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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AUSTRALIAN ZIRCONIA LTD Section 4 - Assessment and Management of Dubbo Zirconia Project Key Environmental Issues Report No. 545/04 dissolved metals / metalloids including aluminium (Al), antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), barium (Ba), beryllium (Be), boron (B), bromide (Br), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), strontium (Sr), uranium (U), vanadium (V) and zinc (Zn). Criteria, performance indicators and triggers for further actions would be documented in the Groundwater Management Plan for the Proposal. 4.7 TERRESTRIAL ECOLOGY 4.7.1 Introduction The Director-General’s Requirements (DGRs) issued by DP&I identified “Biodiversity – as a key issue for assessment including: measures taken to avoid, reduce or mitigate impacts on biodiversity; accurate estimates of proposed vegetation clearing; a detailed assessment of potential impacts of the development on any: – terrestrial or aquatic threatened species or populations and their habitats, endangered ecological communities and groundwater dependent ecosystems; and – regionally significant remnant vegetation, or vegetation corridors; and – a comprehensive offset strategy to ensure the development maintains or improves the terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity values of the region in the medium to long term.” Additional matters for consideration in preparing the EIS were also provided in the correspondence attached to the DGRs from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) which requested that biodiversity impacts be assessed using either the BioBanking Assessment Methodology or a detailed biodiversity assessment. OEH also made specific reference to the need for detailed survey and assessment of the Pink-tailed Worm-lizard, a threatened reptile species known from the location, and requested that assessment of the significance of direct and indirect impacts of the proposal be undertaken for threatened biodiversity known or considered likely to occur. Further matters for consideration were provided by the Central West CMA who identified that “the EIS should include identification of any Endangered Ecological Communities (EEC) vegetation and outline a Biodiversity Offset Strategy to compensate for the destruction of any mature trees with habitat values such as hollows”, DRE who requested that “the flora, fauna and ecological attributes of the disturbed area should be recorded and placed in a regional context” and NOW who requested the EIS “identify any impacts on groundwater dependent ecosystems”. R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED 4-145 AUSTRALIAN ZIRCONIA LTD ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT Dubbo Zirconia Project Section 4 - Assessment and Management of Report No. 545/04 Key Environmental Issues Following determination of the Proposal as a Controlled Action (in accordance with the EPBC Act), Additionally, the Commonwealth Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC) issued assessment requirements to the DP&I, to allow for bi-lateral assessment of the Proposal under the NSW State Significant Development assessment process. Supplementary DGRs issued by DP&I on 3 March 2012 included the assessment requirements of DSEWPaC, the most relevant of which was for the assessment of “impacts on threatened species and ecological communities listed under Sections 18 and 184 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999”. Based on the risk analysis undertaken for the Proposal (Section 3.5), the potential impacts relating to terrestrial ecology and their risk rankings (in parenthesis) without the adoption of any mitigation measures are as follows. Loss of biodiversity and alteration to existing habitat (high). Direct adverse impact on threatened species, populations and communities (high). Local or regional reduction in distribution of threatened species, populations and endangered ecological communities (high). Reduced biodiversity value of the site (medium). Reduced local distribution of threatened species, populations and endangered ecological communities (medium). Detrimental health impacts on native fauna from ingestion of contaminated water (high). Injury or death of fauna from vehicle incidents (high). The Terrestrial Ecology Assessment for the Proposal was undertaken by Mr Phillip Cameron and Ms Heidi Kolkert of OzArk Environment and Heritage Management Pty Limited (OzArk). Input and technical assistance was also provided by Dr Gilbert Whyte of Ecobiological and Dr Arthur White of Biosphere Environmental Consultants Pty Ltd (“BEC”). The resulting report is presented as Part 6 of the Specialist Consultants Studies Compendium and is referred to hereafter as “OzArk (2013a)”. The terrestrial ecology assessment of OzArk (2013a) was undertaken in accordance with the following guidelines. Threatened Biodiversity Survey and Assessment: Guidelines for Developments and Activities – Working Draft (DECC, 2004). Draft Guidelines for Threatened Species Assessment (DECC and DPI, 2005). BioBanking Assessment Methodology (BBAM) and Credit Calculator Operational Manual (DECC, 2008). Threatened Species Assessment Guidelines: the Assessment of Significance (DECC, 2007). EPBC Act Policy Statement 1.1 Significant Impact Guidelines Matters of National Environmental Significance, May 2006 (DEWHA, 2006). 4-146 R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AUSTRALIAN ZIRCONIA LTD Section 4 - Assessment and Management of Dubbo Zirconia Project Key Environmental Issues Report No. 545/04 This subsection of the EIS provides a summary of the terrestrial ecology assessment, concentrating on those matters raised in the DGRs and submissions to the DGRs provided by various government agencies. A consolidated list of the identified requirements and where each is addressed in the EIS is presented in Appendix 3. 4.7.2 Regional Setting 4.7.2.1 Central West Catchment The DZP Site is located within the NSW Central West Catchment which comprises the Castlereagh, Bogan and Macquarie River valleys and covers approximately 92 000km2. A wide diversity of landforms, vegetation species and communities occur within this catchment which is associated with two bioregions, namely: South-western Slopes Bioregion; and Brigalow Belt South Bioregion. As a consequence of the confluence of the eastern and western influences, the Central West Catchment has a high level of biodiversity. At the time of European settlement, the catchment supported a complex mosaic of forests, temperate and semi-arid woodlands, wetlands, shrub lands, heaths and grasslands. Clearing and subsequent degradation have reduced this natural vegetation cover to a large number of small, isolated remnants on the less fertile and productive soils. For example, the Box and Ironbark woodlands which originally occupied large parts of the slopes and plains have been reduced by as much as 90%, and are now among the most significantly altered plant communities in NSW. The Central West Catchment covers a wide diversity of landforms and vegetation, with more than 550 vertebrate species recorded in the catchment, 81 broad vegetation types (DEC, 2006) and 3 183 species of plants (CW CMA, 2013). There are 50 threatened flora species (22 endangered, 27 vulnerable and one species considered extinct) and 73 threatened fauna species (15 endangered and 58 vulnerable) listed in the schedules of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act) recorded in the Catchment or bioregion. Of these, five flora species (Lepidium hysopifolium, Eucalyptus canobolensis, Zieria ingramii, Zieria obcordata and Rulingia procumbens) and one fauna species (Purple Copper Butterfly – Paralucia spinifera) are considered endemic to the catchment. Of the remainder, many species would rely on retention, protection and enhancement of remaining woodland remnants, grasslands and wetlands. The Central West CMA estimates that approximately 38% of the catchment is currently vegetated to some extent and 62% has been cleared (CW CMA, 2013). 4.7.2.2 Local Setting The setting within which the Application Area is located has been highly cleared for agriculture with remnants of native vegetation largely restricted to the riparian corridors of the Macquarie River and tributaries, elevated hill tops and ridges and within road easements. OzArk (2013a) describes the local setting as supporting a mosaic of Box Gum Woodland, Fuzzy Box Woodland, Inland Grey Box Woodland, derived native grasslands and cleared / cropped land. R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED 4-147 AUSTRALIAN ZIRCONIA LTD ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT Dubbo Zirconia Project Section 4 - Assessment and Management of Report No. 545/04 Key Environmental Issues A review of the broad vegetation types of the Central West CMA mapped by Reconstructed and Extant Distribution Native Vegetation in the Central West Catchment (DEC, 2006) by OzArk (2013a) identified the following as occurring on and surrounding the proposed areas of disturbance (refer to Figure 8 of OzArk, 2013a). Blakely’s Red Gum – Yellow Box open woodland of the tablelands. Dry Woodland on rocky hills. Fuzzy Box woodland on flats and alluvial terraces. Inland Grey Box woodland. Mugga Ironbark – Box – White Cypress Pine woodland. River Red Gum riparian woodland/forest on floodplains. Tumbledown Red Gum – Black Cypress Pine – Red Box low woodland on hills. White Box – Kurrajong woodland. White Box – White Cypress Pine woodland. White Box woodland with a shrubby understorey. White Cypress