Giant Gippsland Earthworm Surveys at Three Sites Within the Lang Lang
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Giant Gippsland Earthworm survey at a site of a proposed rezoning, Jumbunna Rd, Korumburra February 2012 PREPAREDPREPARED FOR: FOR: REPORT AUTHOR: PREPARED FOR: Company Name Goes Here Dr. Beverley Van Praagh Company Name Goes Here Second Line of Text Here REPORT AUTHOR: Second Line of Text Here REPORT AUTHOR: BeveridgeThird Line Williams of Text & CoHere Pty Ltd Dr. Beverley Van Praagh 52A ThirdBair Street Line of Text Here Dr. Beverley Van Praagh PO Box 161 Leongatha Vic 3953 INVERT-ECO 1 Giant Gippsland Earthworm survey at Jumbunna Rd, Korumburra REPORT - Giant Gippsland Earthworm survey of site of a proposed rezoning, Jumbunna Rd, Korumburra Report by Beverley Van Praagh INVERT-ECO ABN 96 817 328 909 25 Jacaranda Place Craigieburn, Victoria 3064 Tel/Fax: 03 9305 5154 Mobile: 0402 572 443 On Behalf Of Beveridge Williams & Co Pty Ltd 52A Bair Street PO Box 161 Leongatha Vic 3953 Final Version February 2012 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author thanks the following people for their contribution to the project, Neil Breeden (Beveridge Williams) for project and site information Mr Winterhalter and Mr Cellante (property owners) for site access Matt Killin for assistance in the field Cover Photo: Megascolides australis and subject land© INVERT-ECO Abbreviations DSE: Department of Sustainability and Environment EPBC Act: Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 FFG Act: Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 Copyright ©INVERT-ECO This document is subject to copyright and may only be used for the purposes for which it was commissioned. Disclaimer Although due diligence was used by INVERT-ECO in the preparation of this report, INVERT-ECO takes no liability for any damages or loss incurred as a result of reliance placed upon this report and its contents. INVERT-ECO 2 Giant Gippsland Earthworm survey at Jumbunna Rd, Korumburra TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 4 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 5 1.1 Background ............................................................................................. 5 1.2 Scope of Assessment ............................................................................... 5 1.3 Study area ............................................................................................... 5 1.4 Giant Gippsland Earthworm .................................................................... 8 2 METHODOLGY ................................................................................................ 9 2.1 Field Survey ............................................................................................. 9 2.3 Assessment Qualifications and Limitations .............................................. 9 3 RESULTS ........................................................................................................10 4 POTENTIAL IMPACTS .....................................................................................12 4.1 Key Threats ............................................................................................12 4.2 Potential Impacts ...................................................................................12 5 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND LEGISLATION ................................................12 5.1 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 ............12 6 CONTINGENCY PLAN......................................................................................13 7 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................14 FIGURES Figure 1 Location of subject land ........................................................................................................ 6 Figure 2 Location of sites 1 & 2 within subject land at Jumbunna Road, Korumburra...................... 7 PLATES Plate 1 Steep, north western slope of Site 1 ..................................................................................................... 10 Plate 2 North-eastern view across Site 2 .......................................................................................................... 11 Plate 3 Shallow banks of drainage channels at Site 2 ....................................................................................... 11 ATTACHMENT 1 Contingency Plan for the accidental unearthing of Giant Gippsland Earthworms INVERT-ECO 3 Giant Gippsland Earthworm survey at Jumbunna Rd, Korumburra SUMMARY Introduction INVERT-ECO was commissioned by Beveridge Williams Pty Ltd to undertake a targeted survey for the Giant Gippsland Earthworm (GGE), Megascolides australis at a site of a proposed rezoning south of the township of Korumburra, South Gippsland. The subject land, situated adjacent to Jumbunna Road, Korumburra comprises two properties referred to as Site 1 (Lot 2 LP139825) and Site 2 (Lot 2 LP139824 & Lot 4 LP135303) and is currently zoned Farming (FZ). This report provides the results of a targeted field assessment of the subject land to identify any GGE populations in order to address legislative and planning requirements by South Gippsland Shire Council and the Department of Sustainability and Environment as part of the planning process. This assessment will facilitate the planning process for a proposed rezoning and subsequent subdivision of the subject land. Methods A field survey of the subject land was undertaken on February 6th 2012. An on ground assessment was undertaken to identify areas of suitable habitat for targeted sampling. Sampling involved digging soil quadrats to look for evidence of the worm including burrows and cast (waste) material and walking over the site listening for gurgles. Results No evidence of Giant Gippsland Earthworms was located within Site 1 or 2 and very little potential habitat was identified. Giant Gippsland Earthworms are usually associated with sites comprising clay soils that retain moisture all year but support adequate drainage. While both sites contain soils often occupied by GGE, they did not support the appropriate hydrological conditions required to provide suitable earthworm habitat. Potential impacts and mitigation measures As no evidence of GGEs was found within Site 1 or 2, there are no legislative requirements and no anticipated impacts from development of the site in relation to this species. A contingency plan is provided describing the procedure should any undetected GGE colonies be accidentally uncovered during site works (section 6). INVERT-ECO 4 Giant Gippsland Earthworm survey at Jumbunna Rd, Korumburra 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background INVERT-ECO was commissioned by Beveridge Williams Pty Ltd to undertake a targeted survey for the Giant Gippsland Earthworm (GGE), Megascolides australis at two adjoining properties adjacent to Jumbunna Road, Korumburra, South Gippsland. The subject land referred to as Site 1 (Lot 2 LP139825) and Site 2 (Lot 2 LP139824 & Lot 4 LP135303) is currently zoned Farming (FZ). The purpose of this report is to provide an assessment of the subject land to identify any GGE populations in order to address legislative and planning requirements by South Gippsland Shire Council and the Department of Sustainability and Environment. This assessment will facilitate the planning process for a proposed rezoning and subsequent subdivision of the subject land. The Giant Gippsland Earthworm is listed as Vulnerable under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and Threatened under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) (see section 1.4 and attachment 1) for further background information on GGE). The species is known to occur approximately 1.4 km north-west of the subject land (Van Praagh personal observations). 1.2 Scope of Assessment The specific tasks required of this assessment are: Undertake a targeted field survey for the Giant Gippsland Earthworm within the subject land; Provide an assessment of the potential impacts associated with the proposed site development if GGEs are recorded during the survey; Describe any opportunities to avoid or mitigate these potential impacts. 1.3 Study area The study area is situated approximately 1.5 km south-west of the township of Korumburra, South Gippsland, approximately 120 km south-east of Melbourne (Figure 1). Site 1 Site 1 occurs to the north-east of Sommers Crescent and comprises 6.7 ha. of land largely cleared for grazing (Figure 2). The topography is moderate to steep with a north to north- westerly aspect. The section of the site adjacent to Jumbunna Rd is lower and subject to INVERT-ECO 5 Giant Gippsland Earthworm survey at Jumbunna Rd, Korumburra water-logging. A small stand of Blackwoods (Acacia melanoxylon) is present as a wind break on the property. Site 2 Site 2 encompasses two parcels of land comprising 12.2 ha. situated to the south of Sommers Crescent (see Fig 2). The site consists primarily of pasture grasses with a large stand of willows (Salix sp) in the north western section of the site and additional willows scattered throughout. The site has a predominantly northern aspect, sloping down toward Jumbunna Rd where the site includes flatter areas prone to water-logging. Several drainage channels traverse the property. A large dam is present in the south-west corner of the site. KORUMBURRA Figure 1 Location of subject land INVERT-ECO 6 Giant Gippsland Earthworm survey at Jumbunna Rd, Korumburra Figure 2 Location of sites 1 & 2 at Jumbunna