Environmental Impact Statement - VOLUME 3 Appendix 13 Fauna Survey Summary and Ecological Assessment Report (R67966) Prepared by RPS PR100246 / R72894; Volume 3 Ecological Assessment Report Springmount Wind Farm, Arriga Prepared by: Prepared for: RPS Transfield Services 135 Abbott Street GPO Box 1126 CAIRNS QLD 4870 BRISBANE QLD 4001 T: +61 7 4031 1336 F: +61 7 4031 2942 W: rpsgroup.com.au Report No: PR100246/R67966 Version/Date: Draft /July 2010 rpsgroup.com.au Important Note Apart from fair dealing for the purposes 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 written consent of RPS. All enquiries should be directed to RPS. We have prepared this report for the sole purposes of Transfield (“Client”) for the specific purpose only for which it is supplied. 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Quality Assurance Statement Approved for Issue Revision Author Reviewer Signature Date No. Simon Gleed A David Finney Lyndall Harvey PR100246/SG/KLT/R67966 - Springmount Wind Farm, Arriga Page 2 of 42 Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 6 1.1 Scope of Work 6 1.2 Project Area Location and Description 7 2 METHODS 8 2.1 Desktop Review 8 2.2 Field Survey 9 2.2.1 Survey Timing 9 2.2.2 Survey Methodology 9 2.2.3 Fauna Survey Methods 10 2.2.4 Flora and Vegetation Survey Methods 14 2.2.5 Target Species 16 2.3 Taxonomy and Nomenclature 16 2.4 Survey Limitations 17 2.4.1 Site Access 17 2.4.2 Survey Timing 17 2.4.3 Significant Species 17 2.4.4 Fire 17 2.4.5 Data Availability and Accuracy 18 3 RESULTS OF DESKTOP REVIEW 19 3.1 Regional Ecosystem Mapping 19 3.2 Essential Habitat 21 3.3 Wildlife Online Database Search 22 3.3.1 Flora and Vegetation 22 3.3.2 Fauna 23 3.4 Protected Matters Database Search 26 3.4.1 Flora and Vegetation 26 3.4.2 Fauna 26 3.5 HERBRECS – Queensland Herbarium Records 32 3.6 Queensland Museum Biodiversity Database 33 3.7 Regional Vegetation Management Codes 33 3.8 Watercourses 33 4 RESULTS OF FIELD INVESTIGATION 34 4.1 Flora and Vegetation Assessment 34 4.1.1 Flowering and Fruiting Phenology 34 4.1.2 Effects of Fire 35 4.1.3 Vegetation Description 35 4.1.4 Description of Vegetation Survey Sites 36 4.1.5 Vegetation Survey Point 1 (Land surrounding Granite Creek) 37 4.1.6 Vegetation Survey Point 2 (Wind Turbine Site 25) 38 4.1.7 Vegetation Survey Point 3 (no wind turbine) 38 4.1.8 Vegetation Survey Point 4 (no wind turbine) 39 4.1.9 Vegetation Survey Point 5 (no wind turbine) 39 4.1.10 Vegetation Survey Point 6 (no wind turbine) 39 4.1.11 Vegetation Survey Point 7 (no wind turbine) 40 4.1.12 Vegetation Survey Point 8 (no wind turbine) 40 PR100246/SG/KLT/R67966 - Springmount Wind Farm, Arriga Page 3 of 42 4.1.13 Vegetation Survey Point 9 (no wind turbine) 40 4.1.14 Vegetation Survey Point 10 (no wind turbine) 41 4.1.15 Vegetation Survey Point 11 (no wind turbine) 41 4.1.16 Vegetation Survey Point 12 (no wind turbine) 42 4.1.17 Vegetation Survey Point 13 (no wind turbine) 42 4.1.18 Vegetation Survey Point 14 (no wind turbine) 42 4.1.19 Vegetation Survey Point 15 (Wind Turbine 56) 43 4.1.20 Vegetation Survey Point 16 (Wind Turbine 57) 43 4.1.21 Vegetation Survey Point 17 (Wind Turbine 47) 44 4.1.22 Vegetation Survey Point 18 (Wind Turbine 46) 44 4.1.23 Vegetation Survey Point 19 (Wind Turbine 45) 44 4.1.24 Vegetation Survey Point 20 (Wind Turbine 44) 45 4.1.25 Vegetation Survey Point 21 (Wind Turbine 43) 45 4.1.26 Vegetation Survey Point 22 (Wind Turbine 42) 46 4.1.27 Vegetation Survey Point 23 (no wind turbine) 46 4.1.28 Vegetation Survey Point 24 (no wind turbine) 47 4.1.29 Vegetation Survey Point 25 (Wind Turbine Site 22) 47 4.1.30 Vegetation Survey Point 26 (Wind Turbine Site 21) 48 4.2 Fauna of the Study Area 48 4.2.1 Birds 49 4.2.2 Herpetofauna 49 4.2.3 Mammals 49 4.3 Important Vegetation Types and Habitat 51 4.3.1 Summary of Habitat Types 52 4.4 Conservation Values of the Study area 53 4.4.1 Significant Flora 53 4.4.2 Significant Fauna 53 5 POTENTIAL ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS 54 5.1 General Impacts on Flora and Fauna 54 5.2 Rotor Strike 56 6 RECOMMENDATIONS AND MITIGATION FOR HABITAT MANAGEMENT 58 7 REFERENCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY 60 APPENDIX 64 APPENDIX 66 APPENDIX 68 APPENDIX 69 APPENDIX 89 APPENDIX 97 APPENDIX 99 APPENDIX 100 APPENDIX 104 APPENDIX 106 PR100246/SG/KLT/R67966 - Springmount Wind Farm, Arriga Page 4 of 42 APPENDIX 107 APPENDIX 109 APPENDIX 113 Appendices Appendix A Wind farm Location and Position of Turbines and the Road and Cabling Network Appendix B Regional Ecosystem Mapping Appendix C Regional Ecosystem Descriptions Appendix D Wildlife Online Database Search Results Appendix E EPBC Act Protected Matters Report Appendix F HERBRECS – Conservation Significant Plants Appendix G Regional Vegetation Management Code Appendix H Watercourse Mapping Appendix I Summary of Weather Conditions Appendix J Provisional Checklist of Flora Appendix K Location of Vegetation Survey Sites Appendix L Summary of Fauna Survey Effort Appendix M Provisional Checklist of Fauna Appendix N Anabat Analysis PR100246/SG/KLT/R67966 - Springmount Wind Farm, Arriga Page 5 of 42 1 Introduction RPS (Cairns) Australia East Pty Ltd (RPS) was engaged to undertake ecological studies for the proposed Springmount Wind farm to support regulatory approvals for the proposed project. This report outlines the principal environmental characteristics of a number of sites on which a wind farm comprising 74 wind turbines is proposed to be established at Arriga, west of the township of Walkamin in north Queensland. The study area in which these sites are bounded is shown in Appendix A. The report considers a range of environmental matters, primarily fauna, vegetation and flora, and species of conservation significance listed under State and Commonwealth environmental legislation. All the turbines are proposed to be located in remnant vegetation, as defined under the Vegetation Management Act 19991. 1.1 Scope of Work The following scope of work was identified and forms the purpose of the field assessment and the broad content of this report. Flora Assessment Identification of the common flora species that are representative at a range of sites within the study area; Classification of conservation significant species as identified under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NC Act) and the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (EPBC Act); Preliminary significance assessment of the impact of the project on any endangered, vulnerable or rare flora species listed under the NC Act and EPBC Act which occur within the study area; and identification of mitigation measures; Review of regional ecosystem mapping and remnant vegetation classification for the project area, and its relevance in terms of the Vegetation Management Act 1999: and Presence and identification of any declared or environmental weeds within the study area. Fauna Assessment Identification of the actual presence of the fauna species within the study area; Identification of fauna species likely to inhabit the study area; Classification of the species identified under the NC Act and the EPBC Act; and A preliminary significance assessment of the impact to any actual or potential fauna species that may occur within the study area; and identification of mitigation measures.