Appendix G Biodiversity impact assessment Roads and Maritime Services M1 Pacific Motorway, Kariong Ramps and M1 Kariong to Somersby Widening Biodiversity Impact Assessment 4 December 2014 Document information Client: Roads and Maritime Services Title: M1 Pacific Motorway, Kariong Ramps and M1 Kariong to Somersby Widening Biodiversity Impact Assessment Document No: 2113226A-ENV-REP-001 RevD Date: 4 December 2014 Rev Date Details A 29/09/2014 Draft B 21/10/2014 Amended as per client comments C 27/11/2014 Amended as per client comments D 04/12/2014 Final Author, Reviewer and Approver details Prepared by: Kim Lentz; Deb Landenberger Date: 04/12/2014 Signature: Reviewed by: Toby Lambert; Alex Cockerill Date: 04/12/2014 Signature: Approved by: Alex Cockerill Date: 04/12/2014 Signature: Distribution Roads and Maritime Services, Parsons Brinckerhoff file ©Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia Pty Limited 2014 Copyright in the drawings, information and data recorded in this document (the information) is the property of Parsons Brinckerhoff. This document and the information are solely for the use of the authorised recipient and this document may not be used, copied or reproduced in whole or part for any purpose other than that for which it was supplied by Parsons Brinckerhoff. Parsons Brinckerhoff makes no representation, undertakes no duty and accepts no responsibility to any third party who may use or rely upon this document or the information. Document owner Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia Pty Limited ABN 80 078 004 798 Level 3 51-55 Bolton Street Newcastle NSW 2300 PO Box 1162 Newcastle NSW 2300 Australia Tel: +61 2 4929 8300 Fax: +61 2 4929 8382 www.pbworld.com Certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 Roads and Maritime Services M1 Pacific Motorway, Kariong Ramps and M1 Kariong to Somersby Widening ­ Biodiversity Impact Assessment Contents Page number Glossary vi 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Study objectives 1 2. Methodology 3 2.1 Definitions 3 2.2 Personnel 3 2.3 Nomenclature 4 2.4 Literature and database assessment 4 2.5 Field survey 5 2.6 Likelihood of occurrence 24 2.7 Impact assessments 25 2.8 Limitations 25 3. Existing environment 27 3.1 Landscape context 27 3.2 Vegetation communities 31 3.3 Plant species recorded 48 3.4 Animal species recorded 48 3.5 Fauna habitats 49 3.6 Fauna microhabitats 51 4. Threatened biodiversity recorded 60 4.1 Threatened ecological communities 60 4.2 Threatened populations 61 4.3 Threatened species 61 4.4 Migratory species 74 4.5 Groundwater dependent ecosystems 75 Parsons Brinckerhoff | 2113226A-EN-PR-005 RevD i Roads and Maritime Services M1 Pacific Motorway, Kariong Ramps and M1 Kariong to Somersby Widening ­ Biodiversity Impact Assessment Contents (Continued) Page number 5. Impacts of the proposal 78 5.1 Vegetation and habitat clearing 78 5.2 Hydrogeological changes 80 5.3 Aquatic disturbance 80 5.4 Fragmentation and connectivity 80 5.5 Noise and vibration impacts on fauna 81 5.6 Weeds 81 5.7 Edge effects 82 5.8 Potential impacts on groundwater dependent ecosystems 82 5.9 Direct fauna mortality 83 5.10 Key threatening processes 83 6. Mitigation 85 7. Impact assessment 88 7.1 Impacts to threatened biodiversity 88 8. Conclusion 100 9. References 102 ii 2113226A-EN-PR-005 RevD | Parsons Brinckerhoff Roads and Maritime Services M1 Pacific Motorway, Kariong Ramps and M1 Kariong to Somersby Widening ­ Biodiversity Impact Assessment List of tables Page number Table 2.1 Contributors and their roles 3 Table 2.2 Database searches 4 Table 2.3 Weather conditions 5 Table 2.4 Summary of threatened fauna survey effort 6 Table 2.5 Threatened flora survey effort 16 Table 2.6 Location of flora quadrats 21 Table 2.7 BioBanking quadrat/transect survey effort 22 Table 2.8 Likelihood of occurrence of threatened species 24 Table 3.1 Survey area locality 27 Table 3.2 Vegetation communities identified in the survey area 31 Table 3.3 Characteristics of Red Bloodwood – Scribbly Gum heathy woodland – Silvertop Ash variant 33 Table 3.4 Characteristics of Red Bloodwood – Scribbly Gum heathy woodland – atypical variant 35 Table 3.5 Characteristics of Red Bloodwood Scribbly Gum heathy woodland – Fernland variant 37 Table 3.6 Characteristics of Smooth-barked Apple – Sydney Peppermint – Turpentine heathy open forest 38 Table 3.7 Characteristics of Scribbly Gum - Hairpin Banksia – Dwarf Apple heathy woodland 40 Table 3.8 Characteristics of Needlebush – Banksia wet heath 42 Table 3.9 Characteristics of regrowth and native planted vegetation 44 Table 3.10 Characteristics of exotic grassland 46 Table 3.11 Characteristics of constructed dams 47 Table 3.12 Noxious weeds recorded within the survey area 48 Table 3.13 Species of animal recorded 48 Table 3.14 Fauna habitat with corresponding habitat description 49 Table 3.15 Fauna microhabitats 52 Table 4.1 Threatened ecological communities recorded in the survey area 60 Table 4.2 Threatened flora species recorded within the ecological survey area 62 Table 4.3 Threatened fauna species recorded during the current field surveys 72 Table 4.4 Threatened fauna species assessed to have a moderate or greater likelihood of occurrence in the survey area 72 Table 4.5 Migratory fauna species assessed to have a moderate or greater likelihood of occurrence in the survey area 74 Table 4.6 Plant community types dependency upon ground water 77 Table 5.1 Potential impacts of the proposal on biodiversity 78 Table 5.2 Potential loss of vegetation within the proposal area 79 Table 5.3 Vegetation community dependency on groundwater 82 Table 6.1 Proposed mitigation measures 86 Table 7.1 Summary of likely impacts to threatened ecological communities 89 Table 7.2 Summary of likely impacts to threatened flora species 90 Table 7.3 Summary of likely impacts to threatened terrestrial and aquatic fauna 91 Parsons Brinckerhoff | 2113226A-EN-PR-005 RevD iii Roads and Maritime Services M1 Pacific Motorway, Kariong Ramps and M1 Kariong to Somersby Widening ­ Biodiversity Impact Assessment List of figures Page number Figure 1.1 Proposal locality and survey area 2 Figure 2.1a Flora and fauna survey effort 8 Figure 2.1b Flora and fauna survey effort 9 Figure 2.1c Flora and fauna survey effort 10 Figure 2.1d Flora and fauna survey effort 11 Figure 2.1e Flora and fauna survey effort 12 Figure 2.2 Schematic diagram illustrating the layout of the nested 20 m x 50 m and 20 m x 20 m quadrats used for the assessment of condition attributes at each site 20 Figure 3.1a Vegetation communities 54 Figure 3.1b Vegetation communities 55 Figure 3.1c Vegetation communities 56 Figure 3.1d Vegetation communities 57 Figure 3.1e Vegetation communities 58 Figure 3.2 Vegetation communities – ancillary sites 59 Figure 4.1a Threatened flora and fauna 67 Figure 4.1b Threatened flora and fauna 68 Figure 4.1c Threatened flora and fauna 69 Figure 4.1d Threatened flora and fauna 70 Figure 4.1e Threatened flora and fauna 71 Figure 4.2 Conceptual biophysical model of groundwater dependent ecosystems 76 List of photographs Page number Photo 3.1 Good Condition Red Bloodwood – Scribbly Gum heathy woodland – Silvertop Ash variant 34 Photo 3.2 Moderate Condition Red Bloodwood – Scribbly Gum heathy woodland – Silvertop Ash variant 34 Photo 3.3 Good condition Red Bloodwood – Scribbly Gum heathy woodland – atypical variant 36 Photo 3.4 Moderate condition Red Bloodwood – Scribbly Gum heathy woodland – atypical variant 36 Photo 3.5 Good condition Red Bloodwood – Scribbly Gum heathy woodland – Fernland variant adjoining Piles Creek 37 Photo 3.6 Good condition Smooth-barked Apple – Sydney Peppermint – Turpentine heathy open forest 39 Photo 3.7 Good condition Scribbly Gum – Hairpin Banksia – Dwarf Apple heathy woodland 41 Photo 3.8 Moderate condition Scribbly Gum – Hairpin Banksia – Dwarf Apple heathy woodland 41 Photo 3.9 Good condition Needlebush – Banksia wet heath 43 Photo 3.10 Moderate condition Needlebush – Banksia wet heath 43 Photo 3.11 Regrowth and native vegetation within the median strip 45 Photo 3.12 Regrowth native vegetation on batter of southbound lanes 45 Photo 3.13 Exotic grassland within median strip 46 Photo 3.14 Constructed dam on Piles Creek at the Somersby Interchange 47 Photo 4.1 Darwinia glaucophylla growing on sandstone outcropping 63 Photo 4.2 Darwinia glaucophylla growing on high wall on the north bound Gosford off ramp 63 Photo 4.3 Hibbertia procumbens 64 Photo 4.4 Prostanthera junonis 65 iv 2113226A-EN-PR-005 RevD | Parsons Brinckerhoff Roads and Maritime Services M1 Pacific Motorway, Kariong Ramps and M1 Kariong to Somersby Widening ­ Biodiversity Impact Assessment List of appendices Appendix A Species of plant recorded Appendix B Species of animal recorded Appendix C Threatened species of plant Appendix D Threatened species of animal Appendix E Bat call sonograms Appendix F Survey effort Appendix G Significance assessments Parsons Brinckerhoff | 2113226A-EN-PR-005 RevD v Roads and Maritime Services M1 Pacific Motorway, Kariong Ramps and M1 Kariong to Somersby Widening ­ Biodiversity Impact Assessment Glossary AWS All weather station BBAM BioBanking Assessment Methodology BIA Biodiversity Impact Assessment Biodiversity The biological diversity of life is commonly regarded as being made up of the following three components: Genetic diversity — the variety of genes (or units of heredity) in any population. Species diversity — the variety of species. Ecosystem diversity — the variety of communities or ecosystems. Bioregion (region) A bioregion defined in a national system of bioregionalisation. The Study Area is in the Sydney Basin bioregion as defined in the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (Thackway & Cresswell 1995). CAMBA China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement CEMP Construction Environmental Management Plan CMA Catchment Management Area Critical Habitat The whole or any part or parts of an area or areas of land comprising the habitat of an Endangered species, an Endangered population or an Endangered Ecological Community that is critical to the survival of the species, population or ecological community (Department of Environment and Conservation 2004).