489-555 ROBINSONS ROAD, TRUGANINA ASSESSMENT OF MATTERS OF NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE MarksX Group Pty Ltd c/- EMKC Suite 5 61–63 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn, VIC 3123 P.O. Box 337, Camberwell, VIC 3124 Ph. (03) 9815 2111 Fax. (03) 9815 2685 January 2017 Report No. 16005 (1.1) 489-555 Robinson’s Road, Truganina – Assessment of MNES Report No. 16005 (1.1) CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 2. MNES – ANALYSIS OF LIKLIHOOD OF OCCURANCE ...................................................... 3 2.1. Existing information ................................................................................................. 3 2.1.1. Existing reporting ............................................................................................. 3 2.1.2. Existing MNES records and habitat modelling ............................................... 3 2.2. Ecological communities ........................................................................................... 4 2.3. Species ..................................................................................................................... 4 3. TARGETED SURVEYS UNDERTAKEN FOR MNES .......................................................... 13 3.1. Ecological communities ......................................................................................... 13 3.1.1. Survey methods ............................................................................................. 13 3.1.2. Survey limitations ........................................................................................... 13 3.1.3. Results ............................................................................................................ 13 3.2. Flora species .......................................................................................................... 13 3.2.1. Survey methods ............................................................................................. 13 3.2.2. Survey limitations ........................................................................................... 14 3.2.3. Results ............................................................................................................ 14 3.3. Striped Legless Lizard............................................................................................ 17 3.3.1. Species Biology .............................................................................................. 17 3.3.2. Methods .......................................................................................................... 18 3.3.3. Limitations of field assessment .................................................................... 20 3.3.4. Results ............................................................................................................ 22 3.4. Golden Sun Moth ................................................................................................... 25 3.4.1. Species Biology .............................................................................................. 25 3.4.2. Methods .......................................................................................................... 27 3.4.3. Results ............................................................................................................ 30 4. SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ASSESSMENT ............................................................................. 34 4.1. Ecological communities - NTGVVP ........................................................................ 34 4.2. Species ................................................................................................................... 36 5. IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................. 37 6. REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 38 TABLES Table 1: EPBC Act listed species from the 10 km search region and likelihood of occurrence in the study area .......................................................................................... 8 Page | i 489-555 Robinson’s Road, Truganina – Assessment of MNES Report No. 16005 (1.1) Table 2: Results of the tile grid survey ................................................................................. 24 Table 3: Weather conditions during the surveys and reference site location ................... 32 Table 4: Application of significant impact criteria for NTGVVP in the study area .............. 35 FIGURES Figure 1: Study area – locality map ........................................................................................ 2 Figure 2: Spiny Rice-flower (SRF) plant recorded by Ecology Partners (2007) .................... 7 Figure 3: Study area and NTGVVP ........................................................................................ 15 Figure 4: Suitable habitat for targeted flora species ........................................................... 16 Figure 5: Distribution of Striped Legless Lizard in Victoria (Source: Viridians 2011) ....... 18 Figure 6: Location of tile grids in the study area ................................................................. 21 Figure 7: Historical records of Striped Legless Lizard in close proximity to the study area. ......................................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 8: Blue-tongue Lizard detected during the targeted survey .................................... 23 Figure 9: Male Golden Sun Moth .......................................................................................... 25 Figure 10: Historical records of Golden Sun Moth in close proximity to the study area. .. 30 Figure 11: Location of Golden Sun moth transect area in the study area ......................... 33 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Historical records of Striped Legless Lizard from 1990 to present within five kilometres of the study area (VBA 2016) ..................................................................... 42 Appendix 2: Historical records of Golden Sun Moth from 1990 to present within five kilometres of the study area (VBA 2016) ..................................................................... 46 Appendix 3: Protected Matters Search Tool report (4/1/2017) ........................................ 51 Page | ii 489-555 Robinson’s Road, Truganina – Assessment of MNES Report No. 16005 (1.1) 1. INTRODUCTION The Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) contains a list of threatened species and ecological communities that are considered to be of national conservation significance. Any impacts on these species considered significant requires the approval of the Australian Minister for the Environment. If there is a possibility of a significant impact on Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES), a Referral under the EPBC Act should be considered. The Minister will decide after 20 business days whether the project will be a ‘controlled action’ under the EPBC Act, in which case it cannot be undertaken without the approval of the Minister. This approval depends on a further assessment and approval process (lasting between three and nine months, depending on the level of assessment). Brett Lane and Associates Pty Ltd (BL&A) were engaged by EMKC Developments Pty Ltd, on behalf of MarksX Group Pty Ltd, to undertake an assessment of MNES, specifically flora and fauna species and ecological communities listed under the EPBC Act within a portion of the property at 489-555 Robinson’s Road, Truganina (the ‘study area’), in Melbourne’s western suburbs. The study area is proposed to developed into an industrial area. The location and extent of the study area is presented in figures 1 through 4, 6 & 7 and 10 & 11 throughout this report. This assessment is a follow up to similar assessments undertaken within and adjacent the study area in 2007 by BL&A and Ecology Partners Pty Ltd. During these assessments, one MNES was recorded in the study area – Natural Temperate Grassland of the Victorian volcanic Plain (NTGVVP), an ecological community listed as critically endangered under the EPBC Act. Another MNES, Spiny Rice-flower – also listed as critically endangered under the EPBC Act, was recorded immediately north of the study area. This assessment was commissioned to determine the current presence and status of any MNES which have the potential to occur in the study area, determine whether development of the study area would have a significant impact on any MNES found to occur there and provide recommendations on the next course of action. This assessment was undertaken by a team from BL&A, comprising Elinor Ebsworth (Senior Ecologist), Teisha Lay (Zoologist), Jackson Clarke (Zoologist), Curtis Doughty (Senior Zoologist), Davide Coppolino (Senior Ecologist) and Brett Macdonald (Senior Ecologist and Project Manager). Page | 1 © OpenStreetMap (and) contributors, CC-BY-SA Metres Legend 0 250 500 1,000 Study area Figure 1: Locality map Project:489-555 Robinsons Rd, Truganina Client: MarksX Group Pty Ltd Project No.: 16005 Date: 6/01/2017 Created By: N. May / B. MacDonald ¯ 489-555 Robinson’s Road, Truganina – Assessment of MNES Report No. 16005 (1.1) 2. MNES – ANALYSIS OF LIKLIHOOD OF OCCURANCE 2.1. Existing information 2.1.1. Existing reporting The reports below relating to past flora and fauna assessments of the study area were reviewed.