OCTOBER 2012 ENVIRONMENTAL HERITAGE & SOCIAL IMPACT SERVICES THUNDERBIRD DAMPIER PENINSULA PROJECT CULTURAL HERITAGE FLORA AND FAUNA ASSESSMENT REPORT TO THE KIMBERLEY LAND COUNCIL ABORIGINAL CORPORATION & THE NATIVE TITLE CLAIM GROUP This page has been left blank intentionally ENVIRONMENTAL HERITAGE & SOCIAL IMPACT SERVICES THUNDERBIRD DAMPIER PENINSULA PROJECT CULTURAL HERITAGE FLORA AND FAUNA ASSESSMENT REPORT TO THE KIMBERLEY LAND COUNCIL ABORIGINAL CORPORATION & THE NATIVE TITLE CLAIM GROUP Kimberley Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Native Title Claim Group Thunderbird Dampier Peninsula Project Cultural Heritage Flora and Fauna Assessment Document Status Approved for Issue Rev. Author Reviewer/s Date Name Distributed To Date 1 R. Young R. Young 29/08/12 L. Roque-Albelo M. Powers 31/08/12 N. Jackett M. Fairborn J Graff 2 N. Jackett K. Honczar 22/10/12 K. Honczar M. Powers 23/10/12 ecologia Environment (2012). Reproduction of this report in whole or in part by electronic, mechanical or chemical means including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, in any language, is strictly prohibited without the express approval of the Kimberley Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, the Native Title Claim Group and/or ecologia Environment. Restrictions on Use This report has been prepared specifically for the Kimberley Land Council Aboroginal Corporation and the Native Title Claim Group. Neither the report nor its contents may be referred to or quoted in any statement, study, report, application, prospectus, loan, or other agreement document (with the exception of when this document is required to be publicly released as part of a statutory approval process), without the express approval of the Kimberley Land Council Aboroginal Corporation and the Native Title Claim Group and/or ecologia Environment. ecologia Environment 1025 Wellington Street WEST PERTH WA 6005 Phone: 08 9322 1944 Fax: 08 9322 1599 Email: [email protected] October 2012 i Kimberley Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Native Title Claim Group Thunderbird Dampier Peninsula Project Cultural Heritage Flora and Fauna Assessment TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 PROJECT OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................1 1.2 LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK .......................................................................................................1 1.3 SURVEY OBJECTIVES ..................................................................................................................2 2 BIOPHYSICAL CLIMATE ................................................................................................... 5 2.1 CLIMATE ....................................................................................................................................5 2.2 SOILS AND GEOLOGY ................................................................................................................6 2.3 VEGETATION .............................................................................................................................7 2.4 LAND SYSTEMS ..........................................................................................................................8 2.5 BIOGEOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................9 3 SURVEY METHODS ........................................................................................................ 13 3.1 LITERATURE REVIEW AND DATABASE SEARCHES .................................................................. 13 3.2 CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANT SPECIES .................................................................................. 14 3.3 SURVEY TIMING ..................................................................................................................... 16 3.4 QUADRAT SELECTION ............................................................................................................ 16 3.5 SAMPLING METHODS ............................................................................................................ 20 3.6 ANIMAL ETHICS ...................................................................................................................... 21 3.7 VEGETATION MAPPING ......................................................................................................... 21 3.8 TAXONOMY AND NOMENCLATURE ....................................................................................... 21 3.9 CULTURAL HERITAGE SURVEY METHODOLOGY .................................................................... 22 3.10 IMPACT TO CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT SPECIES .................................................................... 23 3.11 SURVEY TEAM ........................................................................................................................ 23 4 RESULTS ........................................................................................................................ 24 4.1 VEGETATION RESULTS ........................................................................................................... 24 4.2 FLORA RESULTS ...................................................................................................................... 32 4.3 FAUNA RESULTS ..................................................................................................................... 44 4.4 FAUNA HABITATS ................................................................................................................... 52 October 2012 ii Kimberley Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Native Title Claim Group Thunderbird Dampier Peninsula Project Cultural Heritage Flora and Fauna Assessment 5 FLORA AND FAUNA OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE ........................................................... 61 5.1 FLORA OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE ...................................................................................... 61 5.2 FAUNA OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE ..................................................................................... 96 6 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................ 104 6.1 VEGETATION COMMUNITIES’ CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT ............................................ 104 6.2 FLORA CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT ................................................................................. 105 6.3 FLORA OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT .................................. 107 6.4 CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANT FAUNA WITH A MEDIUM OR HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF POTENTIALLY OCCURRING IN STUDY AREA ......................................................................... 111 7 REFERENCES................................................................................................................ 117 October 2012 iii Kimberley Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Native Title Claim Group Thunderbird Dampier Peninsula Project Cultural Heritage Flora and Fauna Assessment TABLES Table 2.1 – Climate Statistics for Broome Airport and Derby Aero Weather Station (BoM, 2011) ........6 Table 2.2 – Representation of Broad Scale Vegetation Units within the Study Area ..............................7 Table 2.3 – Land Systems of the Study Area ............................................................................................8 Table 3.1 – Databases Searched to determine the potential vertebrate fauna assemblage ............... 13 Table 3.2 – Previous Biological Survey Reports near the Study Area ................................................... 14 Table 3.3 – Likelihood of Occurrence Categories ................................................................................. 15 Table 3.4 – Regional Impact to the Conservation Significant Species .................................................. 15 Table 3.5 – Rainfall received at Derby and Broome preceeding the survey ........................................ 16 Table 3.6 - Location of Flora Quadrats. ................................................................................................. 16 Table 3.7 – Location of Fauna Survey Sites. .......................................................................................... 17 Table 3.8 – References used for Identification. .................................................................................... 22 Table 3.9 – Regional Impact to the Culturally Significant Species on th Dampier Peninsula ............... 23 Table 3.10 – Project Staff and Qualifications ........................................................................................ 23 Table 3.11 – Relevent DEC Licence Details ........................................................................................... 23 Table 4.1 – Taxonomic Composition of the Flora of the Study Area .................................................... 32 Table 4.2 – Most Frequently Recorded Families, Genera and Taxa in the Study Area ........................ 32 Table 4.3 – Priority Flora within 50-km buffer zone, and Assessment of Potential of Occurance ....... 33 Table 4.4 – Priority Flora Recorded in the Study Area .......................................................................... 39 Table 4.5 – Taxa with Range Extensions Greater than 100 km. ........................................................... 39 Table