Vegetation Flora and Black Cockatoo Assessment.Pdf
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Perth Children’s Hospital Pedestrian Bridge Vegetation, Flora and Black cockatoo Assessment Prepared for Main Roads WA March 2020 PCH Pedestrian Bridge Vegetation, Flora and Black-cockatoo Assessment © Biota Environmental Sciences Pty Ltd 2020 ABN 49 092 687 119 Level 1, 228 Carr Place Leederville Western Australia 6007 Ph: (08) 9328 1900 Fax: (08) 9328 6138 Project No.: 1453 Prepared by: A. Lapinski, S. Werner, V. Ford, J. Graff Document Quality Checking History Version: Rev 0 Peer review: V. Ford, S. Werner Director review: M. Maier Format review: M. Maier Approved for issue: M. Maier This document has been prepared to the requirements of the client identified on the cover page and no representation is made to any third party. It may be cited for the purposes of scientific research or other fair use, but it may not be reproduced or distributed to any third party by any physical or electronic means without the express permission of the client for whom it was prepared or Biota Environmental Sciences Pty Ltd. This report has been designed for double-sided printing. Hard copies supplied by Biota are printed on recycled paper. Cube:Current:1453 (Kings Park Link Bridge):Documents:1453 Kings Park Link Bridge_Rev0.docx 3 PCH Pedestrian Bridge Vegetation, Flora and Black-cockatoo Assessment 4 Cube:Current:1453 (Kings Park Link Bridge):Documents:1453 Kings Park Link Bridge_Rev0.docx PCH Pedestrian Bridge Vegetation, Flora and Black-cockatoo Assessment PCH Pedestrian Bridge Vegetation, Flora and Black-cockatoo Assessment Contents 1.0 Executive Summary 9 2.0 Introduction 11 2.1 Project Background 11 2.2 Objectives of the Study 11 3.0 Methodology 13 3.1 Desktop Assessment 13 3.2 Field Survey 14 3.3 Assessment of Likelihood of Occurrence 20 3.4 Limitations of the Study 21 4.0 Existing Environment 23 4.1 IBRA Bioregion 23 4.2 Geology and Soils 23 4.3 Conservation Reserves in the Locality 23 4.4 Bush Forever 25 4.5 Regional Vegetation 25 4.6 Vegetation of Conservation Significance 28 4.7 Flora Species Likelihood of Occurrence 29 5.0 Vegetation 31 5.1 Vegetation Mapping for the Survey Area 31 5.2 Vegetation Condition 37 5.3 Floristic Analysis 39 5.4 Vegetation of Conservation Significance 39 6.0 Flora 41 6.1 Overview 41 6.2 Flora of Conservation Significance 41 6.3 Introduced Flora 42 7.0 Fauna 47 7.1 Potential Fauna 47 7.2 Conservation Significant Fauna Likelihood 47 7.3 Black-cockatoo Targeted Survey 49 8.0 Key Findings 57 8.1 Vegetation and Flora 57 8.2 Fauna 58 9.0 Glossary 61 10.0 References 63 Cube:Current:1453 (Kings Park Link Bridge):Documents:1453 Kings Park Link Bridge_Rev0.docx 5 PCH Pedestrian Bridge Vegetation, Flora and Black-cockatoo Assessment Appendix 1 Framework for Conservation Significance Ranking of Communities and Species in WA Appendix 2 EPBC Act and NatureMap Search Results Appendix 3 List of Vertebrate Fauna Species Recorded from the Study Area Appendix 4 Flora of Conservation Significance Known from the Locality and their Likelihood of Occurrence in the Survey Area Appendix 5 Fauna of Conservation Significance Known from the Locality and their Likelihood of Occurrence in the Survey Area Appendix 6 Kings Park Vegetation Descriptions and Mapping from McChesney (2017) Appendix 7 Vegetation Structural Classification and Condition Scales Appendix 8 Vegetation and Flora Survey Effort: Location of Sampling Sites and Foot Traverses Appendix 9 Fauna Survey Effort: Location of Foot Traverses Appendix 10 Summarised Raw Data from Quadrats Sampled in 2019 Appendix 11 List of Flora Species Recorded from the Survey Area Based on Sampling to Date Appendix 12 Locations of Flora of Conservation Significance Appendix 13 Locations of Introduced Flora (Weeds) Appendix 14 Selected Inputs and Outputs of the Floristic Analyses Appendix 15 Black-Cockatoo Foraging Habitat Scoring Tool from DotEE (2017) Appendix 16 Black-cockatoo Habitat Tree Data (Including Hollow Assessment) 6 Cube:Current:1453 (Kings Park Link Bridge):Documents:1453 Kings Park Link Bridge_Rev0.docx PCH Pedestrian Bridge Vegetation, Flora and Black-cockatoo Assessment Tables Table 3.1: Summary of key personnel involved in the current study. 15 Table 3.2: Vegetation types mapped previously in the survey area by McChesney (2017). 16 Table 3.3: Ranking system used to assign the likelihood that a species would occur in the survey area. 20 Table 3.4: Diagnostic characteristics and condition thresholds to determine the Commonwealth Banksia Woodlands TEC (DotEE 2016). 21 Table 3.5: Potential constraints and limitations of the current surveys. 21 Table 4.1: Statistics for extent of the Spearwood 6.1 vegetation system association (Government of Western Australia 2019a). 25 Table 4.2: Statistics for extent of the Karrakatta Complex – Central and South vegetation complex (Government of Western Australia 2019b). 26 Table 4.3: TECs and PECs that occur on the Swan Coastal Plain within the study area, and the likelihood that they would occur in the survey area. 28 Table 5.1: Vegetation sub-associations and other mapping units identified for the survey area. 31 Table 5.2: Extent of vegetation condition categories within the survey area. 37 Table 5.3: Assessment of vegetation sub-associations from the survey area against DotEE (2016) criteria for the Commonwealth Banksia Woodlands TEC. 40 Table 6.1: Most species-rich families and genera in the survey area, based on all sampling to date. 41 Table 6.2: Introduced species recorded from the survey area based on all sampling to date. 44 Table 7.1: Application of foraging habitat scoring tool (DotEE 2017). 55 Figures Figure 2.1: Location of the Kings Park Link Bridge survey area and the desktop review study area. 12 Figure 3.1: Total monthly rainfall for September 2018 to October 2019 from the DPIRD Kings Park weather station compared to the long-term climate-normal (1989-2018) median rainfall for the same months from the Bureau of Meteorology Subiaco Treatment Plant weather station. 16 Figure 4.1: Conservation reserves in the study area. 24 Figure 4.2: Areas of ecological significance in the study area. 27 Figure 4.3: Records of Threatened and Priority species identified through searches of the WA Herbarium and DBCA databases of conservation significant flora. 30 Figure 5.1: Distribution of vegetation sub-associations (from historical mapping by BGPA), parkland cleared and entirely cleared areas within the survey area, together with Priority flora locations. 32 Figure 5.2: Condition of vegetation within the survey area (see Appendix 13 for weed locations). 38 Figure 7.1: Trees of hollow-forming species in the survey area with DBH greater than 50 cm. 52 Figure 7.2: Remnant vegetation and Swan Coastal Plain Vegetation Complexes (Government of Western Australia 2019b) in a 12 km radius around the survey area. 56 Cube:Current:1453 (Kings Park Link Bridge):Documents:1453 Kings Park Link Bridge_Rev0.docx 7 PCH Pedestrian Bridge Vegetation, Flora and Black-cockatoo Assessment Plates Plate 5.1: Examples of the DBm vegetation sub-association overstorey and understorey (quadrat KPI03, south-west corner). 35 Plate 5.2: Examples of the DBm vegetation sub-association overstorey and understorey (quadrat KPI01, south-east corner). 35 Plate 5.3: Examples of the DBg vegetation sub-association overstorey and understorey (quadrat KPI05, north-east corner). 36 Plate 5.4: Examples of the DBg vegetation sub-association overstorey and understorey (quadrat KPI06, south-west corner). 36 Plate 6.1: Jacksonia sericea. 42 Plate 7.1: Photograph of hollow 1 in the survey area with potential suitability for breeding. 51 Plate 7.2: Photograph of hollow 2 in the survey area with potential suitability for breeding. 51 Plate 7.3: Foraging evidence: Marri nut (likely Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo). 54 Plate 7.4: Foraging evidence: Banksia cone. 54 Plate 7.5: Foraging evidence: Jarrah nut (likely Forest Red-tailed Black- Cockatoo). 54 Plate 7.6: Foraging evidence: Allocasuarina cone (likely Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo). 54 8 Cube:Current:1453 (Kings Park Link Bridge):Documents:1453 Kings Park Link Bridge_Rev0.docx PCH Pedestrian Bridge Vegetation, Flora and Black-cockatoo Assessment 1.0 Executive Summary Main Roads Western Australia (Main Roads) on behalf of the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation (PCHF) and Department of Health is proposing to construct a pedestrian bridge from the Perth Children’s Hospital to the Western Path within Kings Park bushland (the PCHF Pedestrian Bridge). Main Roads required a desktop review and biological survey to identify vegetation, flora and fauna values that may be impacted through clearing for construction of the bridge. The survey was completed in September-October 2019 by biologists from Biota Environmental Sciences (Biota), with some field assistance from staff from the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority (BGPA). The survey area comprised an 8.59 ha area on the western edge of Kings Park; survey tasks included assessment of eight standard floristic survey quadrats, review of existing vegetation mapping, assessment of vegetation condition, targeted sampling for conservation significant flora, and survey of black-cockatoo potential breeding trees and foraging habitat. A 1.33 ha section of this survey area was identified as the area in which the pedestrian bridge was proposed to be constructed; this area (the “targeted flora survey area”) was systematically searched for Threatened and Priority flora. Two native vegetation sub-associations were identified within the survey area, comprising Allocasuarina fraseriana, Eucalyptus marginata subsp. marginata mid-height woodland over Banksia attenuata, B. menziesii low woodland; and Allocasuarina fraseriana mid-height woodland over Banksia attenuata, B. menziesii low woodland. These sub-associations were confirmed as belonging to the Swan Coastal Plain Floristic Community Type 28. Both units are representative of the Commonwealth listed “Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain” Threatened Ecological Community (TEC), as well as the State-listed “Banksia dominated woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain IBRA region” Priority Ecological Community (PEC).