F5 Marine Ecology Mangroves Dugongs and Turtles Potential Coral Loss F5 Marine Ecology Report LNG Facility Marine Ecology NOVEMBER 2009 Prepared for Santos Ltd 32 Turbot Street Brisbane Qld 4000 42626446 Project Manager: Jim Barker Associate Environmental URS Australia Pty Ltd Scientist Level 16, 240 Queen Street Brisbane, QLD 4000 GPO Box 302, QLD 4001 Project Director: Australia Chris Pigott T: 61 7 3243 2111 Senior Principal F: 61 7 3243 2199 Document copyright of URS Australia Pty Limited. The contents of this report are and remain the intellectual property of the addressee of this report and are not to be provided or disclosed to or used by third parties without the addressee’s consent. URS Australia and the addressee of this report accept no liability to third parties of any kind for any unauthorised use of the contents of this report and reserve their right to seek compensation for any such unauthorised use. 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Table of Contents 1 Part 1 Introduction 1.1 Mangroves .......................................................................................................1-1 1.2 Dugong and Turtle Management Plan ..........................................................1-1 1.3 Coral.................................................................................................................1-2 2 Part 2 Mangroves 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................1 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................1 1.2 Intertidal habitat .................................................................................................1 1.2.1 Mangrove Communities ..................................................................................................1 1.2.2 Saltmarsh Communities..................................................................................................2 1.2.3 Regional Extent of Mangrove and Saltmarsh/Saltpan Communities .........................2 1.3 GLNG Activities..................................................................................................2 1.3.1 LNG Facility ......................................................................................................................2 1.3.2 Gas Transmission Pipeline.............................................................................................3 2 Potential Impacts and Mitigation Measures....................................................6 2.1 Potential Impacts ...............................................................................................6 2.1.1 Increased Sedimentation ................................................................................................6 2.1.2 Coastal Processes ...........................................................................................................6 2.1.3 Recovery from Sedimentation and altered Hydrology.................................................6 2.2 LNG Facility ........................................................................................................7 2.2.1 Direct Impacts ..................................................................................................................7 2.2.2 Potential Indirect Impacts ...............................................................................................8 2.3 Gas Transmission Pipeline ...............................................................................9 2.3.1 Curtis Island (Laird Point)...............................................................................................9 2.3.2 Mainland (Friend Point).................................................................................................11 2.4 Mitigation Measures ........................................................................................14 3 Part 3 Dugong and Turtle Management Plan Executive Summary .................................................................................................vi 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................8 1.1 Objective.............................................................................................................8 42626446/1/C i 1.2 GLNG Overview..................................................................................................8 1.2.1 Construction of the LNG Facility....................................................................................8 1.2.2 Product Loading Facility and Materials Offloading Facility ........................................9 1.2.3 Dredging ...........................................................................................................................9 1.2.4 Marine Dredge Material Placement Facility.................................................................12 1.2.5 Gas transmission pipeline across Port Curtis............................................................14 1.2.6 Vessel Movements.........................................................................................................15 1.2.7 Flaring .............................................................................................................................17 1.3 Regulatory Framework ....................................................................................19 2 Sea Turtles.......................................................................................................20 2.1 Background ......................................................................................................20 2.2 Conservation Status ........................................................................................20 2.3 Sea Turtle Ecology...........................................................................................21 2.4 Sea Turtles in the Port Curtis Area ................................................................25 3 Dugongs ..........................................................................................................27 3.1 Conservation Status ........................................................................................27 3.2 Dugong Ecology ..............................................................................................27 3.3 Dugongs in the Port Curtis Area ....................................................................29 4 Potential Impacts, Actions and Strategies....................................................33 4.1 Potential Impacts .............................................................................................33 4.1.1 Capital and maintenance dredging ..............................................................................33 4.1.2 Marine Dredge Material Placement Facility.................................................................36 4.1.3 Gas transmission pipeline ............................................................................................36 4.1.4 Vessel movements.........................................................................................................37 4.1.5 Lighting and flaring .......................................................................................................38 4.1.6 Human presence ............................................................................................................38 4.2 Management Actions and Strategies .............................................................38 4.2.1 Capital and maintenance dredging ..............................................................................39 4.2.2 Marine Dredge Material Placement Facility.................................................................40 4.2.3 Gas transmission pipeline construction .....................................................................41 4.2.4 Vessel movements.........................................................................................................41 4.2.5 Lighting and Flaring ......................................................................................................41 42626446/1/C ii 4.2.6 Human presence ............................................................................................................42 4.3 Contingency Actions .......................................................................................42 5 Monitoring, Auditing and Reporting..............................................................43 5.1 Responsibility ..................................................................................................43 5.2 Monitoring ........................................................................................................43 5.2.1 Nesting Turtle Monitoring Program .............................................................................43 5.2.2 Monitoring of potential impacts from dredging..........................................................44 5.2.3