Cattana Wetlands Vegetation Management Plan Cairns Regional Council Cairns Office: Townsville Office: Level 1, 320 Sheridan Street, Suite 2A, Level 1, 41 Denham Street, PO Box 5678 Cairns QLD 4870 PO Box 539 Townsville QLD 4810 P: 61 7 4034 5300 F: 61 7 4034 5301 P: 61 7 4796 9444 F: 61 7 4796 9410 www.natres.com.auwww.natres.com NRA Reference: Cover letter_L01 2 September 2016 Cairns Regional Council PO Box 359 CAIRNS QLD 4870 Attention: Luke Jackson, Parks and NR Strategic Planner Dear Luke RE: Cattana Wetlands Vegetation Management Plan (final report) Please find enclosed the Cattana Wetlands Vegetation Management Plan (final report). If you have any questions please feel free to contact me on (07) 4034 5300 or email at [email protected]. Yours sincerely NRA Environmental Consultants Shannon Wetherall CEO and Senior Environmental Scientist Encl: Cattana Wetlands Vegetation Management Plan (final report) © Natural Resource Assessments Pty Ltd This document is the property of Natural Resource Assessments Pty Ltd. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. Unauthorised use of this document in any form whatsoever is prohibited. F:\AAA\154_CRC\154027-Cattana Veg Mgt Plan\rpt\Cover letter_L01.docx Natural Resource Assessments Pty Ltd trading as NRA Environmental Consultants. ABN: 77 011 073 135 Certified Integrated Management System: AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008 (Quality), AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004 (Environment), AS/NZS 4801:2001 (Safety). Document Control Summary NRA Environmental Consultants F:\AAA\154_CRC\154027-Cattana Veg Mgt Job No: Plan\rpt\CattanaWetlands_VMP_R02.docx Status: Final Project Manager: Shannon Wetherall Title: Cattana Wetlands Vegetation Management Plan Author/s: Shakira Todd Client: Cairns Regional Council and GGI Architects Client Contact: Luke Jackson (Parks and NR Strategic Management, CRC) Date of Issue: 2 September 2016 No. of Copies: 1 PDF Dispatched Via: Email Other Info or Final report following meeting with Cairns Regional Council on Requirements: 2 September 2016. Report Summary Cattana Wetlands, Vegetation Management Plan, VMP, remnant, Key Words invasive, Cairns Regional Council Abstract This Vegetation Management Plan has been prepared to document the vegetation present at Cattana Wetlands, and identify opportunities and constraints associated with management of these areas. It provides recommendations for improvements to the Project Area to manage and maintain vegetation at the site. Management recommendations, which reflect contribution from community consultation and surveys, are included. Quality Assurance Approved for Issue by Technical Document Author Editor QA Manager Review Version Date Signature Kirsty R01 12/08/16 Shakira Todd Shannon Anderson BSc. Cert III Wetherall CALM BAppSc (Hons) Kate Steyn R02 2/09/16 © Natural Resource Assessments Pty Ltd This document is the property of Natural Resource Assessments Pty Ltd. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 all other rights are reserved. Unauthorised use of this document in any form whatsoever is prohibited. Certified Integrated Management System AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008 (Quality) AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004 (Environment) AS/NZS 4801:2001 (Safety) Limitations of this Report The information in this report is for the exclusive use of Cairns Regional Council and Gordon Gould Ipson Architects, the only intended beneficiaries of our work. NRA cannot be held liable for third party reliance on this document. This disclaimer brings the limitations of the investigations to the attention of the reader. The information herein could be different if the information upon which it is based is determined to be inaccurate or incomplete. The results of work carried out by others may have been used in the preparation of this report. These results have been used in good faith, and we are not responsible for their accuracy. The information herein is a professionally accurate account of the site conditions at the time of investigations; it is prepared in the context of inherent limitations associated with any investigation of this type. It has been formulated in the context of published guidelines, field observations and discussions with site personnel. NRA’s opinions in this document are subject to modification if additional information is obtained through further investigation, observations or analysis. They relate solely and exclusively to environmental management matters, and are based on the technical and practical experience of environmental practitioners. They are not presented as legal advice, nor do they represent decisions from the regulatory agencies charged with the administration of the relevant Acts. Any advice, opinions or recommendations contained in this document should be read and relied upon only in the context of the document as a whole and are considered current as of the date of this document. Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................. i 1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 2. Approach .................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Desk-based Review ............................................................................. 3 2.2 Site Visit ............................................................................................... 3 2.3 Preparation of Vegetation Management Plan ...................................... 4 3. Results ........................................................................................................ 5 3.1 Native Vegetation ................................................................................ 5 3.2 Listed Flora Species ............................................................................ 9 3.3 Non-native Flora Species .................................................................... 9 3.4 Community Consultation ................................................................... 10 4. Legislative Constraints ........................................................................... 11 5. Management ............................................................................................. 16 5.1 Native Vegetation .............................................................................. 16 5.2 Listed Flora Species .......................................................................... 16 5.3 Non-native Flora Species .................................................................. 16 6. References ............................................................................................... 27 Tables Table 1: Remnant Ecosystem mapping for the project area ...................................... 5 Table 2: Legislative constraints potentially relevant to vegetation management at Cattana Wetlands .............................................................. 12 Table 3: Specific recommendations to enhance vegetation and biodiversity in the management zones ................................................. 18 Figures Figure 1: Project Area and Management Zones ........................................................... 2 Figure 2: Mapped Remnant Vegetation, Reef-regrowth Watercourse and Conservation Significant Species ................................................................... 7 Figure 3: Isolated Infestations of Listed Non-native Species Observed 21 July 2016 ..................................................................................................... 8 Plates Plate 1: Ant Plant, Myrmecodia beccarii (Vulnerable EPBC Act and NC Act) ....... 9 Appendices Appendix A: Native plants recorded at Cattana Wetlands 21 July 2016, and their conservation status Appendix B: Non-native plants (weeds) recorded at Cattana Wetlands 21 July 2016, and their status Cairns Regional Council Cattana Wetlands Vegetation Management Plan Executive Summary Cairns Regional Council (CRC) aims to develop a Vegetation Management Plan (VMP) and Improvement Plan for Cattana Wetlands in consultation with internal and external stakeholders and the general public. NRA Environmental Consultants (NRA) was engaged by Gordon Gould Ipson Architects (GGI Architects) to prepare a VMP for CRC. This VMP informs the Improvement Plan and community consultation process being undertaken by GGI Architects. This VMP has been prepared to document a representative list of vegetation present at Cattana Wetlands, and identify opportunities and constraints associated with the management of these areas. Preparation of this VMP was supported by a desk-based review, a site visit observing native and non-native flora, and a site visit with representatives from select stakeholder groups. Within the project area, 10 management zones in the south and west sections of the wetlands were defined. These are the primary focus of this VMP. In one zone, four Myrmecodia beccarii (Ant Plants) were observed. This plant is listed as Vulnerable under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. Three non-native species identified in the project area are declared Category 3 weeds under the Queensland Biosecurity Act 2014. These weeds are Senna obtusifolia (Sicklepod), Sporobolus jacquemontii (American Rat’s Tail Grass) and Sphagneticola trilobata (Singapore Daisy). Under the Cairns Regional Council Pest Management Plan 2015-2018, Sicklepod is declared a high priority weed,