, www.environment.gov.au.

Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) 2012, Biometric Vegetation Types Database, viewedMarch2016,www.environment.nsw.gov.au.

Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) 2004, Threatened Biodiversity Survey and Assessment:GuidelinesforDevelopmentsandActivities.

Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) 2010d, Guidelines for developments adjoininglandandwatermanagedbytheDepartmentofEnvironment,ClimateChangeandWater.

Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) 2010a, Survey guidelines for Australia'sthreatenedbats.

- 2010b,SurveyguidelinesforAustralia'sthreatenedbirds.

Department of Primary Industries (DPI) 2013, Policy and guidelines for fish habitat conservation and management:Update2013,viewedJuly2016,www.dpi.nsw.gov.au.

- no date, Key Fish Habitat map for Wingecarribee Shire, viewed July 2016, www.dpi.nsw.gov.au.

DepartmentofSustainability,Environment,Water,PopulationandCommunities(SEWPaC)2011a,Survey guidelinesforAustralia'sthreatenedmammals.

- 2011b, The Draft referral guidelines for the Macquarie Perch, viewed July 2016, www.environment.gov.au.

EcoLogical2003,WingecarribeeBiodiversityStrategy.ReportpreparedforWingecarribeeShireCouncil.

J12055RP1 55

Geoff Cunningham Natural Resource Consultants (Cunningham) 2010, New Berrima Clay/Shale Quarry FloraAssessment.ReportpreparedforAustralBricks.

KevinMillsandAssociates2010,GreenValleySandQuarryFloraandFaunaAssessment.Reportprepared forRoclaQuarries.

NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) 2011, The final determination for Southern Highlands ShaleWoodlandintheSydneyBasinBioregion,viewedMarch2016,www.environment.nsw.gov.au.

- 2014, Framework for Biodiversity Assessment: NSW Biodiversity Offsets Policy for Major Projects.

- 2016a, Vegetation Information System (VIS) database, viewed March 2016, www.environment.nsw.gov.au.

- 2016b,AtlasofNSWWildlife,viewedMarch2016,www.environment.nsw.gov.au/atlasapp/.

Phillips,SandCallaghan,J2011,‘Thespotassessmenttechnique:atoolfordetermininglocalisedlevelsof habitatusebyKoalas’,AustralianZoologist,35(3),pp.774Ͳ780.

Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) 2006, Approved Conservation Advice for White Box YellowBoxBlakely’sRedGumDerivedNativeGrassland,viewed March2016,www.environment.gov.au.

- 2011,ApprovedConservationAdviceforUplandBasaltEucalyptForestoftheSydneyBasin Bioregion,viewedMarch2016,www.environment.gov.au.

J12055RP1 56

AppendixA

Plotandtransectdata

J12055RP1

J12055RP1 A.1 Plotandtransectdata

TableA.1 Plotdata

Family Commonname Scientificname Coverabundance Presence(X) Plot1 Plot2 Plot3 Plot4 Plot5 Plot6 Plot7 Rapidassessment1 Asteraceae Dandelion Taraxicumofficinale* 2 3 Asteraceae ScotchThistle Onopordumacanthium* 1 2 1 1 Asteraceae Catsear Hypochaerisradicata* 2 3 1 3 X Asteraceae VariegatedThistle Silybummarianum* 1 2 2 2 Asteraceae HairyHawkbit Leontodontaraxacoides* 2 Caryophyllaceae ChileanWhitlowWort Paronychiabrasiliana* 1 Chenopodiaceae ClimbingSaltbush Einadianutans 1 CyperaceaeͲ Carexinversa 1 FabaceaeͲFaboideae Clover Trifoliumspp* 3 2 FabaceaeͲFaboideae WhiteClover Trifoliumrepens* 1 2 2 FabaceaeͲFaboideae SpottedBurrMedic Medicagoarabica* 1 JuncaceaeͲ Juncusaustralis 1 Malaceae Apple Malusspp.* X Myrtaceae NarrowͲleavedPeppermint Eucalyptusradiata 3 2 3 4 2 Myrtaceae CabbageGum Eucalyptusamplifolia 3 3 3 Myrtaceae BroadͲleavedPeppermint Eucalyptusdives 3 3 1 Myrtaceae PaddysRiverBox Eucalyptusmacarthurii 3 Myrtaceae SnowGum Eucalyptuspauciflora 2 X OxalidaceaeͲ Oxalisperennans 1 Plantaginaceae Lamb'sTongues Plantagolanceolata* 3 3 3 2 2 3 Poaceae Cocksfoot Dactylisglomerata* 5 5 4 4 3 4 X Poaceae Kikuyu Pennisetumclandestinum* 3 3 4 3 4 2 X Poaceae SerratedTussock Nassellatrichotoma* 2 3 2 2 5 X Poaceae FingerGrass Dactylocteniumradulans 2 3 4 Poaceae RatsTailGrass Sporoboluscreber 1 1 2 Poaceae AfricanLovegrass Eragrostiscurvula* 3 Polygonaceae SheepSorrel Acetosellavulgaris* 2

J12055RP1 A.1

TableA.2 Transectdata

Native Native Native Native midstorey groundcover groundcover Native Exoticplant Numberof Overstorey Nativeplant overstorey species(% (grasses)(% (shrubs)(% groundcover species(% treeswith regeneration Transect species species(%cover) cover) cover) cover) (other)(%cover) cover) hollows (proportion) Fallenlogs(m) Transect1 2 4.5 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 10 Transect2 4 24.5 0 0 0 0 100 2 0 0 Transect3 1 1 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 Transect4 3 8 0 0 0 0 100 1 0 0 Transect5 4 4.7 0 0 10 0 100 1 0 0 Transect6 3 13.5 0 0 0 0 90 1 0 5 Transect7 6 24.5 0 0 0 10 100 15 0 270

J12055RP1 A.2

AppendixB

Assessmentofthreatenedspecieslikelihoodofoccurrence

J12055RP1

J12055RP1 B.1 Assessmentofthreatenedspecieslikelihoodofoccurrence

TableB.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km)ofthestudyarea

Threatened Source TSCAct EPBCAct Recorddetailsandhabitatrequirements1 Likelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudy Further biodiversity status status areaandsurrounds assessment required? Flora Asterolasiaelegans SPRAT E E Not known from the study area or surrounds. Occurs north of Sydney in the None.Nopopulationsrecordednearby No Baulkham Hills, Hawkesbury and Hornsby local government areas. Asterolasia andhabitatisunsuitable. elegansisfoundinshelteredforestsonmidͲtolowerslopesandvalleys,eginor adjacenttogullieswhichsupportshelteredforest. BlackGum Atlas, V(spp), V Recorded2kmtothewestofBerrimaandalsomultiplerecordsatOldburyRoad None.Targetedsearchesfailedto Assessedin Eucalyptusaggregata BBCC E(pop) nearMedwayRivulet.InNSWitoccursintheSouthEasternHighlandsBioregion detectanyindividuals. Section4.2. and on the western fringe of the Sydney Basin Bioregion. Black Gum has a moderatelynarrowdistribution,occurringmainlyinthewetter,coolerandhigher partsofthetablelands.OftengrowswithothercoldͲadaptedeucalypts,suchas Snow Gum or White Sallee (Eucalyptus pauciflora), Manna or Ribbon Gum (E. viminalis),Candlebark(E.rubida),BlackSallee(E.stellulata)andSwampGum(E. ovata). Black Gum usually occurs in an open woodland formation with a grassy groundlayer dominated either by River Tussock (Poa labillardierei) or Kangaroo Grass(Themedaaustralis),butwithfewshrubs. Bynoe'sWattle Atlas, E V Recorded2kmnorthoftheprojectin1906.Thespeciesoccursinheathordry None.Suitablehabitatisabsentfrom No Acaciabynoeana BBCC sclerophyllforestonsandysoils.Itprefersopen,slightlydisturbedroadsides,trail thestudyarea. marginsandrecentlyburntpatches.AssociatedspeciescompriseRedBloodwood (Corymbia gummifera), Scribbly Gum (E. racemosa), Parramatta Red Gum (Eucalyptus parramattensis), Saw Banksia (Banksia serrata) and NarrowͲleaved Apple(Angophorabakeri). DwarfKerrawang BBCC E E DwarfKerrawangoccursontheSouthernHighlandsandSouthernTablelandsat None.Suitablehabitatisabsentfrom No Rulingiaprostrata PenroseStateForest,Tallong,neartheCorangRiver,RowesLagoon,andonthe thestudyarea. North Coast at the Tomago sandbeds north of Newcastle. Associated native species may includeImperata cylindrica, Empodisma minusand Leptospermum continentale.

J12055RP1 B.1

TableB.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km)ofthestudyarea

Threatened Source TSCAct EPBCAct Recorddetailsandhabitatrequirements1 Likelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudy Further biodiversity status status areaandsurrounds assessment required? PaddysRiverBox Atlas, E E Severalrecordssurroundthestudyareaandalsoduringthecurrentstudy.Occurs Recordedinstudyarea. No. Eucalyptus BBCC ingrassywoodlandonrelativelyfertilesoilsonbroadcoldflats. Individuals macarthurii willnotbe directly impactedby theproject. ThickͲlippedSpider SPRAT E V Notknowntooccurinthestudyareaorsurrounds.TheThickLipSpiderOrchidis Low.Nopopulationsrecordednearby No Orchid generallyfoundingrassysclerophyllwoodlandonclayloamorsandysoils,though andhabitatisunsuitable. Caladeniatessellata thepopulationnearBraidwoodisinlowwoodlandwithstonysoil.Thesingleleaf regrowseachyear. HoarySunray SPRAT, Ͳ E In NSW and ACT, Hoary Sunray occurs in grasslands, grassy areas in woodlands Low.Nopopulationsrecordednearby No Leucochrysum Atlas anddryopenforests,andmodifiedhabitats,onavarietyofsoiltypesincluding andhabitatisunsuitable. albicansvar.tricolor clays,clayloams,stonyandgravelysoil. LeaflessTongue SPRAT V V Not known from the study area or surrounds.The Leafless Tongue Orchid does None.Nopopulationsrecordednearby No Orchid notappeartohavewelldefinedhabitatpreferencesandisknownfromarangeof andhabitatisunsuitable. Cryptostylis communities, including swampͲheath and woodland. The larger populations hunteriana typicallyoccurinwoodlanddominatedbyScribblyGum(E.sclerophylla),Silvertop Ash (E. sieberi), Red Bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera) and Black Sheoak (Allocasuarinalittoralis). YellowGnatOrchid SPRAT E E Notknownfromthestudyareaorsurrounds.TheYellowGnatͲorchidhasbeen Low.Nopopulationsrecordednearby No Genoplesiumbaueri recorded from locations between Ulladulla and Port Stephens. Grows in dry andhabitatisunsuitable. sclerophyllforestandmossgardensoversandstone. CambageKunzea NPWS V V Lastrecordedin1999atLochCatherineColliery.Itisrestrictedtodamp,sandy Notrecordedorlikelytooccurinthe No Kunzeacambagei Atlas, soilsinwetheathormalleeopenscrubathigheraltitudesonsandstoneoutcrops studyareaastherequiredmalleeopen SPRAT orSiluriangroupsediments.Kunzeacambageimainlyoccursinthewesternand scrubhabitatisabsent. southernpartsoftheBlueMountains,NSW,namelytheYerranderie/MtWerong area.PopulationsarealsolocatedwestofBerrima,alongtheWingecarribeeRiver; LoombahPlateaueastofMountWerong;theOberonͲColongStockRoutewithin KanangraͲBoydNationalPark(NP);andWangaderryPlateauwithintheNattai NationalPark.

J12055RP1 B.2

TableB.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km)ofthestudyarea

Threatened Source TSCAct EPBCAct Recorddetailsandhabitatrequirements1 Likelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudy Further biodiversity status status areaandsurrounds assessment required? Omeo’sStorksbill SPRAT E E Notknownfromthestudyareaorsurrounds.TheOmeoStork’sͲbillisknownfrom None.Nopopulationsrecordednearby No Pelargoniumsp. only three locations in NSW, with two on lakeͲbeds on the basalt plains of the andhabitatisunsuitable. Striatellum MonaroandoneatLakeBathurst. MittagongGeebung NPWS E V Lastrecordedin2012offWombeyanCavesRoadinHighRange.Alsorecordedon None.Suitablehabitatisabsentfrom No Persoonia Atlas, theoutskirtsofBerrima.TheMittagongGeebungisdistributedfromBerrimain thestudyareaandsurrounds. glaucescens SPRAT thesouthtoBuxtoninthenorth.TheMittagongGeebunggrowsinwoodlandto drysclerophyllforestonclayeyandgravelylaterite.Thepreferredtopographyis ridgeͲtops,plateauxandupperslopes. DwarfPhyllota NPWS V V DwarfPhyllotaisknownfromthesouthernBlueMountains(BimlowTableland), None.Thestudyareadoesnotcontain No Phyllotahumifusa Atlas, the Joadja area west of Mittagong and Penrose area near Paddys River. The therequiredcombinationofcanopy SPRAT speciesoccursindrysclerophyllforest,sometimesnearswamps,indeepsandy species. soilsorgravelyloamsoverasandstonesubstrate.Accompanyingtreesareoften BrittleGum,NarrowͲleavedPeppermintorSydneyPeppermint(E.piperita). KangaloonSun SPRAT CE CE Notknownfromthestudyareaorsurrounds.TheKangaloonSunͲorchidisfound None.RestrictedtoWingecarribee No Orchid inswampsinsedgelandsovergreysiltygreyloamsoils,andisrestrictedtothe Swamp. Thelymitra area around Wingecarribee Swamp. It is thought to be a shortͲlived perennial, kangaloonica floweringinlateOctoberandearlyNovember. AustralToadflax SPRAT V V Notknownfromthestudyareaorsurrounds.AustralToadflaxoccursingrassland Low.Notknownfromthestudyarea No Thesiumaustrale on coastal headlands, and inland grassy woodlands, often in association with andsurrounds. KangarooGrass(Themedaaustralis).

J12055RP1 B.3

TableB.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km)ofthestudyarea

Threatened Source TSCAct EPBCAct Recorddetailsandhabitatrequirements1 Likelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudy Further biodiversity status status areaandsurrounds assessment required? Birds BlueͲbilledDuck NPWS VͲ RecordednorthofWingelloSFin1989.TheBlueͲbilledDuckisendemictosouthͲ None.Damsandwaterwaysareabsent No Oxyuraaustralis Atlas easternandsouthͲwesternAustralia.ItiswidespreadinNSW,butmostcommon fromthedisturbancefootprint. in the southern MurrayͲDarling Basin area. Birds disperse during the breeding season to deepswamps up to 300 km away. The BlueͲbilled Duck prefers deep waterinlargepermanentwetlandsandswampswithdenseaquaticvegetation. Thespeciesiscompletelyaquatic,swimminglowinthewateralongtheedgeof densecover.BlueͲbilledDuckswillfeedbydayfarfromtheshore,particularlyif densecoverisavailableinthecentralpartsofthewetland. FreckledDuck NPWS VͲ Recorded in Moss Vale in 2011. The Freckled Duck is found primarily in southͲ None.Damsandwaterwaysareabsent No Stictonettanaevosa Atlas easternandsouthͲwesternAustralia,andoccursasavagrantelsewhere.Prefers fromthedisturbancefootprint. permanent freshwater swamps and creeks with heavy growth of Bullrushes (Typhaspp)Lignum(Muelenbeckiaspp)and/orTeaͲtree(Melaleucaspp).During drier times they move from ephemeral breeding swamps to more permanent waterssuchaslakes,reservoirs,farmdamsandsewageponds. LittleEagle NPWS VͲ Last recorded nearby in 2009 at Exeter. It is found throughout the Australian Sparsewoodlandsinthedisturbance Offsetswill Hieraeetus Atlas mainland, excepting the most densely forested parts of the Dividing Range footprintmayprovidehuntinghabitat beprovided morphnoides escarpment. It occurs as a single population throughout NSW. Occupies open forthespecies. forthis eucalypt forest, woodland or open woodland. Sheoak orAcaciawoodlands and ecosystem riparianwoodlandsofinteriorNSWarealsoused. speciesin accordance withthe FBA. GangͲgangCockatoo NPWS VͲ Recorded nearby in 2008 at Comfort Hill, Moss Vale. It has also been recorded Sparsewoodlandsinthedisturbance Offsetswill Callocephalon Atlas around the study area in Moreton NP, Bangadilly NP, Penrose Sate Forest (SF), footprintmayprovideforaginghabitat beprovided fimbriatum JoadjaNRandNattaiNP.InNSW,theGangͲgangCockatooisdistributedfromthe forthespecies. forthis southͲeastcoasttotheHunterregion,andinlandtotheCentralTablelandsand ecosystem southͲwestslopes.Insummer,itisgenerallyfoundintallmountainforestsand speciesin woodlands,particularlyinheavilytimberedandmaturewetsclerophyllforests.In accordance winter, it may occur at lower altitudes in drier more open eucalypt forests and withthe woodlands,andisoftenfoundinurbanareas. FBA.

J12055RP1 B.4

TableB.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km)ofthestudyarea

Threatened Source TSCAct EPBCAct Recorddetailsandhabitatrequirements1 Likelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudy Further biodiversity status status areaandsurrounds assessment required? PowerfulOwl NPWS VͲ SeveralrecordsinMoretonNP,BangadillyNPandaroundtheoutskirtsofNattai Sparsewoodlandsinthedisturbance Offsetswill Ninoxstrenua Atlas NP.ThePowerfulOwlisendemictoeasternandsouthͲeasternAustralia,mainly footprintmayprovidehuntinghabitat beprovided on the coastal side of the Great Dividing Range from Mackay to southͲwestern forthespecies. forthis Victoria.InNSW,itiswidelydistributedthroughouttheeasternforestsfromthe ecosystem coast inland to tablelands, with scattered, mostly historical records on the speciesin westernslopesandplains.Nowuncommonthroughoutitsrangewhereitoccurs accordance atlowdensities.Itroostsbydayindensevegetationcomprisingspeciessuchas withthe TurpentineSyncarpia glomulifera, Black SheͲoakAllocasuarina littoralis, FBA. BlackwoodAcacia melanoxylon, RoughͲbarked AppleAngophora floribunda, CherryBallartExocarpuscupressiformisandanumberofeucalyptspecies. MaskedOwl NPWS VͲ RecordedontheWingecarribeeRiver,approximately1kmnorthofthestudyarea Sparsewoodlandsinthedisturbance Offsetswill Tytonovaehollandiae Atlas in2016.Extendsfromthecoastwhereitismostabundanttothewesternplains. footprintmayprovidehuntinghabitat beprovided Overallrecordsforthisspeciesfallwithinapproximately90%ofNSW,excluding forthespecies. forthis themostaridnorthͲwesterncorner.Livesindryeucalyptforestsandwoodlands ecosystem fromsealevelto1100m.Aforestowl,butoftenhuntsalongtheedgesofforests, speciesin including roadsides. The typical diet consists of treeͲdwelling and ground accordance mammals,especiallyrats. withthe FBA. VariedSittella NPWS VͲ Scattered records around Marulan, Moreton NP, Wollondilly NR and Nattai NP Low.Thespeciesisunlikelytooccur No Daphoenositta Atlas outskirts.TheVariedSittellaissedentaryandinhabitsmostofmainlandAustralia giventhehighdegreeofvegetation chrysoptera except the treeless deserts and open grasslands. Distribution in NSW is nearly fragmentation. continuous from the coast to the far west. Inhabits eucalypt forests and woodlands,especiallythosecontainingroughͲbarkedspeciesandmaturesmoothͲ barked gums with dead branches, mallee andAcaciawoodland. Feeds on arthropodsgleanedfromcrevicesinroughordecorticatingbark,deadbranches, standingdeadtreesandsmallbranchesandtwigsinthetreecanopy.Thespecies requiresahighlevelofstructuralhabitatcomplexitytopersist.

J12055RP1 B.5

TableB.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km)ofthestudyarea

Threatened Source TSCAct EPBCAct Recorddetailsandhabitatrequirements1 Likelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudy Further biodiversity status status areaandsurrounds assessment required? ScarletRobin BBCC VͲ The Scarlet Robin is found from southͲeastQueensland tosouthͲeastSouth Thespecieshasbeenrecordedinthe Offsetswill Petroicaboodang Australia and also in Tasmania andsouth westWestern Australia. In NSW, it widerlocality(BelangloStateForest)in beprovided occursfromthecoasttotheinlandslopes.Thisspecieslivesinbothmatureand disturbedhabitatssimilartothestudy forthis regrowthvegetation.Itoccasionallyoccursinmalleeorwetforestcommunities, area. ecosystem or in wetlands and teaͲtree swamps. The Scarlet Robin habitat usually contains speciesin abundantlogsandfallentimber,whichareimportantcomponentsofitshabitat. accordance withthe FBA. FlameRobin NPWS VͲ Scattered records around Marulan and also in Morton NP. The Flame Robin is Thisspeciesisfrequentlyrecordedin Offsetswill Petroicaphoenicia Atlas endemictosouthͲeasternAustralia,andrangesfromneartheQueenslandborder disturbedhabitatssimilartothestudy beprovided tosouthͲeastSouth Australia and also in Tasmania. In NSW, it breeds in upland area. forthis areasandinwinter,manybirdsmovetotheinlandslopesandplains.Itislikely ecosystem thattherearetwoseparatepopulationsinNSW,oneintheNorthernTablelands, speciesin andanotherrangingfromtheCentraltoSouthernTablelands.Itprefersclearings accordance orareaswithopengroundcovers.Itoftenoccursinrecentlyburntareas,however, withthe habitatbecomesunsuitableasvegetationclosesupfollowingregeneration. FBA. RegentHoneyeater NPWS CE CE Recordedin2001neartheWollondillyRiverNR.TheRegentHoneyeatermainly Low.Thestudyareadoesnotcontain No Anthochaeraphrygia Atlas, inhabitstemperatewoodlandsandopenforestsoftheinlandslopesofsouthͲeast importantwinterfloweringeucalypts. SPRAT Australia. Birds are also found in drier coastal woodlands and forests in some years.OncerecordedbetweenAdelaideandthecentralcoastofQueensland,its rangehascontracteddramaticallyinthelast30yearstobetweennorthͲeastern VictoriaandsouthͲeasternQueensland.EveryfewyearsnonͲbreedingflocksare seen foraging in flowering coastal Swamp Mahogany and Spotted Gum forests, particularlyonthecentralcoastandoccasionallyontheuppernorthcoast.Birds areoccasionallyseenonthesouthcoast. SwiftParrot SPRAT E E Not known from the study area or surrounds. The Swift Parrot migrates to the Low.Targetedsurveyscompletedfor No Lathamusdiscolor Australian southͲeast mainland between March and October. On the mainland winterfloweringeucalyptsandSwift theyoccurinareaswhereeucalyptsarefloweringprofuselyorwherethereare Parrots,andneitherweredetected. abundant lerp (from sapͲsucking bugs) infestations. They return to Tasmania to breedbetweenSeptembertoDecember.

J12055RP1 B.6

TableB.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km)ofthestudyarea

Threatened Source TSCAct EPBCAct Recorddetailsandhabitatrequirements1 Likelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudy Further biodiversity status status areaandsurrounds assessment required? AustralasianBittern NPWS E E Recorded close to the study area in 1999 in Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve near None.Thestudyareadoesnotcontain No Botauruspoiciloptilus Atlas, Moss Vale. Australasian Bitterns are widespread but uncommon over southͲ permanentfreshwaterwetlandswith SPRAT easternAustralia.InNSWtheymaybefoundovermostofthestateexceptforthe fringingvegetation. far northͲwest. They favour permanent freshwater wetlands with tall, dense vegetation,particularlybullrushes(Typhaspp.)andspikerushes(Eleocharisspp.). Theyhideduringthedayamongstdensereedsorrushesandfeedmainlyatnight onfrogs,fish,yabbies,spiders,insectsandsnails. PaintedHoneyeater SPRAT V V Inhabits Boree, Brigalow and BoxͲGum Woodlands and BoxͲIronbark Forests. A None.Thestudyareadoesnotcontain No Grantiellapicta specialistfeederonthefruitsofmistletoesgrowingonwoodlandeucalyptsand therequiredvegetationtypes. acacias.PrefersmistletoesofthegenusAmyema. GreatEgret SPRATͲ Mi Notrecordedinthestudyareaornearbysurrounds.Theyoccurinswampsand Moderatelikelihoodofoccurrencein Yes Ardeaalba marshes; margins of rivers and lakes; damp or flooded grasslands, pastures or lowͲlyingareaeastofBerrimaRoad agricultural lands; reservoirs; sewage treatment ponds; and drainage channels. whengrasslandisinundated. Thefrequentshallowwaterwhenforaging. CattleEgret SPRATͲ Mi Notrecordedinthestudyareaornearbysurrounds.Twomajordistributionshave Moderatelikelihoodofoccurrencein Yes Ardeaibis beenlocated;fromnorthͲeastWesternAustraliatotheTopEndoftheNorthern lowͲlyingareaeastofBerrimaRoad Territory and around southͲeast Australia. It occurs in tropical and temperate whengrasslandisinundated. grasslands, wooded lands and terrestrial wetlands. High numbers have been observedinmoist,lowͲlyingpoorlydrainedpastureswithanabundanceofhigh grass;itavoidslowgrasspastures. RainbowBeeͲeater SPRATͲ Mi Not recorded in the study area or nearby surrounds. The Rainbow BeeͲeater is Moderatepotentialtothestudyarea Yes Meropsornatus distributedacrossmuchofmainlandAustralia,andoccursonseveralnearͲshore givenitsagriculturalsetting. islands. It is not found in Tasmania, and is thinly distributed in the most arid regions of central and Western Australia. It usually occurs in open, cleared or lightlyͲtimberedareasthatareoften,butnotalways,locatedincloseproximityto permanent water. The Rainbow BeeͲeater is also common in cleared and semiͲ clearedhabitatsiefarmland. SatinFlycatcher SPRATͲ Mi Notrecordedinthestudyareaornearbysurrounds.TheSatinFlycatcheris None.Heavilyvegetatedgulliesare No Myiagracyanoleuca widespreadineasternAustraliaandvagranttoNewZealand(Blakersetal.1984; absentfromthestudyarea. Coates1990).SatinFlycatchersinhabitheavilyvegetatedgulliesineucalyptͲ dominatedforestsandtallerwoodlands,andonmigration,occurincoastal forests,woodlands,mangrovesanddrierwoodlandsandopenforests.

J12055RP1 B.7

TableB.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km)ofthestudyarea

Threatened Source TSCAct EPBCAct Recorddetailsandhabitatrequirements1 Likelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudy Further biodiversity status status areaandsurrounds assessment required? RufousFantail SPRATͲ Mi Notrecordedinthestudyareaornearbysurrounds.TheRufousFantailoccursin None.Wetsclerophyllforestsare No Rhipidurarufifrons coastalandnearcoastaldistrictsofnorthernandeasternAustralia(Lindsey1992). absentfromthestudyarea. IneastandsouthͲeastAustralia,theRufousFantailmainlyinhabitswetsclerophyll forests,ofteningulliesdominatedbyeucalyptssuchasTallowͲwood(E. microcorys),MountainGreyGum(E.cypellocarpa),NarrowͲleavedPeppermint, MountainAsh(E.regnans),AlpineAsh(E.delegatensis),Blackbutt(E.pilularis)or RedMahogany(E.resinifera);usuallywithadenseshrubbyunderstoreyoften includingferns. AustralianPainted SPRAT, E E RecordedfromafarmdaminBerrimain2010.TheAustralianPaintedSnipe Mayoccurinfarmdamsadjacentto Yes Snipe NPWS prefersfringesofswamps,damsandnearbymarshyareaswherethereisacover thestudyarea. Rostratulaaustralis Atlas ofgrasses,lignum,lowscruboropentimber.TheAustralianPaintedSnipenests onthegroundamongsttallvegetation,suchasgrasses,tussocksorreeds.Feeding platformsmaybeconstructedoverdeeperwaterfromreedstrampledbythebird; platformsareoftenlitteredwithpreyremains. WhiteͲthroated SPRATͲ Mi RecordedinExeter(10kmsouthͲwestoftheproject)in2010.TheWhiteͲthroated Low.Thisspeciesisalmostexclusively No Needletail Needletailoccursinopenforest,rainforest,heathland,grasslandandswamps. aerial. Hirundapus Thespeciesbreedsinwoodedlowlandsandsparselyvegetatedhills,aswellas caudacutus mountainscoveredwithconiferousforests.Thisspeciesisalmostexclusively aerial,rarelycomingtotheground. BlackͲfacedMonarch SPRATͲ Mi LastrecordedinBowralin1995,approximately10kmnorthͲeastoftheproject. Low.Rainforestisabsentfromthe No Monarcha TheBlackͲfacedMonarchoccursmainlyinrainforestecosystemsbutsometimesis studyareaandsurrounds. melanopsis foundinnearbyopeneucalyptforestsingullieswithadense,shrubby,orpatchy understorey. Latham’sSnipe SPRATͲ Mi Notknownfromwithin10kmofthestudyarea.InAustralia,Latham'sSnipe Moderatelikelihoodofoccurrencein Yes Gallinagohardwickii occursinpermanentandephemeralwetlandsupto2000maboveseaͲlevel.They lowͲlyingareaeastofBerrimaRoad usuallyinhabitopen,freshwaterwetlandswithlow,densevegetation(e.g. whengrasslandisinundated. swamps,floodedgrasslandsorheathlands,aroundbogsandotherwaterbodies). Osprey SPRAT V Mi Favourcoastalareas,especiallythemouthsoflargerivers,lagoonsandlakes. None.Largewaterbodiesareabsent No Pandionhaliaeetus Feedonfishoverclear,openwater. fromthestudyarea.

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TableB.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km)ofthestudyarea

Threatened Source TSCAct EPBCAct Recorddetailsandhabitatrequirements1 Likelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudy Further biodiversity status status areaandsurrounds assessment required? Frogs GiantBurrowingFrog SPRAT V V Notknownfromthestudyareaornearbysurrounds.TheGiantBurrowingFrogis None.Soilsinthestudyareaare No Heleioporus distributedinsoutheasternNSWandVictoria,andappearstoexistastwodistinct predominantlyclaybased,precluding australasicus populations:anorthernpopulationlargelyconfinedtothesandstonegeologyof theoccurrenceofthisspecies. the Sydney Basin and extending as far south as Ulladulla, and a southern populationoccurringfromnorthofNaroomathroughtoWalhalla,Victoria.Found in heath, woodland and open dry sclerophyll forest on a variety of soil types except those that are clay based. Spends more than 95% of its time in nonͲ breedinghabitatinareasupto300mfrombreedingsites.WhilstinnonͲbreeding habitatitburrowsbelowthesoilsurfaceorintheleaflitter. StutteringFrog SPRAT V V Not recorded in the study area or nearby surrounds. The Stuttering Frog is None.Therequiredhabitattypesare No Mixophyesbalbus restricted to the eastern slopes of the Great Divide, from the Cann River absentfromthestudyarea. catchmentinfarEastGippsland,Victoria,totributariesoftheTimbarraRivernear Drake,NewSouthWales.Theyarefoundinassociationwithpermanentstreams throughtemperateandsubͲtropicalrainforestandwetsclerophyllforest,rarelyin dryopentablelandriparianvegetation. LittlejohnsTreeFrog SPRAT V V One record directly south of Paddys River Swamps. Littlejohn's Tree Frog has a None.HeathͲbasedforestsand No Litorialittlejohni distribution that includes the plateaus and eastern slopes of the Great Dividing woodlandsareabsentfromthestudy Range from Watagan State Forest (90 km north of Sydney) south to Buchan in area. Victoria. NonͲbreeding habitat is heath based forests and woodlands where it shelters under leaf litter and low vegetation, and hunts for invertebrate prey eitherinshrubsorontheground. Mammals Koala NPWS V V Recorded in Belanglo State Forest and along Oldbury Creek (EMM unpublished Low.AlthoughKoalashavebeen No Phascolarctos Atlas, data).TheKoalahasafragmenteddistributionthroughouteasternAustraliafrom recordedinBelangloStateForest(4 cinereus SPRAT northͲeastQueenslandtotheEyrePeninsulainSouthAustralia.InNSWitmainly kmwesttothewest),thisis occursonthecentralandnorthcoastswithsomepopulationsinthewestofthe fragmentedfromthestudyareabythe Great Dividing Range. Inhabits eucalypt woodlands and forests. Feeds on the HumeHighwayandOldHume foliageofmorethan70eucalyptspeciesand30nonͲeucalyptspecies,butinany Highway.Theareaonlycontainsa oneareawillselectpreferredbrowsespecies. smallproportionoffeedtreespecies (CabbageGum),andisdominatedby Peppermintsthatarenotregionalfeed trees.

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TableB.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km)ofthestudyarea

Threatened Source TSCAct EPBCAct Recorddetailsandhabitatrequirements1 Likelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudy Further biodiversity status status areaandsurrounds assessment required? GreyͲheadedFlyingͲ NPWS V V Recorded in 1998 in Bundanoon. GreyͲheaded FlyingͲfoxes are generally found None.Nocampsorindividualsare No fox Atlas, within200kmoftheeasterncoastofAustralia,fromBundaberginQueenslandto knownfromthestudyareaand Pteropus SPRAT MelbourneinVictoria.Intimesofnaturalresourceshortages,theymaybefound surrounds. poliocephalus in unusual locations. Occur in subtropical and temperate rainforests, tall sclerophyllforestsandwoodlands,heathsandswampsaswellasurbangardens andcultivatedfruitcrops.Roostingcampsaregenerallylocatedwithin20kmofa regular food source and are commonly found in gullies, close to water, in vegetationwithadensecanopy. LargeͲearedPiedBat NPWS V V Recorded in 2006 at Bundanoon. Scattered recording throughout Nattai NP, None.Sandstoneoutcropsareabsent No Chalinolobusdwyeri Atlas, Wanganderry Tablelands and Joadja NR. The LargeͲeared Pied Bat roosts near fromthestudyarea. SPRAT cave entrances, cliff crevices, old mine workings and disused Fairy Martin mud nests.Theyoccurinlowto midͲelevationdryopenforestandwoodlandcloseto these shelter habitats. Females have been recorded raising young in maternity roosts from November to February in roof domes in sandstone caves and overhangs,andshowhighsitefidelity. EasternBentwingBat NPWS VͲ Recorded from Belanglo State Forest, approximately 4km west of the project.. Low.Roostingcavesareabsentfrom No Miniopterus Atlas Eastern Bentwing Bats occur along the east and northͲwest coasts of Australia. thestudyarea.Further,thespeciesis schreibersii Cavesaretheprimaryroostinghabitat,buttheyalsousederelictmines,stormͲ unlikelytoforageintheareagiventhe oceanensis water tunnels, buildings and other manͲmade structures. Form discrete highdegreeofvegetation populations centred on a maternity cave that is used annually in spring and fragmentation. summerforthebirthandrearingofyoung. SouthernMyotis NPWS VͲ RecordedfromBelangloStateForest,approximately4kmwestoftheproject. None.Suitablehabitat(vegetated No Myotisadversus Atlas SouthernMyotisisfoundinthecoastalbandfromthenorthͲwestofAustralia, damsandwaterways)areabsentfrom acrossthetopͲendandsouthtowesternVictoria.Itisrarelyfoundmorethan100 thedisturbancefootprint. kminland,exceptalongmajorrivers.Generallyroostsingroupsof10to15close towaterincaves,mineshafts,hollowͲbearingtrees,stormwaterchannels, buildings,underbridgesandindensefoliage.Foragesoverstreamsandpools, catchinginsectsandsmallfishbyrakingtheirfeetacrossthewatersurface.

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TableB.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km)ofthestudyarea

Threatened Source TSCAct EPBCAct Recorddetailsandhabitatrequirements1 Likelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudy Further biodiversity status status areaandsurrounds assessment required? SpottedͲtailedQuoll NPWS V E Recordedin2006atTallong.AlsoscatteredrecordsinBundanoon,BangadillyNP Low.Closestrecordislocatedover25 No Dasyurusmaculatus Atlas, andWangenderryTableland.ItisnowfoundontheeastcoastofNSW,Tasmania, kmaway.Habitatishighlydisturbed SPRAT easternVictoriaandnorthͲeasternQueensland.OnlyinTasmaniaisitstill andwouldnotprovidesufficientcover consideredcommon.Recordedacrossarangeofhabitattypes,including forthespecies. rainforest,openforest,woodland,coastalheathandinlandriparianforest,from thesubͲalpinezonetothecoastline.IndividualanimalsusehollowͲbearingtrees, fallenlogs,smallcaves,rockcrevices,boulderfieldsandrockyͲclifffacesasden sites. SouthernBrown SPRAT E E Notknownfromthestudyareaorsurrounds.SouthernBrownBandicootsare None.Notknownfromthestudyarea No Bandicoot largelycrepuscular(activemainlyafterduskand/orbeforedawn).Theyare andsurrounds,andsuitablehabitatis Isoodonobselus generallyonlyfoundinheathoropenforestwithaheathyunderstoreyonsandy absent. obselus orfriablesoils.TheyfeedonavarietyofgroundͲdwellinginvertebratesandthe fruitͲbodiesofhypogeous(undergroundͲfruiting)fungi.Theirsearchesforfood oftencreatedistinctiveconicalholesinthesoil. BrushͲtailedRock NPWS E V Severalrecordssince2002inNattaiNP,westofWollondillyRiverandBasket None.Notknownfromthestudyarea No Wallaby Atlas, Creekintersection.InNSWtheyoccurfromtheQueenslandborderinthenorthto andsurrounds,andsuitablehabitatis Petrogalepenicillata SPRAT theShoalhaveninthesouth,withthepopulationintheWarrumbungleRanges absent. beingthewesternlimit.Occupyrockyescarpments,outcropsandcliffswitha preferenceforcomplexstructureswithfissures,cavesandledges,oftenfacing north.Browseonvegetationinandadjacenttorockyareaseatinggrassesand forbsaswellasthefoliageandfruitsofshrubsandtrees. LongͲnosedPotoroo SPRAT V V Not known from thestudy area or surrounds.The LongͲnosed Potoroo inhabits None.Notknownfromthestudyarea No Potoroustridactylus coastal heaths and dry and wet sclerophyll forests. A dense understorey with andsurrounds,andsuitablehabitatis tridactylus occasionalopenareasisanessentialpartofthisspecies’habitat,andmayconsist absent. ofgrassͲtrees,sedges,fernsorheath,oroflowshrubsofteaͲtreesormelaleucas. NewHollandMouse SPRATͲ E TheNewHollandMouseisknownfromcoastalareasandinlandonsandstone None.Therequiredvegetationtypes No Pseudomys country.Itoccursinopenheathland,openwoodlandwithaheathyunderstorey areabsent. novaehollandiae andvegetatedsanddunes.

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TableB.1 Threatenedbiodiversityrecordedorwiththepotentialtooccurwithin10kilometres(km)ofthestudyarea

Threatened Source TSCAct EPBCAct Recorddetailsandhabitatrequirements1 Likelihoodofoccurrenceinthestudy Further biodiversity status status areaandsurrounds assessment required? Reptiles BroadͲheadedSnake SPRAT E V Not known from study area or surrounds. The BroadͲheaded Snake is largely None.Sandstoneescarpmentsare No Hoplocephalus confined to Triassic and Permian sandstones, including the Hawkesbury, absentfromthestudyarea. bungaroides NarrabeenandShoalhavengroups,withinthecoastandrangesinanareawithin approximately 250 km of Sydney. Shelters in rock crevices and under flat sandstonerocksonexposedcliffedgesduringautumn,winterandspring.Moves from the sandstone rocks to shelters in hollows in large trees within 200 m of escarpmentsinsummer. Fish MacquariePerch SPRAT E E The Macquarie Perch occurs in the upper reaches of the Lachlan and None.Theclosestrecordisfrom No Macquaria MurrumbidgeeRiversinsouthernNSW,MongarloweRiver,theCataractDamand CataractDamwhichisnotconnected australasica Georges River. Its preferred habitat comprises streams with deep rocky pools, tostreamsinthestudyarea.Streams clearwaterinterspersedwithriffles,slowtofastflowingwaterbodies,andample inthestudyareadonotcontain cover from rocks, overhanging banks, logs, branches, emergent and submerged suitablehabitatforthespecies. aquaticplants,trailingbankvegetation,stumpsandclaybanks. Source: 1.DepartmentoftheEnvironment2015,SpeciesProfileandThreatDatabase,www.environment.gov.au,viewedSeptember2015,OfficeofEnvironmentandHeritage2015,ThreatenedSpeciesProfileSearch, www.environment.nsw.gov.au,viewedSeptember2015.

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AppendixC

Assessmentsofsignificance

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C.1 SignificantimpactcriteriainaccordancewiththeEPBCAct

Thefollowingsectionsprovidethecriteriathatmustbeconsideredintheassessmentofpotentialimpacts tospecieslistedundertheEPBCAct.ThereareseparatecriteriaforeachlistingcategoryundertheEPBC Act,inaccordancewith‘EPBCActPolicyStatement1.1SignificantImpactGuidelines:MattersofNational EnvironmentalSignificance’(DoE2013).

C.1.1 Significantimpactcriteriaforcriticallyendangeredandendangeredspecies

Anactionislikelytohaveasignificantimpactonacriticallyendangeredorendangeredspeciesifthereis arealchanceorpossibilitythatitwill: x leadtoalongͲtermdecreaseinthesizeofapopulation; x reducetheareaofoccupancyofthespecies; x fragmentanexistingpopulationintotwoormorepopulations; x adverselyaffecthabitatcriticaltothesurvivalofaspecies; x disruptthebreedingcycleofapopulation; x modify,destroy,remove,isolateordecreasetheavailabilityorqualityofhabitattotheextentthat thespeciesislikelytodecline; x result in invasive species that are harmful to a critically endangered or endangered species becomingestablishedintheendangeredorcriticallyendangeredspecies’habitat; x introducediseasethatmaycausethespeciestodecline;or x interferewiththerecoveryofthespecies.

C.1.2 Significantimpactcriteriaforlistedmigratoryspecies

Anactionislikelytohaveasignificantimpactonamigratoryspeciesifthereisarealchanceorpossibility thatitwill: x substantially modify (including by fragmenting, altering fire regimes, altering nutrient cycles or alteringhydrologicalcycles),destroyorisolateanareaofimportanthabitatforamigratoryspecies; x resultinaninvasivespeciesthatisharmfultothemigratoryspeciesbecomingestablishedinan areaofimportanthabitatforthemigratoryspecies;or x seriouslydisruptthelifecycle(breeding,feeding,migrationorrestingbehaviour)ofanecologically significantproportionofthepopulationofamigratoryspecies.

C.1.3 Assessmentsofsignificance

Assessmentsofsignificanceoftheproject’spotentialimpactshavebeenmadeforeachofthethreatened ecologicalcommunitiesandspecieslistedundertheEPBCActknownorwithpotentialtooccurinthe study area and surrounds (Table B.1). The assessments have beenmade with reference to the criteria giveninSectionsC.1.1toC.1.2andtheoutcomesareprovidedinthefollowingsections.

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i PaddysRiverBox

Paddys River Box is listed as an endangered species under the EPBC Act. It occurs in the Southern HighlandsandtheBlueMountains.IntheSouthernHighlands,itoccursmainlyonagriculturallandand roadsides.IthasbeenestimatedthatPaddysRiverBoxtreesonsomeagriculturalpropertiesaregreater than200yearsold.

SixteenPaddysRiverBoxtreesoccurinthestudyarea.Anassessmentofsignificancehasbeencompleted in accordance with the species conservation advice (DoE 2016b) to assess potential impacts of the preferredandalternateoptionsonPaddysRiverBox(TableC.1).

TableC.1 AssessmentofsignificanceforPaddysRiverBox

Criteria Discussion 1:longͲterm ThePaddysRiverBoxpopulationintheSouthernHighlandshasbeenestimatedatgreaterthan decreasein 10,000individualmaturetrees.Giventheirendangeredconservationstatus,thepreferredand populationsize alternateoptionshavebeendesignedsuchthatimpactstoPaddysRiverBoxareavoidedor minimised.ThepreferredoptionwillrequiretheremovalofonePaddysRiverBox,whilethe alternateoptionwillnothaveanydirectimpacts.Ifthepreferredoptionisadopted,theremoval ofanindividualtreewillnotleadtoalongͲtermdecreaseinthespeciespopulationsize. PaddysRiverBoxoccursonlowhills,alongstreamsandinminordrainagelinesinthestudyarea, indicatingthatsurfacewaterflowfulfilspartofthespecieswaterrequirements.Existingsurface flowswillbemaintainedatallstreamswherePaddysRiverBoxoccursinthestudyarea.While mostsurfaceflowswillbereͲdirectedaroundtherailloop,aculvertwillbeinstalledintherail looptoensurethatsurfaceflowtothesevenindividualsinsidetherailloopismaintained. Asthedesignlargelyavoidsdirectimpactstothespecies,andindirectimpactswillbemanaged, theprojectwillnotleadtoalongͲtermdecreaseinPaddysRiverBoxpopulationsize. 2:reduceareaof TheareaofoccupancyforPaddysRiverBoxhasbeenestimatedat144km2.Asthedesignlargely occupancy avoidsdirectimpactstothespeciesandindirectimpactswillbemanaged,theprojectwillnot reducePaddysRiverBoxareaofoccupancy. 3:fragmenta PaddysRiverBoxtreesoccurinthreedistinctclustersinthestudyareaandonesouthofthestudy population area,comprisingtherailloop(1),westoftheOldHumeHighway(2),northͲeastofBerrimaRoad (3)andsouthͲwestofBerrimaRoad(4),shownonFigure3.5.Areas1and2areseparatedbythe HumeHighway,whileAreas3and4areseparatedbyBerrimaRoad.Furtherfragmentationwill notoccurinAreas1and2fromthepreferredoralternateoptions.FurtherfragmentationofAreas 3and4willnotoccurastheindividualwestoftherailline,andwithinthedirectdisturbance footprintwillberemovedforthepreferredoption. Theindividualwestoftheraillinewillberetainedifthealternateoptionisadopted.However,as itisalreadylocatedapproximately250mawayfromthenearestindividuals,constructionofthe raillineisconsideredunlikelytoleadtofragmentationofthepopulation.Thespeciesispollinated bymobilebirdsandinsects,andseedscanbedispersedbywind(DoE2016b).

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TableC.1 AssessmentofsignificanceforPaddysRiverBox

Criteria Discussion 4:adverselyaffect CriticalhabitathasnotbeendeclaredforPaddysRiverBoxontheRegisterofCriticalHabitat criticalhabitat undertheEPBCAct.HabitatcriticaltothesurvivalofendangeredspeciesisdefinedbytheMatters ofNationalEnvironmentalSignificanceSignificantImpactGuidelines1.1(DoE2015)asareasthat arenecessary: x foractivitiessuchasforaging,breeding,roostingordispersal; x forthelongͲtermmaintenanceofthespeciesorecologicalcommunity(includingthe maintenanceofspeciesessentialtothesurvivalofthespeciesorecologicalcommunity, suchaspollinators); x tomaintaingeneticdiversityandlongͲ termevolutionarydevelopment;or x forthereͲintroductionofpopulationsorrecoveryofthespeciesorecological community. Suchhabitatmaybe,butisnotlimitedto,habitatidentifiedinarecoveryplanforthespeciesor ecologicalcommunityashabitatcriticalforthatspeciesorecologicalcommunity;and/orhabitat listedontheRegisterofCriticalHabitatmaintainedbytheministerundertheEPBCAct. Thelargeclusterof24individualssouthoftheprojectarea,andwestofBerrimaRoad(Figure3.5) areconsideredtorepresenthabitatcriticaltothesurvivalofthespecies.Theseindividuals appearedtobeolderthanthoseintheprojectarea,andoccurredasasinglelargeraggregationof individuals.Theseindividualswillnotbedirectlyimpactedbytheprojectastheyareoutsidethe projectarea. 5:disruptthe PaddysRiverBoxflowersfromJanuarytoFebruary,andpolleniscollectedandbirdsandinsects. breedingcycleofa Seedsaredispersedbywindandgravity(DoE2016b).Asdirectimpactswillbelargelyavoidedby population theproject,maturePaddysRiverBoxtreeswillberetainedthatwouldproduceseed.

6:modify,destroy, ThepreferredoptionwillrequiretheremovalofonePaddysRiverBox,whilethealternateoption remove,isolateor willnotremoveanyindividuals.Ifthepreferredoptionisadopted,theremovalofanindividual decrease treedoesnotrepresentasignificantreductionofindividualswithinandsouthofthestudyarea(1 availabilityor of40individualsinthelocality),anditshabitat(iethegrassland)willberetained.Surfaceflows qualityofhabitat willbemaintainedatallstreamswherePaddysRiverBoxoccursinthestudyarea. TheprojectwillnotresultinfragmentationofPaddysRiverBoxtrees.Thisisdiscussedfurtherin theresponsetoQuestion3. 7:resultininvasive PaddysRiverBoxinthestudyareaoccurinanagriculturalsettingthathasanexoticͲdominated species understorey.Therefore,thedisturbanceofsoilforconstructionisunlikelytointroduceadditional exoticspeciestothearea. 8:introduce IntroducedindividualsofPaddysRiverBoxtoAfricaaresusceptibletoinfectionbyafungus, disease Phytophthoranicotianae.ThisfungusoccursinAustralia,althoughhasnotbeenobservedto impactPaddysRiverBox,andisnotknowntooccurintheSouthernHighlands(ALA2016). 9:interferewith RecoveryactionsforPaddysRiverBoxareoutlinedinthespeciesconservationadvice(DoE recovery 2016b).Primaryconservationactionsrelatetothepreventionofhabitatdestruction,maintenance andenhancementofexistingandpotentialhabitats,preventionofgrazingandweed management.Asdirectimpactswillbelargelyavoidedfor thepreferredoptionandcompletely avoidedforthealternateoption,andindirectimpactswillbemanaged,theprojectdoesnot interferewiththespeciesrecovery. Conclusion TheprojectisunlikelytoresultinsignificantimpactsonPaddysRiverBoxas: x directimpactswillbelargelyavoidedforthepreferredoption; x directimpactswillbecompletelyavoidedforthealternateoption;and x indirectimpactswillbemanagedinaccordancewiththeCEMP.

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ii AustralianPaintedSnipe

TheAustralianPaintedSnipeislistedasanendangeredspeciesundertheEPBCAct.Itwasnotrecorded during seasonal surveys of the area. Its preferred habitat is the fringes of swamps, dams and nearby marshyareaswithacoverofgrasses,lignum,lowscruboropentimber.Thereisamoderatepotential thatthisspeciesmayoccasionallyforageintheregion,asthisspecieswasrecordedforagingatafarm daminnearbyBerrimain2010.Anassessmentofsignificancehasbeencompletedtoassesspotential impactsfromthepreferredandalternateoptionsonthisendangeredspecies(TableC.2).

TableC.2 AssessmentofsignificancefortheAustralianPaintedSnipe

Criteria Discussion 1:longͲterm Giventhelocationofthedamoutsidethestudyareaandthepreferredandalternateoptions, decreasein potentialhabitatwillnotbeclearedanddirectimpactswillnotoccur.Theprojectwillresultinan populationsize increaseoftrainmovements,whichwilllikelyresultinminorincreasestoindirectimpactssuchas noiseandlight.Asthereisanexistingraillineinthearea,theseminorincreasestoindirect impactsareunlikelytoadverselyaffectapopulationofAustralianPaintedSnipes,ifpresentinthe area.AustralianPaintedSnipebreedinghabitatisabsentsfromthi area,andthereforeitwould notdisruptanybreedingactivities. Therefore,theprojectisunlikelytoresultinalongͲtermdecreaseinpopulationsizesofthese endangeredspecies. 2:reduceareaof Giventhereisnohabitatinsidethestudyarea,directimpactswillnotoccur.Therefore,the occupancy projectisunlikelytoreducetheareaofoccupancyoftheseendangeredspecies. 3:fragmenta Giventhereisnohabitatinsidethestudyarea,directimpactswillnotoccur.Therefore, population populationsoftheseendangeredspecieswillnotbefragmentedbytheproject. 4:adverselyaffect CriticalhabitathasnotbeendeclaredfortheAustralianPaintedSnipe.Habitatcriticaltothe criticalhabitat survivalofaspeciesisdefinedinDoE(2013)asareasnecessaryforthelongͲtermmaintenanceof thespecies.AreasthatwouldrepresentcriticalhabitatfortheAustralianPaintedSnipewould includeareasoftallvegetationincludingreedswheretheycouldconstructanest.Astheareais currentlyinuseforcattlegrazing,suitablegroundcovertoconstructanestisabsent.Therefore, theprojectwillnotadverselyaffecthabitatcriticaltotheAustralianPaintedSnipe. 5:disruptthe Asbreedinghabitatisabsentfromwithinandadjacenttothestudyarea,thebreedingcycleofthe breedingcycleofa AustralianPaintedSnipepopulation(ifpresent)isunlikelytobedisrupted. population 6:modify,destroy, Giventhereisnohabitatinsidethestudyarea,theavailabilityandqualityofhabitatforthe remove,isolateor AustralianPaintedSnipewillnotbemodified,destroyedorisolated. decrease availabilityor qualityofhabitat 7:resultininvasive Thestudyareaislocatedinanagriculturalsetting,andthereforealreadycontainstheFeralRabbit species (Oryctolaguscuniculus)andEuropeanRedFox(Vulpesvulpes).Actionsthatcanresultinthese invasivespeciesspreadingintonewareastothedetrimentofnativespeciesincludethecreation ofnewlinearinfrastructurethroughlargeareasofnativebushland.Astheprojectislocatedinan agriculturalsettingwherenativevegetationandhabitathavebeenheavilymodified,theprojectis notexpectedtoresultintheintroductionorspreadofinvasiveanimalorplantspecies. 8:introduce TheAustralianPaintedSnipeisnotknowntobesubjecttoanydisease.Therefore,theprojectis disease notexpectedtoresultintheintroductionorspreadofdiseasethatwouldadverselyaffectthe AustralianPaintedSnipe.

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TableC.2 AssessmentofsignificancefortheAustralianPaintedSnipe

Criteria Discussion 9:interferewith ArecoveryplanhasnotbeenpreparedfortheAustralianPaintedSnipe.Asnodirectimpactswill recovery occurtotheirhabitatandonlyaminorincreasetoindirectimpactswilloccur,theprojectis unlikelytointerferewiththerecoveryoftheirhabitatorpopulation(ifpresent). Conclusion TheprojectisunlikelytoresultinsignificantimpactstotheAustralianPaintedSnipeas: x directimpactswillnotoccurasitspotentialhabitatisoutsidethestudyarea;and x onlyaminorincreaseinindirectimpactsisexpectedastheareacontainsanexistingrail line. iii Migratory birds with potential to occur in the study area: Rainbow BeeͲeater, Great Egret, CattleEgretandLatham’sSnipe

TheRainbowBeeͲeater,GreatEgret,CattleEgretandLatham’sSnipearelistedasmigratoryterrestrial species under the EPBC Act. None of these species were recorded in the study area during seasonal surveys.However,thereisamoderatelikelihoodthattheRainbowBeeͲeaterwouldoccurastheyare regularly recorded from agricultural areas, and the Great Egret, Cattle Egret and Latham’s Snipe may occasionallyforageinthelowͲlyingareaeastofBerrimaRoad.

An assessment of significance has been completed to assess potential impacts of the preferred and alternateoptionsonthesemigratorybirds(TableC.3).

TableC.3 Assessment of significance for migratory birds: Rainbow BeeͲeater, Great Egret, CattleEgretandLatham’sSnipe

Assessmentpart Discussion 1:substantially Thestudyarea(includingthepreferredandalternateoptions)doesnotconstituteanareaof modifyimportant importanthabitatforthesespecies,asanecologicallysignificantproportion(asdefinedunderthe habitat guidelines(DoE2013))oftheirpopulationsdonotresideinthestudyarea,breedingoccurs outsidethestudyarea(NorthernTerritory,coastalareasandinlandwetlands),itisnotatthelimit oftheirrangeandtheyarenotknowntobedeclining. 2:resultininvasive ThesemigratoryspeciesareknowntobesubjecttopredationbytheEuropeanRedFox.The species EuropeanRedFoxhasbeenrecordedinthewiderstudyarea.Theprojectdoesnotinvolveany activitiessuchascreationofnewaccessroadsthroughnativevegetation,whichcouldresultinthe introductionorspreadofinvasivespeciessuchastheEuropeanRedFox. 3:disruptlifecycle AnecologicallysignificantproportionoftheRainbowBeeͲeater,GreatEgret,CattleEgretand ofecologically Latham’sSnipepopulationsdonotresideinthestudyarea.Inaddition,breedingactivityoccurs significant outsidethestudyareaandtheprojectisunlikelytodisrupttheirmigrationpatternsastheyare proportionof highlymobilespecies.Thereforetheprojectwillnotdisruptthelifecycleofanecologically population significantproportionoftheRainbowBeeͲeater,GreatEgret,CattleEgretandLatham’sSnipe populations(ifpresent). Conclusion TheprojectisunlikelytoresultinsignificantimpactstotheRainbowBeeͲeater,GreatEgret,Cattle EgretorLatham’sSnipeas: x importanthabitatisabsentfromthestudyarea,andthereforewillnotbesubstantially modified; x theprojectwillnotincreasethespreadofinvasivespecies;and x thelifecycleofanecologicallysignificantproportionofthemigratoryspecies populationswillnotbedisrupted,asbreedingoccursoutsidethestudyarea.

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C.2 References

AtlasofLivingAustralia(ALA)2016,Phytophthoranicotiniae,biocache.ala.org.au,viewed16August2016.

Department of Environment (DoE) 2013, EPBC Act Policy Statement 1.1 Significant Impact Guidelines: MattersofNationalEnvironmentalSignificance,www.environment.gov.au,viewedJuly2016.

Department of Environment (DoE) 2016, Conservation Advice for Paddys River Box, www.environment.gov.au,viewedJuly2016.

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AppendixD

ComplianceoftheassessmentagainstFBArequirements

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D.1 ComplianceoftheassessmentagainsttheFBAmappingrequirements

ThissectiondemonstratesthecomplianceoftheassessmentagainsttheFBAmappingrequirements.The assessmentisprovidedinTableD.1toTableD.3.

TableD.1 AssessmentofcompliancewithFBArequirementsforthesitemap

FBAreference Requirement Comply? BARreference 3.2.1.2 Digitalaerialphotography Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE 3.2.1.2(a) 1:1000orfiner Yes FiguresinAppendixE 3.2.1.2(a)(i) Boundaryofdevelopmentsite Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE 3.2.1.2(a)(ii) Cadastre Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE 4.1.1.2 IBRAbioregionandIBRAsubregions Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE 4.1.1.2 Mitchelllandscapes Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE 4.1.1.2 Riversandstreams Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE 4.1.1.2 Wetlands N/A.Thereareno N/A importantwetlandsin theprojectareaor bufferarea. 4.1.1.2 Extentofnativevegetationintheouterassessmentcircle Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 orthebufferareasurroundingthedevelopmentfootprint andAppendixE 4.1.1.2 Anyotherlandscapefeaturesthatarerequiredbythe N/A.Noother N/A SEARsforassessmentatadevelopmentsite. landscapefeaturesare requiredbytheSEARs. 4.1.1.3 AllIBRAbioregionsandIBRAsubregionswithinthe Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 developmentsitemustbeidentifiedandshownontheSite andAppendixE Map. 4.1.1.5 AllMitchelllandscapeswithinthedevelopmentsitemust Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 beidentifiedandshownontheSiteMap. andAppendixE 4.1.1.8 Allrivers,streamsandestuariesthatoccurwithinthe Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 developmentsite,andtheirriparianbufferareas,mustbe andAppendixE identifiedandshownontheSiteMap. 4.1.1.11 Allimportantandlocalwetlandsthatoccurwithinthe Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 developmentsitemustbeidentifiedandshownontheSite andAppendixE Map. 4.1.1.13 Importantwetlandsmustalsobeseparatelyidentifiedand N/A.Thereareno N/A shownontheSiteMapandtheLocationMap. importantwetlandsin theprojectareaor bufferarea. 4.1.1.16 Allstateorregionallysignificantbiodiversitylinksthat Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 occurwithinthedevelopmentsitemustbeidentifiedand andAppendixE shownontheSiteMap. 4.1.1.18 Otherlandscapefeaturesshouldbemappedonboththe Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 SiteMapandLocationMapifthisisarequirementofthe andAppendixE SEARs.

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TableD.1 AssessmentofcompliancewithFBArequirementsforthesitemap

FBAreference Requirement Comply? BARreference 5.1.1.2 Thenativevegetationextentonthedevelopmentsitemust Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 beshownontheSiteMap,whichmustincludealllandin andAppendixE thedevelopmentsite.

TableD.2 AssessmentofcompliancewithFBArequirementsforthelocationmap

FBAreference Requirement Comply? BARreference 3.2.1.2 Digitalaerialphotography Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE 3.2.1.2(b) 1:10,000orfiner Yes FiguresinAppendixE 3.2.1.2(b)(i) AlllandscapefeaturesinChapter4 Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE 3.2.1.2(b)(ii) Boundaryofdevelopmentsite Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE 3.2.1.2(b)(iii) Localareaboundariesorotherbasedatarelevantatthis Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 scale andAppendixE 3.2.1.3 Areacoveredbytheouterassessmentcircleaccordingto Yes.ThebufferareaisFigure3.1,Figure3.2 Appendix4,orthebufferareasurroundingthe shownastheproject andAppendixE developmentfootprintaccordingtoAppendix5 isalinear development. 4.1.1.2 IBRAbioregionandIBRAsubregions Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE 4.1.1.2 Mitchelllandscapes Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE 4.1.1.2 Riversandstreams Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE 4.1.1.2 Wetlands N/A.Thereareno N/A importantwetlandsin theprojectareaor bufferarea. 4.1.1.2 Extentofnativevegetationintheouterassessmentcircle Yes.ThebufferareaisFigure3.1,Figure3.2 orthebufferareasurroundingthedevelopmentfootprint shownastheproject andAppendixE isalinear development. 4.1.1.2 Anyotherlandscapefeaturesthatarerequiredbythe N/A.Noother N/A SEARsforassessmentatadevelopmentsite. landscapefeaturesare requiredbytheSEARs. 4.1.1.4 Anyotherregionswithintheouterassessmentcirclemust Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 beidentifiedandshownontheLocationMap. andAppendixE 4.1.1.6 AnyotherMitchelllandscapesthatoccurwithintheouter Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 assessmentcirclemustbeidentifiedandshownonthe andAppendixE LocationMap. 4.1.1.9 Allotherrivers,streamsandestuariesthatoccurwithin Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 theouterassessmentcircle,andtheirriparianbuffer andAppendixE areas,mustbeidentifiedandshownontheLocationMap.

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TableD.2 AssessmentofcompliancewithFBArequirementsforthelocationmap

FBAreference Requirement Comply? BARreference 4.1.1.12 Anyotherimportantandlocalwetlandsthatareadjacent N/A.Thereareno N/A toordownstreamfromthedevelopmentsiteandwithin importantwetlandsin theouterassessmentcirclemustbeidentifiedandshown theprojectareaor ontheLocationMap. bufferarea. 4.1.1.13 ImportantwetlandsmustalsobeseparatelyidentifiedandN/A.Thereareno N/A shownontheSiteMapandtheLocationMap. importantwetlandsin theprojectareaor bufferarea. 4.1.1.14 Theextentofnativevegetationwithintheouter Yes.ThebufferareaisFigure3.1,Figure3.2 assessmentcircle,orthebufferareasurroundingthe shownastheproject andAppendixE developmentfootprint,mustbemappedontodigital isalinear aerialphotography(suchasADS–40imagery)orthebest development. availableimageryofthedevelopmentsite,andshownon theLocationMap. 4.1.1.17 Allstateorregionallysignificantbiodiversitylinksthat Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 occurwithintheouterassessmentcirclemustbe andAppendixE identifiedandshownontheLocationMap. 4.1.1.18 Otherlandscapefeaturesshouldbemappedonboththe N/A.Noother N/A SiteMapandLocationMapifthisisarequirementofthe landscapefeaturesare SEARs. requiredbytheSEARs.

TableD.3 AssessmentofcompliancewithothermappinganddatarequirementsoftheFBA

FBA reference Requirement Comply? BARreference 5.1.1.1 Theextentofnativevegetationwithinthedevelopmentsite Yes FiguresinAppendixE mustbemappedontodigitalaerialphotography(suchas ADSͲ40imagery)orthebestavailableimageryofthe developmentsite,usingexistingmapsofnativevegetationin theareaandanassessmentofthesite.Thecapturescale shouldbe1:1,000–1:5,000,andnotgreaterthan1:10,000. Table20 MapofPlantCommunityType(PCT)swithinthedevelopmentYes Figure3.4 site Table20 Mapofconditionclassandsubcategory(whererelevant) Yes Figure3.4 Table20 MapofplotandtransectlocationsrelativetoPCTsand Yes Figure3.4 conditionclass Table20 MapofEECsN/A.Theproject N/A areadoesnot containEECs. Table20 Plotandtransectfielddata(MSExcelformat) Yes.Thishasbeen N/A.Thisdatahas providedtoOEH beenuploadedtothe throughthe biobankingcalculator. BioBanking Asummaryofplot Calculator. dataisprovidedin TableA.2. Table20 Plotandtransectfielddatasheets Yes. TableA.1andTable A.2

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TableD.3 AssessmentofcompliancewithothermappinganddatarequirementsoftheFBA

FBA reference Requirement Comply? BARreference Table20 Tableofcurrentsitevaluescoresforeachvegetationzone Yes. Table3.5 withinthedevelopmentsite Table20 Mapofvegetationzoneswithacurrentsitevaluescoreof Yes Figure3.4 <17 Table20 TableofvegetationzonesandlandscapeTgvalues, Yes Vegetationzonesare particularlyindicatingwherethesehavechangeddueto showninTable3.5.No speciesexclusion ecosystemcredit specieswere predictedbythe BioBankingCalculator thereforethereforeno Tgvalueswere changed. Table20 Targetedsurveylocations Yes Figure2.1 Table20 Tabledetailingthelistofspeciescreditspeciesandpresence Yes Table3.6 statusonsiteasdeterminedbytargetedsurvey,indicating alsowherepresencewasassumedand/orwherepresence wasdeterminedbyexpertreport 6.5.1.17 Thespeciespolygonmust:(a)bemappedusingasatellite Yes Figure6.3 (ADS–40)orthebestavailableorthoͲrectifiedaerialimageof thedevelopmentsite(b)usetheunitofmeasurement identifiedforthatspeciesintheThreatenedSpeciesProfile Database(c)includethelocationsofthespeciesorareas occupiedbythespecies(d)containthespecifichabitat featureorhabitatcomponentassociatedwiththatspecieson thedevelopmentsite(e)utiliseGPStoconfirmthelocationof thespeciespolygononthebestavailableorthoͲrectified aerialimageofthedevelopmentsite. Table20 Speciescreditspeciespolygons(asdescribedin Yes Figure6.3 Paragraph6.5.1.19) Table20 Tabledetailingspeciesandhabitatfeature/component Yes Table3.6 associatedwithspeciesanditsabundanceonsite(as describedinParagraph6.5.1.19) Table20Speciespolygonsforspeciesthatcannotwithstandaloss Yes Figure6.3 Table20 Tableofmeasurestobeimplementedbefore,duringand Yes Table5.1 afterconstructiontoavoidandminimisetheimpactsofthe project,includingaction,outcome,timingandresponsibility Table20 Mapoffinalprojectfootprint,includingconstructionand Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 operation andAppendixE Table20 Mapsdemonstratingindirectimpactzoneswhereapplicable Yes Figure3.1,Figure3.2 andAppendixE Table20 Mapofareasnotrequiringassessment Yes Figure6.2 Table20 MapofPCTsandspeciespolygonsnotrequiringoffset Yes Figure6.2 Table20 MapofPCTsandspeciespolygonsrequiringoffset Yes Figure3.4 Figure6.3 Table20 Mapoftheoccurrenceoftheentityorimpactthatrequires Yes Figure4.1 furtherconsideration

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TableD.3 AssessmentofcompliancewithothermappinganddatarequirementsoftheFBA

FBA reference Requirement Comply? BARreference 5.2.1.8 TheassessorisrequiredtoprovidejustificationintheBARof Yes Figure3.4 evidenceusedtoidentifyaPCTatthedevelopmentsite.This AppendixA includes:...(c)amapshowingthedistributionofthePCTson thedevelopmentsite. 5.2.1.9 Theassessormustidentifyanythreatenedecological N/A.EECsare N/A communitiesthatareassociatedwithaPCT,andmapthe absentfromthe distributionoftheecologicalcommunityonthedevelopment projectareaand site. bufferarea. 5.2.1.12 ThedistributionofPCTsclassifiedunderthesalinewetland N/A.Saline N/A formationmustbeshownonthemap. wetlandsareabsent fromtheproject areaandbuffer area. 5.2.2.1 TheassessormustusethemapofPCTsreferredtoin Yes Figure3.4 Subsection5.2.1,toidentifyandmaptheareaofeachPCT intoavegetationzoneonthedevelopmentsite. 5.2.2.7 Vegetationzonesthatareinlowcondition,orareinaderivedYes Figure3.4 grasslandform,orhaveacurrentsitevaluescoreoflessthan 17inaccordancewithSection5.3,mustbeidentifiedasa separatevegetationzoneandshownonthemapof vegetationzones. 10.3.1.3 Theassessormaycalculateadifferentfuturesitevaluescore N/A.Theproject N/A forseparatepartsofavegetationzonetoallowforany doesnotrequire variationintheimpactofdevelopmentacrossthevegetation assetprotection zone.Thisincludeswheretheimpactofdevelopmentwill zones. resultinpartialclearingofthenativevegetationandincludes areas suchasassetprotectionzonesandeasements.The assessormustmaptheseareasofthevegetationzoneasa managementzoneandincludethisintheBAR.

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AppendixE

Individualsiteandlocationmaps

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KEY

Buffer area Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 1 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 1

30/01/2017 information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055

RAILW

¯ OUTHERN

S N N MAI Appendix E Appendix Figure 2 Figure Berrima Rail Project Berrima Site map - 2 Biodiversity assessment report assessment Biodiversity

Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) DoE (2012) LPI (2015); Hume Coal (2016); EMM (2016); Source: m Buffer area Buffer vegetation Native Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Moss Vale Highlands road Local Rail line Cadastral boundary 0 102030 Native vegetationextent Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7)sub-regions landscape Mitchell features Existing KEY GDA 1994 MGA 56 GDA Zone

30/01/2017 information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 ¯ Appendix E Appendix Figure 3 Figure Berrima Rail Project Berrima Site map - 3 Biodiversity assessment report assessment Biodiversity

Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) DoE (2012) LPI (2015); Hume Coal (2016); EMM (2016); Source:

H T

N I A M m Buffer area Buffer vegetation Native 2 Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Moss Vale Highlands road Local Rail line Cadastral boundary 0 102030 Native vegetationextent Strahlerstream order class Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7)sub-regions landscape Mitchell features Existing KEY GDA 1994 MGA 56 GDA Zone ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Native vegetation extent Native vegetation Strahler stream order class 2 Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Existing features Local road Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 4 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 4 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 5 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 5 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Existing features Local road Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 6 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 6 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 7 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 7 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 8 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 8 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Native vegetation extent Native vegetation Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Existing features Local road Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 9 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 9

30/01/2017 information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 ¯ Appendix E Appendix Figure 10 Figure Berrima Rail Project Berrima Site map - 10 Biodiversity assessment report assessment Biodiversity

Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) DoE (2012) LPI (2015); Hume Coal (2016); EMM (2016); Source:

T U

S N I A M m Buffer area Buffer vegetation Native Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Moss Vale Highlands road Local Rail line Cadastral boundary 0 102030 Native vegetationextent Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7)sub-regions landscape Mitchell features Existing KEY GDA 1994 MGA 56 GDA Zone ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Native vegetation extent Native vegetation Strahler stream order class 1 2 Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Existing features Local road Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 11 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 11 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 12 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 12 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 13 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 13 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 14 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 14 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 15 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 15 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Strahler stream order class 2 Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 16 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 16 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Strahler stream order class 1 2 Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 17 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 17 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Strahler stream order class 1 Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 18 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 18 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 19 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 19 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

Buffer area Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) sub-regions Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Mitchell landscape Moss Vale Highlands Cadastral boundary

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 20 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 20 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 21 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 21

30/01/2017 information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 ¯ Appendix E Appendix Figure 22 Figure Berrima Rail Project Berrima Site map - 22 Biodiversity assessment report assessment Biodiversity

Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) DoE (2012) LPI (2015); Hume Coal (2016); EMM (2016); Source:

RAILWAY

SOUTHERN MAIN m Project area area Buffer vegetation Native Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Moss Vale Highlands road Local Rail line Cadastral boundary 0 102030 Native vegetationextent Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7)sub-regions landscape Mitchell features Existing KEY GDA 1994 MGA 56 GDA Zone

30/01/2017 information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 ¯ Appendix E Appendix Figure 23 Figure Berrima Rail Project Berrima Site map - 23 Biodiversity assessment report assessment Biodiversity

Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) DoE (2012) LPI (2015); Hume Coal (2016); EMM (2016); Source: m

Buffer area Buffer vegetation Native 1 2 Sydney Basin Bioregion, Moss Vale sub-region Moss Vale Highlands road Local Rail line Cadastral boundary MAIN SOUTHERN RAILWAY SOUTHERN MAIN 0 102030 Native vegetationextent Strahlerstream order class Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7)sub-regions landscape Mitchell features Existing KEY GDA 1994 MGA 56 GDA Zone ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 24 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 24 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 25 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 25 ¯ 30/01/2017

KEY

0 102030 m GDA 1994 MGA Zone 56 Source: EMM (2016); Hume Coal (2016); LPI (2015); DoE (2012) T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 - Hume Coal Project EIS\Background information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd information\GIS\02_Maps\2016_BREIS\BAR\BRBAR013_SiteMap_20170130_02.mxd EIS\Background Project Coal Hume - T:\Jobs\2012\J12055 Site map - 26 Berrima Rail Project Biodiversity assessment report Appendix E Figure 26