Kooloonbung Creek Flying-fox Camp Management Plan Final Adopted by Council June 2019 PORT MACQUARIE-HASTINGS COUNCIL ecology / vegetation / wildlife / aquatic ecology / GIS Acknowledgements Port Macquarie-Hastings Council would like to thank everyone who participated in community consultation, with all comments considered in the development of this plan and incorporated where possible. Council acknowledges input by the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage to the Plan in developing the template upon which this Camp Management Plan is based, and Dr Peggy Eby who provided advice which was included in the template. PR3995 Kooloonbung Creek Camp Management Plan ecosure.com.au | i Acronyms and abbreviations ABLV Australian bat lyssavirus BAM Biodiversity Assessment Method BC Act Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW) BDAR Biodiversity Development Assessment Report BFF Black flying-fox (Pteropus alecto) the camp Kooloonbung Creek flying-fox camp CE Critically endangered Council Port Macquarie-Hastings Council DoEE Department of the Environment and Energy (Commonwealth) DPI Department of Primary Industries (NSW) E Endangered EEC Endangered Ecological Communities EP&A Act Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) EPA Environment Protection Authority EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth) FKCNP Friends of Kooloonbung Creek Nature Park GHFF Grey-headed flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) the Guideline Referral guideline for management actions in grey-headed and spectacled flying-fox camps 2015 (Commonwealth) HeV Hendra virus KCPoM Kooloonbung Creek Plan of Management 2012 LEP Local Environmental Plan LGA Local Government Area LGNSW Local Government of New South Wales LRFF Little red flying-fox (Pteropus scapulatus) MNES Matters of national environmental significance NFFMP National flying-fox monitoring program PR3995 Kooloonbung Creek Camp Management Plan ecosure.com.au | ii NPW Act National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW) NPWS National Parks and Wildlife Service (NSW) OEH Office of Environment and Heritage (NSW) the Park Kooloonbung Creek Nature Park the Plan this Camp Management Plan POEO Act Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) the Policy Flying-fox Camp Management Policy 2015 (NSW) SEPPs State Environmental Planning Policies SIS Species impact statement TEC Threatened ecological community V Vulnerable PR3995 Kooloonbung Creek Camp Management Plan ecosure.com.au | iii Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ i Acronyms and abbreviations ..................................................................................................ii List of figures ........................................................................................................................ v List of tables ......................................................................................................................... vii 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Flying-foxes in urban areas ..................................................................................... 1 1.2 Plan objectives ........................................................................................................ 2 2 Context .......................................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Camp description .................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Tenure .................................................................................................................. 11 2.3 Other ecological values ......................................................................................... 11 2.4 History of the camp ............................................................................................... 15 2.5 Sensitive receptors ............................................................................................... 16 2.6 Management to date ............................................................................................. 18 3 Community engagement .............................................................................................. 22 3.1 Stakeholders ......................................................................................................... 22 3.2 Engagement methods and results ......................................................................... 23 3.2.1 Community consultation meeting ................................................................... 23 3.2.2 Survey responses .......................................................................................... 25 3.2.3 Public submissions on draft Plan ................................................................... 26 4 Camp management options ......................................................................................... 28 4.1 Level 1 actions: routine camp management .......................................................... 28 4.1.1 Education and awareness programs .............................................................. 28 4.1.2 Property modification without subsidies ......................................................... 29 4.1.3 Property modification subsidies...................................................................... 30 4.1.4 Service subsidies ........................................................................................... 30 4.1.5 Routine camp maintenance and operational activities .................................... 30 4.1.6 Revegetation and land management to create alternative habitat .................. 31 4.1.7 Provision of artificial roosting habitat .............................................................. 32 4.1.8 Protocols to manage incidents ....................................................................... 32 4.1.9 Participation in research ................................................................................ 32 4.1.10 Appropriate land-use planning ....................................................................... 32 4.1.11 Property acquisition ....................................................................................... 32 4.1.12 Do nothing ..................................................................................................... 32 4.2 Level 2 actions: in-situ management ..................................................................... 33 4.2.1 Buffers ........................................................................................................... 33 4.2.2 Noise attenuation fencing .............................................................................. 34 4.3 Level 3 actions: disturbance or dispersal .............................................................. 35 4.3.1 Nudging ......................................................................................................... 35 PR3995 Kooloonbung Creek Camp Management Plan ecosure.com.au | iv 4.3.2 Dispersal ........................................................................................................ 35 4.4 Unlawful activities ................................................................................................. 37 4.4.1 Culling............................................................................................................ 37 4.5 Camp management options analysis .................................................................... 38 5 Planned management approach .................................................................................. 44 5.1 Level 1 management ............................................................................................ 44 5.2 Level 2 management ............................................................................................ 45 5.2.1 Canopy-mounted sprinklers ........................................................................... 45 5.2.1.1 Installation and operational considerations ................................................. 46 5.3 Level 3 management ............................................................................................ 47 6 Evaluation and review .................................................................................................. 52 7 Plan administration ...................................................................................................... 53 7.1 Monitoring of the camp ......................................................................................... 53 7.2 Responsibilities ..................................................................................................... 53 7.3 Funding commitment ............................................................................................ 53 References and further resources ....................................................................................... 54 Appendix 1 Legislation ........................................................................................................ 61 Appendix 2 Flying-fox ecology & behaviour ......................................................................... 66 Appendix 3 Protected Matters ............................................................................................. 72 Appendix 4 Human and animal health ................................................................................