Biodiversity Investigation and Habitat Hectare Assessment: Wallan Area Network Improvements, Wallan, Victoria
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Final Report Biodiversity Investigation and Habitat Hectare Assessment: Wallan Area Network Improvements, Wallan, Victoria Prepared for Regional Roads Victoria February 2020 Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd MELBOURNE: 292 Mt Alexander Road, Ascot Vale VIC 3032 GEELONG: 230 Latrobe Terrace, Geelong West Vic 3218 BRISBANE: Level 22, 127 Creek Street, Brisbane QLD 4000 ADELAIDE: 22 Greenhill Road, Wayville SA 5034 CANBERRA: PO Box 6067, O’Connor ACT 2602 SYDNEY: Level 5, 616 Harris Street, Ultimo, NSW, 2007 www.ehpartners.com.au | (03) 9377 0100 DOCUMENT CONTROL Assessment Biodiversity Investigation and Habitat Hectare Assessment Address Wallan Area Network Improvements, Wallan, Victoria Project number 11416 Project manager Shannon LeBel (Senior Ecologist) Report reviewer Shannon LeBel (Senior Ecologist) Jeremy Coyne (Zoologist), Kyra Evanochko (Botanist), Cat Stephenson (Senior Bushfire Consultant/ Other EHP staff Botanist) Mapping Petra Sorenson (GIS Officer) File name 11416_EHP_BA_Wallan_VicRoads_Finalv4_12022020 Client Regional Roads Victoria Bioregion Central Victorian Uplands and Victorian Volcanic Plain CMA Port Phillip and Westernport Council Mitchell Shire Council Comments updated Report versions Comments Date submitted by Draft 1 Report sent to VicRoads for review 19/12/2018 No comments from Client. Incorporation of Final summary results and implications relating to the SLB 20/03/2019 targeted fauna surveys Amended Responsible Authority under the Final v2 SLB 29/04/2019 Water Act 1989 Additional information regarding Golden Sun Moth, Growling Grass Frog, habitat along Final v3 Northern Highway and partial coverage of the CS 10/12/2019 study area by the Melbourne Strategic Assessment Final v4 Amending an in-text table reference CS 12/02/2020 Acknowledgements We thank the following people for their contribution to the project: • Bruno Spandonide (VicRoads) for project and site information; • The Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning for access to ecological databases; • The Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy for access to ecological databases. Copyright © Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd This document is subject to copyright and may only be used for the purposes for which it was commissioned. The use or copying of this document in whole or part without the permission of Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd is an infringement of copyright. Disclaimer Although Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd have taken all the necessary steps to ensure that an accurate document has been prepared, the company accepts no liability for any damages or loss incurred as a result of reliance placed upon the report and its contents. Biodiversity Assessment: Wallan Area Network Improvements, Wallan, Victoria. Final Report: 12/02/2020 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd was commissioned by VicRoads to conduct a Biodiversity Investigation and Habitat Hectare Assessment for the Wallan Area Network Improvement Project. This assessment was undertaken to identify and characterise the vegetation on-site, determine the presence (or likelihood thereof) of any significant flora and fauna species and/or ecological communities and address any implications under Commonwealth and State environmental legislation. Methods A series of field assessments were undertaken on 19th, 25th and 31st October 2018 to obtain information on terrestrial flora and fauna values within the study area. Where native vegetation was identified, a habitat hectare assessment was undertaken in conjunction with the flora survey. Vegetation within the study area was assessed according to the habitat hectare methodology, which is described in the Vegetation Quality Assessment Manual. Additional field assessments were undertaken on 28th, 29th and 30th October 2019 to assess potential habitat for Growling Grass Frog and Golden Sun Moth within and adjoining the study area. Assessments were also undertaken to identify habitat values (i.e. hollows, nests, spouts) within the trees along Northern Highway. Results Flora One hundred and fourteen (114) flora species (30 indigenous and 84 non-indigenous or introduced) were recorded within the study area during the field assessment. Most of the indigenous species observed in the study area were planted as street or roadside trees, revegetation associated with the overpass construction over the Hume Freeway or ornamental plantings in Wallan Community Park. The trees within the road reserve along the Northern Freeway were confirmed to be old roadside plantings of Southern Mahogany Eucalyptus botryoides, Sugar Gum Eucalyptus cladocalyx and Spotted Gum Corymbia maculata. Based on habitat present within the study area, landscape context and the proximity of previous records, significant flora species are considered unlikely to occur within the study area. Fauna Fourteen (14) fauna species were recorded within the study area during the field assessment, which consisted of nine native and three introduced bird species, and two native frog species. No significant fauna species were recorded during the field assessment. Targeted surveys were undertaken for the nationally significant Growling Grass Frog Litoria raniformis and Golden Sun Moth Synemon plana. Despite the surveys being undertaken in suitable conditions, and the species being observed elsewhere on the days that the surveys were undertaken, neither Growling Grass Frog or Golden Sun Moth were recorded within or adjacent to the study area. Biodiversity Assessment: Wallan Area Network Improvements, Wallan, Victoria. Final Report: 12/02/2020 3 Although other national and/or significant fauna may occasionally visit the study area (i.e. birds) en-route to higher-quality habitat within the locality, both national and State significant fauna species are considered unlikely to occur to rely on habitat within the study area for foraging or breeding habitat. Potential fauna habitat within the trees along the Northern Highway was limited, with six individual trees containing hollows and/or spouts (i.e. openings at the end of broken branches). The hollows observed were all approximately 10 centimetres or less, thereby providing a limited scope of which animals could occupy these spaces. Communities Vegetation within the study area did not meet the condition thresholds that define any significant ecological communities. Permitted Clearing Assessment (the Guidelines) Native vegetation within the study area is representative of one EVC, being Swampy Riparian Woodland (Stage 2 only). Although the majority of this patch is located outside of the Stage 2 study area, a small section overlaps the potential construction footprint. Although the Swampy Riparian Woodland vegetation has been planted, as it is considered that as the works were conducted for the purposes of enhancing biodiversity values, the removal of this vegetation is not exempt from the requirements of Clause 52.17. Assuming all native vegetation within the proposed study area will be impacted, the study area is within Location 1, with 0.120 hectares of native vegetation proposed to be removed. As such, the permit application falls under the Basic Assessment pathway. The offset requirement for native vegetation removal is 0.033 General Habitat Units (HUs). No Species HUs are generated by the existing proposal. Ecology and Heritage Partners can confirm that the likely offset obligations generated by this proposal can be satisfied through existing credits registered in our OTC database without any difficulty. Melbourne Strategic Assessment and Biodiversity Conservation Strategy The southern 600 metres of the study area along the Northern Highway is within the Melbourne Strategic Assessment and Biodiversity Conservation Strategy. The area subject to habitat compensation obligations for Golden Sun Moth and Growling Grass Frog are 1.997 hectares and 2.115 hectares respectively. The total compensation fee for works being undertaken in this area will be $34,900.90 (GST inclusive). Legislative and Policy Implications Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act - Commonwealth) In accordance with the Commonwealth approval conditions of the BCS made on 5 September 2013, provided the relevant habitat compensation obligations relating to the study area are met (Appendix 4.2 for habitat compensation obligations), there are no further assessments required to comply with the existing approval. Despite targeted surveys on four separate occasions in areas of potential habitat (Northern Highway road reserve), Golden Sun Moth was not detected within the study area. The species was detected at several known Biodiversity Assessment: Wallan Area Network Improvements, Wallan, Victoria. Final Report: 12/02/2020 4 sites within Greater Melbourne on the same day as the surveys were conducted, indicating that conditions were suitable for surveying and identifying the species. As such, Golden Sun Moth is considered highly unlikely to occur within the study area. Furthermore, the paddocks north of Stage 1 to the west of the Hume Freeway are not considered to contain suitable habitat for Golden Sun Moth. The Golden Sun Moth typically occurs in native grassland and grassy woodland dominated by wallaby-grass Rytidosperma spp., Spear Grass Austrostipa spp. and Kangaroo Grass Themeda triandra, as well as in degraded grasslands dominated by the exotic Chilean Needle-grass (Nassella nessiana), which is a noxious weed. These grass species are intrinsically linked to the presence