Majors Creek Solar Farm Project Ecological Assessment Report (Mnes)
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MAJORS CREEK SOLAR FARM PROJECT ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT REPORT (MNES) Edify Energy PO Box 5385 Brendale Q 4500 May 2017 P 0448 899 649 E [email protected] Disclaimer The preparation of this report has been in accordance with the brief provided by the Client and relies upon data collected under limitations, as specified within the report. All findings, conclusions or recommendations contained within the report are based on the aforementioned circumstances and represent the professional opinions of Ecological Survey & Management. The report has been prepared for use by the Client and no responsibility for its use by other parties is accepted by Ecological Survey & Management. If a third party relies upon the facts, content, opinions or subject matter contained in this report without the prior consent of Ecological Survey & Management, the third party assumes all risk and releases and indemnifies Ecological Survey & Management from any loss, damage, claim or liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of or reliance upon this report. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this report, its attachments or appendices may be reproduced by any process without the prior written consent of Ecological Survey & Management. Document History and Status Document version: 17009 Rpt01c Author(s): Monica Campbell/Meredith Watherston Reviewed by: Chris Hansen Approved by: Steve Marston Signed: Date issued: 25 May 2017 Majors Creek Solar Farm Project Ecological Assessment Report (MNES) Contents 1 Introduction ....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Study area description .................................................................... 1 1.2 Scope of works .............................................................................. 2 1.3 Regulatory framework .................................................................... 2 2 Methods ............................................................................................ 3 2.1 Desktop assessment ...................................................................... 3 2.2 Field methods ............................................................................... 3 2.2.1 Flora methods .......................................................................... 3 2.2.2 Fauna methods ........................................................................ 4 2.3 Likelihood of occurrence assessment ................................................ 5 2.3.1 Ecological community assessment .............................................. 5 2.3.2 Significant species assessment ................................................... 5 2.4 Limitations .................................................................................... 6 3 Ecological values of the study area ........................................................ 7 3.1 Desktop results ............................................................................. 7 3.2 Field survey .................................................................................. 7 3.2.1 Vegetation communities ............................................................ 7 3.2.2 Fauna habitat values ................................................................ 9 3.2.3 Connectivity values ................................................................ 10 4 Matters of national environmental significance ...................................... 12 4.1 Threatened ecological communities ................................................ 12 4.2 Threatened flora .......................................................................... 12 4.3 Threatened fauna ........................................................................ 12 4.3.1 Black-throated Finch ............................................................... 14 Species overview ........................................................................... 14 Presence in the Townsville region ..................................................... 16 Presence in the local area ............................................................... 16 Presence in the study area .............................................................. 17 4.3.2 Koala .................................................................................... 18 4.3.3 Bare-rumped Sheath-tail Bat ................................................... 24 Species overview ........................................................................... 24 Presence in the study area .............................................................. 24 4.3.4 Squatter Pigeon ..................................................................... 25 Species overview ........................................................................... 25 Presence in the study area .............................................................. 25 Ecological Survey & Management 17009 Rpt01c i Majors Creek Solar Farm Project Ecological Assessment Report (MNES) 4.4 Migratory species ......................................................................... 25 5 Matters of state environmental significance .......................................... 28 5.1 Regulated vegetation ................................................................... 28 5.2 Threatened and near threatened flora ............................................. 28 5.3 Threatened and special least concern fauna ..................................... 28 5.4 Connectivity areas ....................................................................... 29 6 Opportunities for habitat enhancement ................................................ 30 7 Summary ........................................................................................ 32 8 References ...................................................................................... 34 List of Tables Table 1: Criteria to assess potential for significant species to occur in the study area ............................................................................... 5 Table 2: Field-validated REs in the study area ........................................... 8 Table 3: Koala habitat appraisal for the study area .................................. 21 List of Figures Figure 1: Locality map .......................................................................... 42 Figure 2: Majors Creek study area .......................................................... 43 Figure 3: Field-validated vegetation mapping ........................................... 44 Figure 4: Photos points ......................................................................... 45 Figure 5: Black-throated Finch habitat mapping ....................................... 46 Figure 6: Koala habitat mapping ............................................................ 47 Figure 7: Squatter Pigeon habitat mapping .............................................. 48 Appendices Appendix A: EPBC Act Protected Matters Search Report Appendix B: Wildlife Online database search results Appendix C: Regulated vegetation map Appendix D: Flora Survey trigger map Appendix E: Likelihood of occurrence table Ecological Survey & Management 17009 Rpt01c ii Majors Creek Solar Farm Project Ecological Assessment Report (MNES) Symbols and Abbreviations * (Preceding a plant species name) plant species not native to Australia ± With or without, more or less AS Acceptable solution BAMM Biodiversity Assessment and Mapping Methodology Biosecurity Act (Queensland) Biosecurity Act 2014 BoM Bureau of Meteorology BPA Biodiversity Planning Assessment CI Crown Intercept DSITI Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation DoEE (Commonwealth) Department of the Environment and Energy EDL Ecologically Dominant Layer EEM Ecological Equivalence Methodology EHP (Queensland) Department of Environment and Heritage Protection EO Act (Queensland) Environmental Offsets Act 2014 EPBC Act (Commonwealth) Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 GPS Global positioning system ha Hectares km Kilometres MCU Material change of use ML Mining lease MLES Matters of local environmental significance (EO Act) MNES Matters of national environmental significance (EPBC Act) MSES Matters of state environmental significance (EO Act) NC Act (Queensland) Nature Conservation Act 1992 NC Regulation (Queensland) Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 2006 NRM (Queensland) Department of Natural Resources and Mines PFC Projective Foliage Cover PO Performance outcome QEOP Queensland Environmental Offsets Policy 2014 RE Regional Ecosystem as defined under the Queensland Vegetation Ecological Survey & Management 17009 Rpt01c iii Majors Creek Solar Farm Project Ecological Assessment Report (MNES) Management Regulation 2000 REDD Regional Ecosystem Description Database SPRAT Species Profile and Threats Database TEC Threatened Ecological Community TSSC Threatened Species Scientific Committee VM Act (Queensland) Vegetation Management Act 1999 WoNS Weeds of National Significance Ecological Survey & Management 17009 Rpt01c iv Majors Creek Solar Farm Project Ecological Assessment Report (MNES) Glossary Term Definition Biodiversity This is an EHP classification dependent on condition of remnant Status vegetation in addition to the criteria used to determine class under the Queensland Vegetation Management Act 1999. This classification is used for a range of planning and management applications, i.e. to determine environmentally sensitive areas. A regional ecosystem