FAUNA MANAGEMENT PLAN (V1) LOT 3 RP901259 138 KING ROAD MOOLOOLAH VALLEY
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FAUNA MANAGEMENT PLAN (v1) LOT 3 RP901259 138 KING ROAD MOOLOOLAH VALLEY FOR GROVE PARTNERS PTY LTD JANUARY 2018 PO Box 9566 Pacific Paradise QLD 4564 / Email: [email protected] ABN 44 851 168 122 Fauna Management Plan v1 NCES REF: GRO 2018-01 FMP Lot 3 on RP901259 – 138 King Road, Mooloolah Valley DOCUMENT CONTROL Document Fauna Management Plan v1 Client: Grove Partners Pty Ltd Project Number: GRO 2018 - 01 Site: Lot 3 on RP901259 138 King Road, Mooloolah Valley, QLD Version Date Distribution Author/s Approver 1 January 2018 Blake Bell - Murray N. Willis – B. Sc. Joshua Lee & Associates Principal Environmental Scientist B. Sc. AES, mEIANZ DISCLAIMER To the extent permitted by law, North Coast Environmental Services (including its employees, partners and consultants) excludes all liability to any person for any consequences, including but not limited to all losses, damages, costs, expenses, and any other compensation, arising directly or indirectly, from using this publication (in part or whole) and any information or material contained in it. 2018 i Fauna Management Plan v1 NCES REF: GRO 2018-01 FMP Lot 3 on RP901259 – 138 King Road, Mooloolah Valley Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 BACKGROUND 1 1.2 SITE DESCRIPTION 1 2 EXISTING HABITAT TYPES 2 2.1 VEGETATION UNITS 2 2.2 VEGETATION UNIT 1 – NOTOPHYLL VINE FOREST 4 2.3 VEGETATION UNIT 2 – OPEN EUCALYPT FOREST WITH DISTURBED UNDERSTOREY 4 2.4 WILDLIFE ONLINE DATABASE 4 2.5 SURROUNDING HABITAT AND CONNECTIVITY 5 3 VEGETATION CLEARING IMPACTS 7 4 CLEARING FAUNA AND HABITAT ASSESSMENT 8 4.1 GENERAL 8 4.2 VEGETATION CLEARING DIRECTION AND REQUIREMENTS 8 4.3 DAILY PRE-CLEARING SURVEY 8 4.4 PRIOR TO CLEARING 9 4.4.1 ARBOREAL HOLLOWS 9 4.4.2 NEST BOXES 9 4.5 DURING CLEARING 9 4.6 FAUNA RELOCATION 10 4.7 INJURED FAUNA 10 4.8 VETERINARY CONTACT DETAILS 10 5 REFERENCES 11 APPENDIX 1 – SITE LAYOUT 12 APPENDIX 2 – WILDLIFE ONLINE DATABASE RESULTS 13 2018 i Fauna Management Plan v1 NCES REF: GRO 2018-01 FMP Lot 3 on RP901259 – 138 King Road, Mooloolah Valley 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background North Coast Environmental Services have been commissioned by Grove Partners Pty Ltd to prepare a Fauna Management Plan to direct the management of fauna during vegetation clearing proposed to be undertaken on land formally described as Lot 3 on RP901259, located at 138 King Road, Palmwoods (referred to hereafter as ‘the site’). The Fauna Management Plan has been prepared to support an Operational Work (Vegetation Clearing) development permit application by Grove Partners Pty Ltd. The application is required as a condition of the Sunshine Coast Council’s Development Approval (REC 17/0093). The approved development plans have been provided as Appendix A of this report. All fauna management services undertaken within the site are to be conducted in accordance with the relevant local, State and Federal Government Guidelines and Legislation. A Department of Environment and Science (DES) licensed wildlife spotter/catcher is to be employed to undertake the fauna management services during all clearing activities. 1.2 Site Description The site measures 7.79ha and is bordered by cleared agricultural land to the north and west, residential developments to the north and east and King Road to the south. The allotment currently supports one residential dwelling with associated sheds (refer to Plate 1). Most of the site has been cleared and supports exotic species and introduced grasses. A rainforest vegetation community is present within the western boundary of the site in association with the watercourse which traverses the northern section of the allotment in an east-west alignment. A mature stand of mixed Eucalypts is present in the south-west corner of the site and along the southern boundary. Understorey vegetation has been historically removed from these areas. Plate 1 details site conditions. Plate 1 – Site Conditions (Source: SCC Mymaps) 2018 1 Fauna Management Plan v1 NCES REF: GRO 2018-01 FMP Lot 3 on RP901259 – 138 King Road, Mooloolah Valley 2 EXISTING HABITAT TYPES 2.1 Vegetation Units The composition of the fauna habitat types within and immediately bordering the clearing footprint comprises: · Notophyll vine forest; · Disturbed open Eucalypt forest; and · Predominantly cleared areas host to housing, mowed lawn +/- isolated trees. The vegetation within and immediately bordering the clearing footprint has the potential to offer fauna species the following general habitat elements: · Open canopy and mid-canopy nesting sites and perches which may be used by birds and arboreal mammals; · Flower pollen from the mix of canopy and mid-strata species may provide a food source for nectivorous species; · Sun exposed areas below canopy gaps and on forest fringes may be suitable habitat for exothermic reptiles such as snakes, skinks, small lizards and possibly larger reptiles such as lace monitors; · Grass and sedge groundcovers (native and exotic) have the potential to provide shelter and movement pathways for small terrestrial mammals (e.g. bush rats, melomy’s, antechinus, bandicoots); · Areas of light to heavy leaf litter have the potential to host small reptiles and amphibious species; and · Riparian habitat which has the potential to support amphibian species (including the tusked frog and the giant barred frog). Two vegetation/habitat units are present within the site: · Vegetation Unit 1 – Notophyll vine forest; and · Vegetation Unit 2 – Open Eucalypt forest with disturbed understorey. Figure 1 depicts the distribution of the observed vegetation units whilst a description of the on-site vegetation units follows. 2018 2 KEY Survey A VU2 - Open Eucalypt forest with disturbed understorey - Approx. 0.8ha Fauna Management Plan v1 NCES REF: GRO 2018-01 FMP Lot 3 on RP901259 – 138 King Road, Mooloolah Valley 2.2 Vegetation Unit 1 – Notophyll vine forest Vegetation Unit 1 (VU1) is present as a small unit flanking an ephemeral watercourse adjacent to the sites western boundary. This community exhibits an average canopy height of 20m with projective foliage canopy cover of greater than 70%. The canopy is dominated by a range of rainforest flora species including Flindersia schottiana (bumpy ash), Elaeocarpus grandis (blue quandong) and Argyrodendron trifoliatum (white booyong) over a dense midstorey dominated by a diverse range of tree and vine species. The understorey is generally sparse, however where present contains a range of native fern, vine and sedge species. Overall the community is representative of endangered regional ecosystem (RE) 12.3.1 which is described as ‘gallery rainforest (notophyll vine forest) on alluvial plains’ (refer to Plate 2). Plate 2 – VU1 – Notophyll vine forest 2.3 Vegetation Unit 2 – Open Eucalypt forest with disturbed understorey Vegetation Unit 2 comprises a tall modified open-forest vegetation community dominated by mature native trees with a highly modified understorey. Species present includes Corymbia intermedia (pink bloodwood), Eucalyptus tereticornis (Queensland blue gum), Eucalyptus microcorys (tallowwood) and Syncarpia glomulifera (turpentine) over a highly modified (grazed/mowed) understorey and ground layer (refer to Plate 3). This community exhibits an average canopy height of approximately 30m with projective foliage canopy cover of between 20% - 30%. Plate 3 – VU2 - Open Eucalypt forest with disturbed understorey 2.4 Wildlife Online Database A search of EHP’s Wildlife Online Database for fauna sightings recorded within 2km of the site was conducted on 9 June 2017. The Wildlife Online database hold records of 206 previously recorded fauna species comprised of: 2018 4 Fauna Management Plan v1 NCES REF: GRO 2018-01 FMP Lot 3 on RP901259 – 138 King Road, Mooloolah Valley · 9 amphibian species; · 9 insect species; · 12 reptile species; · 18 ray-finned fish; · 29 mammal species; and · 129 bird species. A specific fauna survey of the site was not undertaken and would enable a more comprehensive understanding of fauna composition on the site, including the confirmation of habitat utilisation by the previously recorded (Wildlife Online) conservation significant fauna species. In addition to several ‘special least concern’ fauna species, the following conservation significant fauna species have previously recorded within a 2km radius of the site: · Adelotus brevis (tusked frog) – ‘vulnerable’ under the NC Act; · Mixophyes iteratus (giant barred frog) – ‘endangered’ under the NC Act and the EPBC Act; Pezoporus wallicus wallicus (ground parrot) – ‘vulnerable’ under the NC Act; · Ninox strenua (powerful owl) – ‘vulnerable’ under the NC Act; · Ornithoptera richmondia (Richmond birdwing) – ‘vulnerable’ under the NC Act; · Petauroides volans volans (southern greater glider) – ‘vulnerable’ under the NC Act and the EPBC Act; · Phascolarctos cinereus (koala) – ‘vulnerable’ under the NC Act and the EPBC Act; and · Pteropus poliocephalus (grey-headed flying-fox) – ‘vulnerable’ under the EPBC Act. Based on the database results and general site observations, bird assemblages represent the greatest observable species richness within the area. The open-forest vegetation community within the south-western portion of the site supports koala habitat trees and is anticipated to provide habitat for koalas. Although no koalas were observed during the survey, evidence of koalas, in the form of scratch marks, were observed within the site. Suitable habitat for greater gliders is also present in this vegetation community; however, given the extent of suitable habitat located to the