Targeted Flora and Fauna Habitat Survey of Proposed Development
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Targeted Flora and Fauna Habitat Survey of Proposed Development in Swan View Prepared for Statewest Planning Ref: T18022 Terratree Pty Ltd ABN 48 159 6065 005 Unit 3, No. 42 Victoria Street, Midland WA 6056 Telephone: (08) 9250 1163 Mobile: 0400 003 688 Email: [email protected] www.terratree.com.au Document Control Revision Details Date Author Reviewer Rev 0 Internal Review 10/01/2019 G. Maslen J. Grehan Rev A Draft for Submission to Client for Review 23/01/2019 G. Maslen J. Grehan Rev B Final Submission to Client 07/02/2019 G. Maslen S. O’Hara Joseph Grehan Director and Principal Ecologist Targeted Flora and Fauna Survey of Proposed Development in Swan View for Statewest Planning i DISCLAIMER This document is prepared in accordance with and subject to an agreement between Terratree Pty Ltd (“Terratree”) and the client for whom it has been prepared (“Statewest Planning”) and is restricted to those issues that have been raised by the client in its engagement of Terratree and prepared using the standard of skill and care ordinarily exercised by Environmental Scientists in the preparation of such documents. Any organisation or person that relies on or uses this document for purposes or reasons other than those agreed by Terratree and the client without first obtaining the prior written consent of Terratree, does so entirely at their own risk and Terratree denies all liability in tort, contract or otherwise for any loss, damage or injury of any kind whatsoever (whether in negligence or otherwise) that may be suffered as a consequence of relying on this document for any purpose other than that agreed with the client. Terratree Pty Ltd Targeted Flora and Fauna Survey of Proposed Development in Swan View for Statewest Planning ii Executive Summary Statewest Planning (Statewest) commissioned Terratree Pty Ltd (Terratree) to undertake a Targeted flora and significant fauna habitat survey of the proposed subdivision on behalf of the owners of Lots 350 & 351 Viveash Rd and Lot 103 Tunnel Rd, in Swan View, WA (hereafter referred to as ‘the survey area’). The owners propose to apply for a Scheme Amendment covering eight properties in Viveash Rd and Tunnel Rd, Swan View including block subdivision as well as road and sewer creation. The Targeted flora and vegetation survey was conducted during the peak flowering period on 23rd November 2018 by Principal Ecologist Joseph Grehan and Ecologist Glenn Maslen of Terratree. The survey area was traversed by foot to verify and further define vegetation communities within the study area, and to find Threatened or Priority flora which had appeared during desktop database searches. Relevés were conducted to delineate vegetation communities as they were encountered. Tree species that are known to support Black Cockatoo breeding and had an adequate Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) were recorded by GPS during the survey. A total of 84 vascular flora including 16 introduced (exotic) species, were recorded within the survey area, representing 66 genera from 32 families. Families with the highest species representation were Fabaceae (11 taxa), Proteaceae (11 taxa) and Myrtaceae (9 taxa). Appendix D lists all vascular flora species recorded in the survey area. Two vegetation communities were identified during the survey. Type 1 vegetation was characterised as a granitic heathland community, with an overstorey of Allocasuarina huegeliana over a heathland of Melaleuca, Fabaceae and Proteaceae species. This was the main vegetation type in Lot 103, with some presence also in Lots 350 and 351. Type 2 vegetation was characterised as having an overstorey of Corymbia calophylla and Eucalyptus wandoo, with an open shrubland understorey consisting of species including Calothamnus sanguineus, Hakea erinacea and Xanthorrhoea preissii. The slopes of Lots 350 and 351 were dominated by Type 2 vegetation. None of the vegetation communities matched any description of Priority or Threatened Ecological Communities. A map of vegetation communities can be found in Figure 1. A large portion of the survey area (77.24%) was rated as either Degraded or Completely Degraded, and therefore has limited significant vegetation value. Two small pockets in Lots 103 and 350 were classified as in ‘very good’ condition. A map of the vegetation condition of the survey area can be found in Figure 2. No Threatened (Declared Rare) Flora were found during the survey. One Priority species, Beaufortia purpurea (Priority 3), was found throughout Vegetation Type 1 as a main understorey species. B. purpurea is an erect or spreading shrub, which grows from 0.3m-1.5m high. The species is found on rocky slopes or granitic soils and has red flowers from October to December. B. purpurea was found mainly in areas where vegetation was in ‘very good’ condition. A total of 13 significant Black Cockatoo habitat trees were recorded within the survey area, with four trees possessing potential Black Cockatoo breeding hollows. Significant trees were all Marri (Corymbia calophylla) and Wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo). Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus banksia naso) were observed during the survey. Flora species that are known to be used by Black Cockatoos for breeding, foraging and roosting were identified during the survey. A map of the locations of significant habitat trees can be found in Figure 3. Much of the survey area is densely infested with weed species. Most notably, Watsonia meriana var. bulbillifera was found across all vegetation communities. Other significant weed species included Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum) and Common Wild Oats (Avena fatua). No Weeds of National Significance or Declared weeds under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 were found during the survey. Terratree makes the following recommendations for future development on site: ▪ Ensure machinery entering site, especially earth-moving equipment is ‘clean on entry’ to the survey area i.e. free of soil and vegetative materials to prevent the introduction of weeds and pathogens; Targeted Flora and Fauna Survey of Proposed Development in Swan View for Statewest Planning iii ▪ If significant populations of Priority flora are to be impacted, then every effort should be made to minimise impacts by demarcating populations prior to ground disturbance activities; ▪ Impacts to Black Cockatoo habitat should be focused on avoidance and mitigation, as per Table 2 in the EPBC Act Referral Guidelines for Three Threatened Black Cockatoo Species (SEWPAC 2012). Specific recommendations for the survey area include: - Trees that provide significant habitat for Black Cockatoos should be retained if possible during construction; and - Avoidance and control of the introduction of pathogens and plant diseases during activities which may negatively impact retained or surrounding habitat of the development. Targeted Flora and Fauna Survey of Proposed Development in Swan View for Statewest Planning iv Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................... iii 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 8 1.1 Project Location. ................................................................................................................................ 8 1.2 Scope of Work .................................................................................................................................... 8 2 Regulatory Context .................................................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Threatened and Priority Flora ............................................................................................................ 9 2.1.1 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) (Commonwealth of Australia) 9 2.1.2 Biodiversity Conservation Act (2016) (Western Australia) ......................................................... 9 2.1.3 Priority Flora ............................................................................................................................... 9 2.1.4 Locally and Regionally Significant Flora and Vegetation .......................................................... 10 2.2 Threatened and Priority Fauna ........................................................................................................ 10 2.2.1 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) (Commonwealth of Australia) 10 2.2.2 Biodiversity Conservation Act (2016) (Western Australia) ....................................................... 11 2.2.3 Priority Fauna ........................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.4 Threatened and Migratory Species .......................................................................................... 11 2.3 Threatened and Priority Ecological Communities ............................................................................ 11 2.4 Environmentally Sensitive Areas ...................................................................................................... 11 2.5 Introduced Flora ............................................................................................................................... 12 2.5.1 Weeds of National Significance (WONS) .................................................................................