Australind Wastewater Treatment Plant Flora, vegetation and fauna survey FINAL Prepared for Water Corporation by Strategen November 2018 Australind Wastewater Treatment Plant Flora, vegetation and fauna survey FINAL Strategen is a trading name of Strategen Environmental Consultants Pty Ltd Level 1, 50 Subiaco Square Road Subiaco WA 6008 ACN: 056 190 419 November 2018 Limitations Scope of services This report (“the report”) has been prepared by Strategen Environmental Consultants Pty Ltd (Strategen) in accordance with the scope of services set out in the contract, or as otherwise agreed, between the Client and Strategen. In some circumstances, a range of factors such as time, budget, access and/or site disturbance constraints may have limited the scope of services. This report is strictly limited to the matters stated in it and is not to be read as extending, by implication, to any other matter in connection with the matters addressed in it. Reliance on data In preparing the report, Strategen has relied upon data and other information provided by the Client and other individuals and organisations, most of which are referred to in the report (“the data”). Except as otherwise expressly stated in the report, Strategen has not verified the accuracy or completeness of the data. To the extent that the statements, opinions, facts, information, conclusions and/or recommendations in the report (“conclusions”) are based in whole or part on the data, those conclusions are contingent upon the accuracy and completeness of the data. Strategen has also not attempted to determine whether any material matter has been omitted from the data. Strategen will not be liable in relation to incorrect conclusions should any data, information or condition be incorrect or have been concealed, withheld, misrepresented or otherwise not fully disclosed to Strategen. The making of any assumption does not imply that Strategen has made any enquiry to verify the correctness of that assumption. The report is based on conditions encountered and information received at the time of preparation of this report or the time that site investigations were carried out. Strategen disclaims responsibility for any changes that may have occurred after this time. This report and any legal issues arising from it are governed by and construed in accordance with the law of Western Australia as at the date of this report. Environmental conclusions Within the limitations imposed by the scope of services, the preparation of this report has been undertaken and performed in a professional manner, in accordance with generally accepted environmental consulting practices. No other warranty, whether express or implied, is made. Client: Water Corporation Revision Strategen Submitted to Client Report Version Purpose No. author/reviewer Form Date Draft Report A Client review M Stone, L Stevens/ Electronic 12/01/2018 T.Sleigh Final Report B Client Copy C Lehman / D Newsome Electronic 23/11/2018 Filename: WCO17452_01 R001 Rev B0 - 23 November 2018 FINAL Table of Contents Table of contents 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Purpose 1 1.2 Scope 1 2. Context 3 2.1 Legislative context 3 2.1.1 Conservation significant flora and ecological communities 3 2.1.2 Environmentally Sensitive Areas 4 2.1.3 Protection of native vegetation 4 2.1.4 Introduced (weed) species 5 2.1.5 Conservation Significant Fauna 5 2.2 Existing environment 7 2.2.1 Geology, landform and soils 7 2.2.2 Climate 7 2.2.3 Hydrology 8 2.2.4 Regional vegetation 8 2.2.5 Land use 9 2.2.6 Fauna habitat 13 3. Methods 14 3.1 Desktop assessment 14 3.2 Field survey 14 3.2.1 Flora and vegetation 14 3.2.2 Fauna 16 3.2.3 Survey limitations and constraints 17 4. Results 19 4.1 Flora 19 4.1.1 Desktop assessment 19 4.1.2 Field survey 26 4.2 Fauna 38 4.2.1 Desktop assessment 38 4.2.2 Field survey 39 4.2.3 Fauna Habitat 43 5. Discussion 45 5.1 Flora 45 5.1.1 Flora composition 45 5.1.2 Survey adequacy 45 5.1.3 Flora of conservation significance 45 5.1.4 Flora of other significance. 45 5.1.5 Unknown flora taxa 45 5.1.6 Introduced flora taxa 46 5.1.7 Vegetation types 46 5.1.8 Vegetation of significance 46 5.1.9 Vegetation condition 46 5.2 Fauna 46 5.2.1 Fauna of Conservation Significance 46 5.2.2 Black Cockatoo Habitat Assessment 47 5.2.3 Western Ringtail Possum Survey 48 6. Summary 49 6.1 Flora 49 6.2 Fauna 49 6.2.1 Black Cockatoo Habitat Assessment 50 6.2.2 Western Ringtail Possum 50 7. References 51 WCO17452_01 R001 Rev B0 23-Nov-18 FINAL Table of Contents List of tables Table 1: Beard (1981) vegetation associations within the project area 9 Table 2: Heddle et al. (1980) vegetation complexes within the project area 9 Table 3: Database searches conducted for the desktop assessment 14 Table 4: Survey personnel 14 Table 5: Vegetation condition scale (Keighery 1994) 15 Table 6: Flora and vegetation survey potential limitations and constraints 17 Table 7: Threatened and Priority flora potentially occurring within the project area 20 Table 8: TECs and PECs identified within and near the project area 24 Table 9: Introduced flora taxa recorded within the project area 28 Table 10: Vegetation condition within the project area 28 Table 11: Vegetation type and condition within project area 29 Table 12: Banksia woodland within the project area assessed against key diagnostic criteria 34 Table 13: Results of hierarchical analysis for plots from the project area 35 Table 14: Results of Nearest Neighbour analysis using the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity coefficient 36 Table 15: Conservation significant fauna potentially occurring in the project area 39 Table 16: Black Cockatoo potential breeding trees 41 List of figures Figure 1: Project area 2 Figure 2: Mean monthly climate data for rainfall (Roelands Station No. 009657) and temperature (Bunbury Station No. 009965) 8 Figure 3: Wetlands within 5 km of project area 10 Figure 4: Regional vegetation mapping (Beard 1990) 11 Figure 5: Regional vegetation mapping (Heddle et al. 1980) 12 Figure 6: Location of Threatened and Priority Ecological Communities within 5 km of the project area 25 Figure 7: Averaged randomised Species Accumulation Curve 26 Figure 8: Vegetation condition within the project area 32 Figure 9: Vegetation types 33 Figure 10: Threatened Ecological Communities mapped within the project area 37 Figure 11: Black Cockatoo habitat 42 Figure 12: Fauna habitat 44 List of appendices Appendix 1 Conservation significant flora and ecological community definitions Appendix 2 Modelled distribution of Black Cockatoo Appendix 3 Modelled distribution of Western Ringtail Possum Appendix 4 Flora database search results Appendix 5 Raw quadrat data Appendix 6 Inventory of vascular flora taxa Appendix 7 Flora species recorded from quadrats within the project area by vegetation type Appendix 8 Fauna database search results Appendix 9 Fauna Species List Appendix 10 Habitat Assessments WCO17452_01 R001 Rev B0 23-Nov-18 FINAL Australind Wastewater Treatment Plant 1. Introduction 1.1 Purpose This report presents the findings of a detailed flora and vegetation survey, and a level one fauna survey, undertaken to support the proposed rezoning of the Water Corporation’s former Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) site at Lot 522 Ditchingham Place, Australind in the Shire of Harvey (the project area, Figure 1). The project area is currently reserved as ‘Public Utilities’ under the Shire of Harvey District Planning Scheme (DPS) No. 1 and zoned ‘Urban Deferred’ under the Greater Bunbury Region Scheme (GBRS). The proposed rezoning will facilitate future residential and/or mixed use. All scheme amendments are referred by the Western Australian Planning Commission to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and other Western Australian agencies such as the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER). The clearing of native vegetation that may contain threatened flora or fauna habitat may also trigger requirement for a referral to the Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Energy (DEE). The technical environmental investigations described herein were undertaken to support the proposed scheme amendment application, to meet agency guidelines, and to enable informed consideration of the proposal. 1.2 Scope The scope of this flora, vegetation and fauna survey was to undertake a desktop assessment and field assessment within the project area (Figure 1). The objectives were to: • conduct a desktop survey for Threatened and Priority flora and fauna, which have been identified as being present in or near the project area • collect and identify the vascular plant species present within the project area • search areas of suitable habitat for Threatened and/or Priority flora • define and map the native vegetation communities present within the project area • map vegetation condition within the project area • provide recommendations on the local and regional significance of the vegetation communities • identify the extent and quality of Black Cockatoo and Western Ringtail Possum habitat present within the project area • prepare a report summarising the findings. The objectives and methods of the survey were in accordance with relevant regulatory guidelines, including: • Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Technical Guidance: Flora and Vegetation Surveys for Environmental Impact Assessment (EPA 2016a); • EPA Technical Guidance: Sampling Methods for Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna (EPA 2016b); • EPA Technical Guidance: Terrestrial Fauna Surveys (EPA 2016c) WCO17452_01 R001 Rev B0 23-Nov-18 1 382800 383100 6317400 6317400 Hewdon Rd Piggott Dr 6317100 6317100 Binningup Location map Indian ocean Brunswick Junction Homestead Gra Glentana App Roelands Aquila Dr Burekup Grand Ent Ditchingham Pl Bunbury Apollo L Dardanup 382800 383100 Figure 1: The survey area Scale 1:3,000 at A4 m Legend 0 30 60 90 ¹ Coordinate System: GDA 1994 MGA Zone 50 Survey area Note that positional errors may occur in some areas Existing cadastre Date: 27/12/2017 Author: vdinh [email protected] www.strategen.com.au Source: Aerial image: Nearmap, flown 09/2017.