Banksia Road Dardanup Level 2 Flora and Vegetation Survey and Level 1 Fauna Assessment November 2014 Prepared for Transpacific Industries Group Ltd Astron Environmental Services 129 Royal Street East Perth WA 6004 Phone: (08) 9421 9600 Fax: (08) 9421 9699 Report Reference: 21135-14-BISR-1Rev1_151022 Email: [email protected] Banksia Road Dardanup Level 2 Vegetation and Flora Survey and Level 1 Fauna Assessment Prepared for Transpacific Industries Group Ltd Job Number: 21135-14 Reference: 21135-14-BISR-1Rev1_151022 Revision Status Rev Date Description Author(s) Reviewer M. Love N. Cadd A 08/12/2014 Draft Issued for Client Review V. Clarke J. Oates M. Love N. Cadd 0 02/10/2015 Final Issued for Information V. Clarke J. Oates Revised Final Issued for M. Love 1 22/10/2015 R. Archibald Information V. Clarke Approval Rev Date Issued to Authorised by Name Signature Transpacific Industries Group A 09/12/2014 S. Pearse (Cleanaway) Transpacific Industries Group 0 02/10/2015 S. Pearse (Cleanaway) Transpacific Industries Group 1 22/10/2015 S. Pearse (Cleanaway) © Copyright 2015 Astron Environmental Services Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. This document and information contained in it has been prepared by Astron Environmental Services under the terms and conditions of its contract with its client. The report is for the clients use only and may not be used, exploited, copied, duplicated or reproduced in any form or medium whatsoever without the prior written permission of Astron Environmental Services or its client. Transpacific Industries Group Ltd Banksia Road Dardanup – Level 2 Flora and Vegetation Survey and Level 1 Fauna Assessment, November 2014 Abbreviations and Definitions Abbreviation Definition Astron Astron Environmental Services BOM Bureau of Meteorology Cleanaway Transpacific Industries Group Ltd cm Centimetres CR Critically Endangered DAFWA Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia DBH Diameter at breast height ˚C Degrees Celsius Parks and Wildlife Department of Parks and Wildlife DoE Department of the Environment Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities DSEWPAC (now DoE) EN Endangered EPA Environmental Protection Authority EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 ha Hectare IBRA Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia km Kilometres m Metres mm Millimetres MNES Matters of National Environmental Significance (under the EPBC Act) PEC Priority ecological community TEC Threatened ecological community VU Vulnerable WC Act Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 ~ Approximately Page | ii Transpacific Industries Group Ltd Banksia Road Dardanup – Level 2 Flora and Vegetation Survey and Level 1 Fauna Assessment, November 2014 Executive Summary Astron Environmental Services was engaged to conduct a spring flora, vegetation and fauna habitat assessment for Transpacific Industries Group Ltd (Cleanaway) landfill site in Banksia Road Dardanup, Western Australia. The survey area is approximately 118 hectares, of which approximately 7.4 hectares is mapped as native vegetation. The western section of the survey area is plantation (planted trees), and only the easternmost area contains native vegetation. The majority of the site is an operational landfill site. One-hundred and twenty-two vascular plant taxa, representing 80 genera from 35 families, were recorded within the native vegetation areas, with 10 taxa being non-native (weeds). A number of conservation significant flora taxa were listed from the database search results for the survey area vicinity; however suitable habitat for the majority of these taxa was not found. The survey was conducted late in the spring season but a reasonable suite of annual and orchid taxa were able to be recorded. Where potential habitat for conservation significant flora occurred, the area was intensively searched but none of these taxa were located and suitable supporting habitat was not found. No conservation significant flora was recorded. Two jarrah-marri vegetation units were described for the survey area. In the adjacent Dardanup Conservation Park a priority ecological community is recorded and the native vegetation within the survey area is mapped within the buffer of this priority ecological community. The priority ecological community contains Corymbia haematoxylon which was not recorded in the Banksia Road site. One broad fauna habitat type was recorded during the fauna assessment; a jarrah-marri woodland of mid to upper slopes. Despite being found within an existing plantation and operating tip facility, this fauna habitat type would support a minor array of conservation significant fauna species. Twenty-five fauna species were recorded during the survey through direct observation or indirect evidence, including one reptile species, 22 bird species and two mammal species. Four species recorded during the survey have conservation significance: the forest red-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso), Carnaby’s cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris), Baudin’s cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus baudinii), and the rainbow bee-eater (Merops ornatus). These species along with the crested shrike-tit (Falcunculus frontatus leucogaster), southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus fusciventer) and the western brush wallaby (Macropus irma) are expected to occur at varying times within the survey area in either a foraging and/or sheltering capacity. The jarrah and marri trees recorded within the fauna habitat of the survey area presents some level of importance for the three species of black cockatoo. The marri in particular are a preferred food resource for black cockatoos and there was significant foraging evidence of both forest red-tailed and Carnaby’s black cockatoos within the survey area. Eighty potential breeding trees were identified (diameter at breast height of greater than 50 centimetres) in the survey area, including 17 trees containing hollows that would be potentially suitable for breeding purposes. Two of the hollows were deemed to be ‘active’ as there were significant scratchings around the entrances to the hollows, which is generally used as indication of current or past breeding activities. However the hollows were not internally inspected in detail due to their elevation, so the suitability of the hollows for breeding black cockatoos cannot be accurately assessed. Given the site contains foraging and breeding potential, vegetation clearing within the survey area would constitute a high risk of significant impact under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 referral guidelines and therefore requires referral to the Commonwealth Department of the Environment. Page | iii Transpacific Industries Group Ltd Banksia Road Dardanup – Level 2 Flora and Vegetation Survey and Level 1 Fauna Assessment, November 2014 Table of Contents 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Project Background ................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Scope and Objectives .............................................................................................................. 1 1.3 Environmental Context ........................................................................................................... 3 1.3.1 Climate ........................................................................................................................ 3 1.3.2 Geology, Landforms and Soils ..................................................................................... 3 1.3.3 Surface Water and Hydrology ..................................................................................... 4 1.3.4 Vegetation ................................................................................................................... 4 2 Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Desktop Assessment ............................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Field Survey ............................................................................................................................. 5 2.2.1 Level 2 Vegetation and Flora Survey ........................................................................... 5 2.2.2 Level 1 Fauna Survey ................................................................................................... 7 2.2.2.1 Western Ringtail Possum Assessment ......................................................... 7 2.2.2.2 Black Cockatoo Assessment ......................................................................... 7 2.3 Specimen Identification and Data Entry ................................................................................. 8 2.4 Limitations of the Survey ........................................................................................................ 8 3 Results ............................................................................................................................................. 9 3.1 Seasonal Conditions ................................................................................................................ 9 3.2 Desktop Assessment ............................................................................................................... 9 3.2.1 Vegetation and Flora ..................................................................................................