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Marine Ecology Bauxite Hills Project Environmental Impact Statement

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Marine Ecology Bauxite Hills Project Environmental Impact Statement Metro Mining Appendix H2 - Metro Mining Community and Metro Mining Metro Mining Social Responsibility Policy Chapter 6 - Marine Ecology Bauxite Hills Project Environmental Impact Statement Environmental Impact Statement Table of Contents 6 Marine Ecology ..................................................................................................................................... 6-1 6.1 Project Overview .................................................................................................................................... 6-1 6.2 Regulatory Framework ....................................................................................................................... 6-1 6.2.1 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 .......................... 6-2 6.2.2 Nature Conservation Act 1992 .................................................................................................. 6-2 6.2.3 Environmental Protection Act 1994 ....................................................................................... 6-2 6.2.4 Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995 .................................................................. 6-2 6.2.5 Fisheries Act 1994 .......................................................................................................................... 6-3 6.3 Objectives and Performance Outcomes ....................................................................................... 6-3 6.3.1 Protection Objectives..................................................................................................................... 6-3 6.3.2 Performance Outcomes ................................................................................................................ 6-3 6.4 Assessment Method .............................................................................................................................. 6-4 6.4.1 Marine Development Footprint ................................................................................................ 6-4 6.4.2 Desktop Assessment ...................................................................................................................... 6-8 6.4.3 Field Surveys ..................................................................................................................................... 6-8 6.5 Existing Environmental Values........................................................................................................ 6-9 6.5.1 Coastal Habitats ............................................................................................................................ 6-12 6.5.2 Benthic Habitats ............................................................................................................................ 6-19 6.5.3 Commonwealth Marine Area .................................................................................................. 6-22 6.5.4 Conservation Significant Species ........................................................................................... 6-26 6.5.5 Fisheries ........................................................................................................................................... 6-36 6.6 Potential Impacts ................................................................................................................................ 6-37 6.6.1 Marine Habitats ............................................................................................................................. 6-38 6.6.2 Marine Species ............................................................................................................................... 6-42 6.6.3 Marine Pests ................................................................................................................................... 6-45 6.6.4 Fisheries ........................................................................................................................................... 6-46 6.6.5 Summary of Impacts to Marine Ecology ............................................................................ 6-47 6.7 Cumulative Impacts ........................................................................................................................... 6-48 6.7.1 Predicted Cumulative Impacts ............................................................................................... 6-49 6.8 Management and Mitigation Measures ..................................................................................... 6-51 6.8.1 Management of Impacts ............................................................................................................ 6-51 6.8.2 Matters of State Environmental Significance ................................................................... 6-56 6.9 Qualitative Risk Assessment .......................................................................................................... 6-70 6.10 Summary................................................................................................................................................. 6-73 6.11 Commitments ....................................................................................................................................... 6-75 6.12 ToR Cross-reference .......................................................................................................................... 6-76 List of Figures Figure 6-1 Barge Loading Facility and infrastructure ....................................................................................... 6-6 Figure 6-2 Indicative OGV anchorage area and reef habitat ........................................................................... 6-7 Figure 6-3 Bathymetry of Skardon River (September 2009) with bed features noted .................................. 6-11 Figure 6-4 Skardon River marine vegetation and seagrass habitats .............................................................. 6-17 Figure 6-5 Skardon River wetland classification ............................................................................................ 6-18 Figure 6-6 Seagrass survey of the Skardon River entrance (Chartrand and Thomas, 2010) .......................... 6-20 Figure 6-7 West Cape York Commonwealth Marine Reserve ........................................................................ 6-22 Figure 6-8 North Marine Region area ............................................................................................................ 6-26 i Bauxite Hills Project Marine Ecology List of Tables Table 6-1 Regional ecosystems within the Skardon River - marine vegetation ............................................. 6-12 Table 6-2 Vegetation of the Skardon River (adapted from Roelofs et al., 2002) ........................................... 6-14 Table 6-3 Benthic habitat surveys undertaken from the Skardon River (1986-2015) ................................... 6-19 Table 6-4 Percentage cover from the Skardon River, anchorage options and a nearshore reef patch ......... 6-21 Table 6-5 Conservation status listed species that are known to occur or likely to occur .............................. 6-27 Table 6-6 Listed marine species considered unlikely to occur ....................................................................... 6-28 Table 6-7 Number of turtle nesting tracks at four beach regions along western Cape York (modified from Bell, 2004) ...................................................................................................................................................... 6-31 Table 6-8 Incidental snubfin dolphin sightings by PaCE in waters surrounding the Skardon River ............... 6-34 Table 6-9 MSES as they apply to the Bauxite Hills Project ............................................................................. 6-56 Table 6-10 Assessment against significant impact criteria: Flatback Turtle .................................................. 6-60 Table 6-11 Assessment against significant impact criteria: Green Turtle ...................................................... 6-61 Table 6-12 Assessment against significant impact criteria: Hawksbill Turtle ................................................ 6-62 Table 6-13 Assessment against significant impact criteria: Loggerhead Turtle ............................................. 6-63 Table 6-14 Assessment against significant impact criteria: Olive Ridley Turtle ............................................. 6-64 Table 6-15 Assessment against significant impact criteria: three sawfish species and Speartooth Shark .... 6-65 Table 6-16 Assessment against significant impact criteria: Narrow Sawfish ................................................. 6-67 Table 6-17 Assessment against significant impact criteria: Estuarine Crocodile ........................................... 6-67 Table 6-18 Assessment against significant impact criteria: Dugong .............................................................. 6-68 Table 6-19 Assessment against significant impact criteria: Australian Snubfin Dolphin and Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin ........................................................................................................................................ 6-69 Table 6-20 Assessment against significant impact criteria: Coastal Manta Ray ............................................ 6-70 Table 6-21 Qualitative risk assessment - marine ecology .............................................................................. 6-70 Table 6-22 Commitments – marine ecology .................................................................................................
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