THREATENED AND PRIORITY FLORA SURVEY OF DRILL HOLE LOCATIONS WITHIN MINING TENEMENT M77/1097 BUNGALBIN EAST Prepared for Polaris Metals Pty Ltd Prepared by Mattiske Consulting Pty Ltd June 2013 PMN1302/021/13 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Disclaimer and Limitation This report has been prepared on behalf of and for the exclusive use of Polaris Metals Pty Ltd, and is subject to and issued in accordance with the agreement between Polaris Metals Pty Ltd and Mattiske Consulting Pty Ltd. Mattiske Consulting Pty Ltd accepts no liability or responsibility whatsoever for it in respect of any use of or reliance upon this report by any third party. This report is based on the scope of services defined by Polaris Metals Pty Ltd, budgetary and time constraints imposed by Polaris Metals Pty Ltd, the information supplied by Polaris Metals Pty Ltd (and its agents), and the method consistent with the preceding. Copying of this report or parts of this report is not permitted without the authorisation of Polaris Metals Pty Ltd or Mattiske Consulting Pty Ltd. DOCUMENT HISTORY Prepared Reviewe Submitted to Client Report Version By d By Date Copies Internal Review V1 DA EMM - Draft Report released for Client Review V2 DA EMM 13/06/2013 Email Final Report with emendations V3 DA EMM 7/02/2014 Email Mattiske Consulting Pty Ltd ____________________________________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................1 2. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................3 2.1 Location and Scope of Proposal ...................................................................................................3 2.2 Western Australia’s Flora and vegetation– A Legislative perspective ...............................................3 2.3 Declared (Plant) Pest Organisms ................................................................................................. 5 3. OBJECTIVES .....................................................................................................................................6 4. METHODS ........................................................................................................................................6 4.1 Desktop Survey .........................................................................................................................6 4.2 Field Survey ..............................................................................................................................6 4.3 Survey Areas .............................................................................................................................7 4.3.1 Drill Pad Areas ...........................................................................................................................7 4.3.2 Tracks ......................................................................................................................................7 4.4 Data Sources .............................................................................................................................7 5. DESKTOP SURVEY RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 10 5.1 Climate ................................................................................................................................... 10 5.2 Geology, Soils and Topography ................................................................................................. 10 5.3 IBRA Regions .......................................................................................................................... 11 5.4 Vegetation Surveys of the Eastern Goldfields .............................................................................. 12 5.4.1 Flora of the Interior of Western Australia ................................................................................... 12 5.4.2 Plant Life of Western Australia .................................................................................................. 12 5.4.3 Historical Vegetation Mapping by John Beard ............................................................................. 13 5.4.4 Biological Survey of the Eastern Goldfields ................................................................................. 13 5.4.5 Surveys of the Helena and Aurora Range (Gibson et al.) ............................................................. 15 5.4.6 Banded Ironstone Formation Ranges of the Midwest and Goldfields ............................................. 16 5.5 Pre-European Vegetation .......................................................................................................... 17 5.6 Surveys by Mattiske Consulting Pty Ltd ...................................................................................... 20 5.7 Nature Reserves / Conservation Parks (DEC managed lands) ....................................................... 22 5.8 Threatened Ecological Communities .......................................................................................... 22 5.9 Priority Ecological Communities ................................................................................................. 22 5.10 Threatened and Priority Flora .................................................................................................... 24 6. FIELD SURVEY RESULTS .................................................................................................................. 26 6.1 Survey Limitations and Constraints ............................................................................................ 26 6.2 Potential Impacts to Vegetation Associations in Survey Area ........................................................ 26 6.3 Priority Ecological Community and Conservation Park .................................................................. 26 6.4 Threatened Flora ..................................................................................................................... 29 6.4.1 Leucopogon spectabilis (T) ....................................................................................................... 29 6.4.2 Tetratheca aphylla subsp. aphylla (T) ........................................................................................ 29 6.5 Priority Flora ........................................................................................................................... 30 6.5.1 Acacia adinophylla (P1) ............................................................................................................ 30 6.5.2 Lepidosperma bungalbin (P1) ................................................................................................... 30 6.5.3 Grevillea georgeana (P3) .......................................................................................................... 31 6.5.4 Hibbertia lepidocalyx subsp. tuberculata (P3) ............................................................................. 31 6.5.5 Mirbelia ferricola (P3) ............................................................................................................... 31 6.5.6 Neurachne annularis (P3) ......................................................................................................... 31 6.5.7 Stenanthemum newbeyi (P3) .................................................................................................... 32 6.5.8 Banksia arborea (P4)................................................................................................................ 32 6.6 Impacts to Threatened and Priority Flora ................................................................................... 32 7. DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................. 34 8. CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................... 35 9. PERSONNEL ................................................................................................................................... 36 10. REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................. 36 Mattiske Consulting Pty Ltd ____________________________________________________________________________________________ TABLES 1: Geology of the Bungalbin East survey area 2: Extent of Beard vegetation associations intersecting tenement M77/1097, and the Bungalbin East survey area 3: Mattiske surveys in the vicinity of the Bungalbin East survey area 4: Threatened and priority flora recorded by Mattiske between 2007 and 2012 in the vicinity of the Bungalbin East survey area 5: Threatened flora recorded in the vicinity of the Bungalbin East survey area 6: Priority flora recorded in the vicinity of the Bungalbin East survey area 7: Potential flora and vegetation survey limitations for the survey area 8: Risk assessment for impact on vegetation associations in the Bungalbin East survey area of tenement M77/1097 9: Risk assessment for impact on Helena and Aurora Conservation Park (CR 48470) and the Helena and Aurora vegetation complexes (banded ironstone formation) (P1) PEC 10: Populations of threatened flora taxa recorded