Biodiversity Assessment Report
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BERRIMA RAIL PROJECT — Environmental Impact Statement Biodiversity Assessment Report 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 T+61294939500 F+61294939599 [email protected] www.emmconsulting.com.au 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 T+61(0)294939500|F+61(0)294939599 GroundFloor|Suite01|20ChandosStreet|StLeonards|NewSouthWales|2065|Australia www.emmconsulting.com.au 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 J12055RP1 i 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 J12055RP1 ii 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 J12055RP1 iii 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 J12055RP1 iv 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; J12055RP1 1 x decommissioning of the existing rail connection into the Berrima Cement Works including the BerrimaRoadlevelrailcrossing; x constructionofanewrail spurlinefromtheBerrimaBranchLineconnectiontotheHumeCoal Projectcoalloadingfacility;