Vegetation Management Plan Terrace Reserve Holiday Park
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Vegetation Management Plan for Terrace Reserve Holiday Park Prepared for the North Coast Accommodation Trust by Idyll Spaces Environmental Consultants 21 Titans Close, Bonville 2441 02 6653 4190 [email protected] 21 January 2011 Executive Summary Idyll Spaces Environmental Consultants have been engaged by the North Coast Accommodation Trust to undertake a survey of vegetation and fauna habitat and prepare a Vegetation Management Plan for native vegetation remnants in Terrace Reserve, which is located in the Byron Shire Local Government Area on the north- coast of NSW. The Trust has resolved to prepare a Vegetation Management Plan for the Terrace Reserve in conjunction with the preparation of a comprehensive Plan of Management. Remnants of three native vegetation communities - Mangrove, Coastal Cypress Forest and Woodland and Remnant Littoral Rainforest Trees - occupy parts of the Reserve. There is also an artificial community of Lawns, Shrubberies and Specimen Trees which includes some native trees and shrubs. These vegetation communities provide habitat elements for numerous fauna including the threatened native plant Cryptocarya foetida and the threatened fauna Osprey, Collared Kingfisher, Black Bittern, Beach Stone Curlew, Black-necked Stork, Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Mangrove Honeyeater, Osprey, Koala, Eastern Tube- nosed Bat, Grey-headed Flying Fox, Greater Broad-nosed Bat and Little Bentwing Bat. The Coastal Cypress and Littoral Rainforest Tree communities are listed as Endangered Ecological Communities (EECs) under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act). Littoral Rainforest in Banner Park has also been identified as part of a Critically Endangered Community (CEC) under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). There are ongoing impacts from current usage of the Coastal Cypress and Littoral Rainforest communities. There are also impacts on the Coastal Cypress community from foreshore erosion. There are proposals to address foreshore erosion in the Reserve and evidence that other impacts on Coastal Cypress can be appropriately managed in the Holiday Park landscape. This Vegetation Management Plan has been prepared to facilitate long-term planning for vegetation in the Reserve, assist the Trust to allocate resources for conservation of the Coastal Cypress and Littoral Rainforest communities and to guide the selection and management of suitable areas of the Reserve for assisted regeneration of those communities.. Idyll Spaces 21/01/11 Contents 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................2 1.1. Background ..............................................................................................................2 1.2. Previous documents ................................................................................................2 2. Description of Terrace Reserve ......................................................................................4 2.1. Assessment Methodology ......................................................................................4 2.2. Location & character ...............................................................................................4 2.3. Biodiversity context .................................................................................................7 2.4. Endangered Ecological Communities ..................................................................7 2.5. Fauna habitat resources ..........................................................................................7 2.6. Threatened species habitat .....................................................................................7 2.7. Vegetation Communities ......................................................................................13 2.7.1. Mangrove. ...........................................................................................................13 2.7.2. Coastal Cypress Pine Forest/Woodland .........................................................14 2.7.3. Remnant Littoral Rainforest Trees ..................................................................16 2.7.4. Lawns, shrubberies and specimen trees .........................................................17 3. Vegetation management ...............................................................................................19 3.1. Strategic assessment ..............................................................................................19 3.2. Laws affecting vegetation management .............................................................20 3.3. Future vegetation management ...........................................................................21 3.3.1. Best practise and community expectations ....................................................21 3.3.2. Additional information on management of Coastal Cypress and Littoral Rainforest ........................................................................................................................22 3.4. Action Plan for vegetation communities in Terrace Reserve ..........................24 3.4.1. Coastal Cypress Pine Forest and Woodland ..................................................24 3.4.2. Lawns, shrubberies and specimen trees with remnant littoral rainforest and coast cypress trees ..................................................................................................25 3.4.3. Mangrove ............................................................................................................26 4. Bibliography ...................................................................................................................27 5. Appendices .....................................................................................................................29 Appendix 1. Recommended native plant species .........................................................29 Appendix 2. Photographs .................................................................................................32 Appendix 3. Plant species inventory, Terrace Reserve ................................................34 Figures & Tables Figure 1. Map showing areas, precincts and vegetation communities of Terrace Reserve ..............................................................................................................................6 Table 1. Likelihood of occurrence of Threatened Flora in Terrace Reserve Holiday Park 8 Table 2. Likelihood of occurrence of Threatened Fauna habitat in Terrace Reserve Holiday Park (marine species excluded) ......................................................................9 Table 3. List of native plants for assisted regeneration and landscaping of Coastal Cypress and Littoral Rainforest vegetation communities in Terrace Reserve ......30 Terrace Reserve Vegetation Management Plan 1 Idyll Spaces 21/01/11 1. Introduction 1.1. Background The North Coast Accommodation Trust has engaged Idyll Spaces Environmental Consultants to prepare a Vegetation Management Plan (VMP) for native vegetation remnants in Terrace Reserve. The VMP has been prepared to complement a Landscape Masterplan and a comprehensive Plan of Management for Terrace Reserve that are currently in preparation. 1.2. Previous documents The Plan of Management and Landscape Masterplan are outcomes of the Brunswick Heads Foreshore Reserves Strategic Plan prepared by the Department of Lands in 2008. The major strategic actions in the Plan that are relevant to native vegetation are to: Prepare a Landscape Masterplan for the foreshore public parkland areas which addresses all major issues identified, and brings together the actions outlined for the public open space precincts. Prepare a Plan of Management for Terrace Reserve Holiday Park following resolution of the park boundaries through the road closure process The Brunswick Heads Foreshore Reserves Strategic Plan is informed by previous documents including the statement of principles of crown land management outlined in the Crown Lands Act 1989, the strategic goals of the Brunswick Heads Foreshore Parklands Draft Plan of Management 2002 and the ‘Taking Care of Brunswick’ Brunswick Heads Community and Economic Development Strategy 2004-2009. The principles of crown land management provide the basis for management and administration of Crown Land in New South Wales and include: That environmental protection principles be observed in relation to the management and administration of Crown land; That the natural resources of Crown land (including water, soil, flora, fauna and scenic quality) be conserved wherever possible; That public use and enjoyment of appropriate Crown Land be encouraged; Where appropriate, Crown land should be used and managed in such a way that both the land and its resources are sustained in perpetuity. The main principles of the 2002 draft Plan of Management are to reinforce a theme of ‘simple pleasures’ and to retain the sense of openness and natural beauty of the parklands. The strategic goals of the Development Strategy 2004-2009 are to improve both the built and natural environment of Brunswick Heads to ensure that it is both functional and in keeping with the character of our low key coastal village, and to support the Terrace Reserve Vegetation Management Plan 2 Idyll Spaces 21/01/11 needs of the community in an environmentally sustainable way in order to protect the natural ecosystems, particularly those vulnerable coastal and estuarine