Environmental Assessment (EA) Report Prepared on Behalf of the Proponent Epuron Pty Ltd
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J01`QJIVJ :C VIVJ 7 `Q]QVR 1JR :`I5 : ]]VJR1681QR10V`1 7 VIVJ :`1CG:1CC Q0VIGV` Biodiversity Assessment MARILBA HILLS PRECINCT WIND FARM JULY 2009 Document Verification Job title: Marilba Hills Precinct Wind Farm Biodiversity Assessment Document Title Marilba Hills Precinct Wind Farm Biodiversity Assessment File Name Version Date Prepared by Checked by Approved by 1.0 Dec 08 name Paul McPherson name Nick GrahamRHiggs name Nick GrahamRHiggs 2.0 Mar 09 name Paul McPherson name Nick GrahamRHiggs name Nick GrahamRHiggs 2.1 May 09 name Bianca Heinze name name Nick GrahamRHiggs 3.0 July 09 name Paul McPherson name Brooke Marshall Brooke Marshall ngh environmental prints all documents on sugar cane paper made from 100% bagasse (a byRproduct of sugar production). 1/216 carp street (po box 470) bega nsw 2550 australia t 61 2 6492 8333 f 61 2 6494 7773 web: www.nghenvironmental.com.au email: [email protected] 206/410 elizabeth st surry hills 102/63R65 johnston st wagga wagga suite 4/4, 234 naturaliste terrace nsw 2010 australia nsw 2650 australia dunsborough wa 6281 australia t 61 2 8202 8333 f 61 2 9211 1374 t 61 2 6971 9696 f 61 2 6971 9693 t 61 8 9759 1985 f 61 2 6494 7773 Contents 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 ABOUT THIS REPORT .............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 KEY ISSUES IN THE ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................... 1 2 ASSESSMENT APPROACH ............................................................................................... 3 2.1 TERMINOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 3 2.1.1 Subject site and study area .................................................................................................... 3 2.1.2 Development envelope ......................................................................................................... 3 2.2 DESKTOP RESEARCH AND CONSULTATIONS .......................................................................... 3 2.3 FIELDWORK ............................................................................................................................ 3 2.4 ANALYSIS, ASSESSMENT AND REPORT COMPILATION .......................................................... 4 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSAL .................................................................................... 5 3.1 SITE DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................................. 5 3.2 PROPOSED WORKS ................................................................................................................ 5 3.3 GENERAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS................................................................................... 8 3.3.1 Wind farm installation impacts ............................................................................................. 8 3.3.2 Wind farm operation impacts ............................................................................................... 9 3.3.3 Wind farm decommissioning impacts ................................................................................... 9 4 REGIONAL CONTEXT ..................................................................................................... 10 4.1 REGION SCALE ..................................................................................................................... 10 4.1.1 Regionalisations ................................................................................................................... 10 4.1.2 Vegetation ........................................................................................................................... 13 4.1.3 Fauna ................................................................................................................................... 13 4.1.4 Conservation and environmental management .................................................................. 14 4.2 DISTRICT SCALE .................................................................................................................... 14 4.2.1 District habitat features ....................................................................................................... 14 4.2.2 Conservation reserves ......................................................................................................... 15 4.2.3 Corridors .............................................................................................................................. 16 4.3 THREATENED SPECIES AND COMMUNITIES ........................................................................ 17 4.3.1 Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 ........................................................................ 17 4.3.2 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 ...................................... 17 Final, July 2009 i nghenvironmental 5 FLORA AND ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES ..................................................................... 18 5.1 METHODS ............................................................................................................................ 18 5.1.1 Preliminary assessments ..................................................................................................... 18 5.1.2 Field survey and mapping .................................................................................................... 18 5.1.3 Survey limitations ................................................................................................................ 21 5.2 SURVEY AND ASSESSMENT RESULTS ................................................................................... 28 5.2.1 Vegetation communities ..................................................................................................... 28 5.2.2 Species recorded at the subject site .................................................................................... 33 5.2.3 Disturbance and weeds ....................................................................................................... 33 5.3 SPECIES AND COMMUNITIES OF CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANCE ....................................... 39 5.3.1 Online database searches .................................................................................................... 39 5.3.2 Ecological communities ....................................................................................................... 39 5.3.3 Species of conservation significance ................................................................................... 45 6 FAUNA ......................................................................................................................... 48 6.1 METHODS ............................................................................................................................ 48 6.1.1 Preliminary assessments ..................................................................................................... 48 6.1.2 Field survey .......................................................................................................................... 48 6.1.3 Mapping ............................................................................................................................... 52 6.1.4 Threatened and significant species ..................................................................................... 52 6.1.5 Survey limitations ................................................................................................................ 52 6.2 ASSESSMENT AND SURVEY RESULTS ................................................................................... 53 6.2.1 Fauna habitats in the study area ......................................................................................... 54 6.2.2 Species recorded at the site ................................................................................................ 57 6.2.3 Profile of potential bird usage ............................................................................................. 60 6.3 SPECIES OF CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANCE ........................................................................ 68 6.3.1 Online database searches .................................................................................................... 68 6.3.2 Threatened species evaluation and risk assessment .......................................................... 68 7 BIODIVERSITY CONSTRAINTS ANALYSIS ........................................................................ 70 7.1 APPROACH AND METHODS ................................................................................................. 70 7.2 APPLICATION TO THE PROPOSAL ........................................................................................ 70 7.2.1 Constraining values .............................................................................................................. 70 7.2.2 Constraint classes ................................................................................................................ 71 7.2.3 Biodiversity constraint mapping .......................................................................................... 71 7.3 PLANNING AND MODIFYING THE PROPOSAL ...................................................................... 72 8 IMPACT ASSESSMENT