Report for Bass Coast Shire Council Biodiversity Assessment for Proposed Clearing of Native Vegetation at Inverloch Foreshore Shared Path (Abbott Street to Cape Patterson Road) July 2014 Shannon Dwyer, Bruce Horkings and Ben Imbery Biodiversity Assessment of proposed Shared Path at Inverloch Foreshore – July 2014 Acknowledgements Derek Peters – Senior Projects Engineer, Bass Coast Shire Council Nadia Wharton – Manager, Indigenous Design Land Management Diana Whittington – Land and Catchment Officer, Bass Coast Shire Council Kim Wong – Project Engineer, Bass Coast Shire Council Version Control Date Status Revision type Reviewed by Amended by issued Draft 1.1 03.09.2014 First Draft B. Imbery B. Horkings Draft 1.2 03.09.2014 Second Draft N. Wharton B. Horkings Draft 1.3 11.09.2014 Third Draft Client B. Imbery Final Draft 11.09.2014 Final Draft Client B. Imbery Final BCSC offset strategy revisions and FFG amendments- final version Final 16.09.2014 released for planning permit application Indigenous Design Land Management i Biodiversity Assessment of proposed Shared Path at Inverloch Foreshore – July 2014 Contents Contents .................................................................................................................................... ii Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................x 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................1 1.1 Project Background ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Objectives .................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Study Area ................................................................................................................... 2 2 Descriptions of Methods ...................................................................................................6 2.1 Data and Literature Review......................................................................................... 6 2.2 Field Survey ................................................................................................................ 6 2.2.1 Vegetation ............................................................................................................ 6 2.2.2 Loss Calculation Methodology ............................................................................ 7 2.3 Limitations .................................................................................................................. 8 3 Ecological Values ..............................................................................................................9 3.1 Vegetation Condition .................................................................................................. 9 3.1.2 Ecological Vegetation Classes................................................................................. 9 3.2 Flora Species ............................................................................................................. 11 3.2.1 Flora Species Recorded...................................................................................... 11 3.2.2 Significant Flora Species ................................................................................... 11 3.2.3 Significant Vegetation Communities ................................................................. 12 3.3 Fauna Species ............................................................................................................ 13 3.3.1 Significant Fauna Species .................................................................................. 13 3.4 Quantification of Significant Flora and Fauna Species Habitat ................................ 14 4 Policy and Legislative Implications ...............................................................................15 4.1 Commonwealth - Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 15 4.1.1 Implications........................................................................................................ 15 4.2 State - Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 ............................................................ 16 4.2.1 Implications........................................................................................................ 16 4.3 Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 ................................................................ 16 4.4 Planning and Environment Act 1987 ........................................................................ 17 4.4.1 Implications........................................................................................................ 17 5 Victoria’s Native Vegetation Permitted Clearing Regulations ...................................18 5.1 Risk-based Approach ................................................................................................ 18 5.2 Minimising Impacts on Native Vegetation ............................................................... 18 5.2.1 Design ................................................................................................................ 18 Indigenous Design Land Management ii Biodiversity Assessment of proposed Shared Path at Inverloch Foreshore – July 2014 5.2.2 Construction ....................................................................................................... 19 5.3 Assessing Loss of Native Vegetation ........................................................................ 20 5.3.1 Patches of Native Vegetation ............................................................................. 20 5.3.2 Scattered Trees ................................................................................................... 24 5.3.3 Quantification of Losses to Native Vegetation .................................................. 25 5.4 Net Gain Targets ....................................................................................................... 26 5.4.1 Native Patch Losses ........................................................................................... 26 6 Offset Strategy .................................................................................................................28 7 Conclusion and Recommendations ...............................................................................29 Appendices ...............................................................................................................................33 Appendix 1 – Flora survey results ....................................................................................... 33 Appendix 2 – Biodiversity Impact and Offset Requirements Report .................................. 39 Maps .........................................................................................................................................49 Map 1a - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-101) ....... 49 Map 1b- Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-102) ........ 50 Map 1c - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-103) ....... 51 Map 1d - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-104) ....... 52 Map 1e - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-105) ....... 53 Map 1f - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-106)........ 54 Map 1g - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-107) ....... 55 Map 1h - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-108) ....... 56 Map 1i - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-109) ........ 57 Map 1j - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-110) ........ 58 Map 1k - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-111) ....... 59 Map 1l - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-112) ........ 60 Map 1m - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-113) ...... 61 Map 1n - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (2156-114) ....... 62 Map 1o - Location and extent of native vegetation losses under proposal (Seaview Street) .............................................................................................................................................. 63 Indigenous Design Land Management iii Biodiversity Assessment of proposed Shared Path at Inverloch Foreshore – July 2014 Glossary Avoiding removing any native vegetation when undertaking a use or development. This can be either by not permitting or not going ahead with Avoid the use or development, or locating it elsewhere so that removing native vegetation is not required. The variety of all life forms, the different plants, animals and Biodiversity microorganisms, the genes they contain, and the ecosystems of which they form a part. Biogeograph ic areas that capture the patterns of ecological characteristics Bioregion in the landscape or seascape, providing a natural framework for recognising and responding to biodiversity values. Bioregional Conservation A state-wide classification of the degree of depletion in the extent and/or quality of an Ecological Conservation Class (EVC) within a bioregion in Status (BCS of an comparison to the State’s estimation of its pre-1750 extent and condition. EVC) A program coordinated by DEPI to