CLEARING PERMIT Granted under section 51E of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 Purpose Permit number: CPS 8345/1 Permit Holder: Southern Forests Irrigation Co-operative Limited Duration of Permit: 21 September 2019 to 21 September 2024 The Permit Holder is authorised to clear native vegetation subject to the following conditions of this Permit. PART I –CLEARING AUTHORISED 1. Purpose for which clearing may be done Clearing for the purposes of geotechnical investigations. 2. Land on which clearing is to be done Record Road Reserve (PINs 11326588, 11596620, 11531264), Glenoran Road Reserve (PIN 11326599), Glenoran State Forest 36, Glenoran Lot 5643 on Plan 225699, Glenoran Lot 5966 on Plan 225699, Glenoran Lot 6290 on Plan 225724, Glenoran Lot 6291 on Plan 225724, Glenoran Lot 6297 on Plan 225724, Glenoran Lot 6299 on Plan 225724, Glenoran 3. Authorised Activity The Permit Holder must not clear more than 3 hectares of native vegetation within the area cross- hatched yellow on attached Plan 8345/1. 4. Clearing not authorised This Permit does not authorise the Permit Holder to clear trees that have a diameter at breast height of 50 centimetres or greater. 5. Application This Permit allows the Permit Holder to authorise persons, including employees, contractors and agents of the Permit Holder, to clear native vegetation for the purposes of this Permit subject to compliance with the conditions of this Permit and approval from the Permit Holder. 6. Type of clearing authorised This Permit authorises the Permit Holder to clear native vegetation for the activities described in condition 1 of this Permit to the extent that the Permit Holder has the power to carry out works involving clearing for those activities under the Local Government Act 1995 or any other written law. CPS 8345/1, 22 August 2019 Page 1 of 4 PART II –MANAGEMENT CONDITIONS 7. Avoid, minimise and reduce the impacts and extent of clearing In determining the amount of native vegetation to be cleared authorised under this Permit, the Permit Holder must have regard to the following principles, set out in order of preference: (a) avoid the clearing of native vegetation; (b) minimise the amount of native vegetation to be cleared; and (c) reduce the impact of clearing on any environmental value. 8. Dieback and weed control When undertaking any clearing or other activity authorised under this Permit, the Permit Holder must take the following steps to minimise the risk of the introduction and spread of weeds and dieback: (a) clean earth-moving machinery of soil and vegetation prior to entering and leaving the area to be cleared; (b) ensure that no dieback or weed-affected soil, mulch, fill or other material is brought into the area to be cleared; and (c) restrict the movement of machines and other vehicles to the limits of the areas to be cleared. 9. Vegetation management - watercourse The Permit Holder shall not clear riparian vegetation within 5 metres of any watercourse or wetland within the area cross-hatched yellow on attached Plan 8345/1, with the exception of access tracks. 10. Fauna Management (a) The Permit Holder must engage a fauna specialist to inspect the area immediately prior to, and for the duration of clearing, for the presence of (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) western ringtail possum(s), (Myrmecobius fasciatus) numbat(s), and (Setonix brachyurus) quokka(s); (b) Clearing must cease in any area where fauna referred to in condition 10(a) above are identified until either: (i) the western ringtail possum(s), numbat(s) and quokka(s) individual has been removed by a fauna specialist; or (ii) the western ringtail possum(s), numbat(s) and quokka(s) individual has moved on from that area to adjoining suitable habitat. (c) Any western ringtail possum(s), numbat(s) and quokka(s) individuals removed in accordance with condition 10(b)(i) of this Permit must be relocated by a fauna specialist to suitable habitat. (d) Where fauna is identified under condition 10(a) of this Permit, the Permit Holder must provide the following records to the CEO as soon as practicable: (iii) the number of individuals identified; (iv) the date each individual was identified; (v) the location where each individual was identified recorded using a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit set to Geocentric Datum Australia 1994 (GDA94), expressing the geographical coordinates in Eastings and Northings or decimal degrees; (vi) the number of individuals removed and relocated; (vii) the date each individual was removed; (viii) the date each individual was relocated; (ix) the location where each individual was relocated to, recorded using a GPS unit set to GDA94, expressing the geographical coordinates in Eastings and Northings or decimal degrees; and (x) details pertaining to the circumstances of any death of, or injury sustained by, an individual. 11. Fauna management (a) Clearing shall be conducted in a slow, progressive manner to allow fauna to move out of the clearing area. CPS 8345/1, 22 August 2019 Page 2 of 4 12. Retain vegetative material and topsoil, revegetation and rehabilitation The Permit Holder shall: (a) retain the vegetative material and topsoil removed by clearing authorised under this Permit and stockpile the vegetative material and topsoil in an area that has already been cleared. (b) at an optimal time within 12 months following completion of geotechnical investigations, revegetate and rehabilitate areas not required for future scheduled and approved development, by: (i) re-shaping the surface of the land so that it is consistent with the surrounding 5 metres of uncleared land; (ii) ripping the ground on the contour to remove soil compaction; (iii) backfill test pits with excavated material; and (iv) laying the vegetative material and topsoil retained under condition 12(a) on the cleared area(s). PART III - RECORD KEEPING AND REPORTING 13. Records must be kept The Permit Holder must maintain the following records for activities done pursuant to this Permit: (a) In relation to the clearing of native vegetation authorised under this Permit: (i) the species composition, structure and density of the cleared area; (ii) the location where the clearing occurred, recorded using a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit set to Geocentric Datum Australia 1994 (GDA94), expressing the geographical coordinates in Eastings and Northings; (iii) the date that the area was cleared; (iv) the size of the area cleared (in hectares); (v) actions taken to avoid, minimise and reduce the impacts and extent of clearing in accordance with condition 7 of the Permit; and (vi) actions taken to minimise the risk of the introduction and spread of dieback and weeds in accordance with condition 8 of this Permit. (b) In relation to the revegetation and rehabilitation of areas pursuant to condition 12 of this Permit: (i) the location of any areas revegetated and rehabilitated, recorded using a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit set to Geocentric Datum Australia 1994 (GDA94), expressing the geographical coordinates in Eastings and Northings or decimal degrees; (ii) a description of the revegetation and rehabilitation activities undertaken; and (iii) the size of the area revegetated and rehabilitated (in hectares). 14. Reporting (a) The Permit Holder must provide to the CEO on or before 30 June of each year, a written report: (i) of records required under condition 13 of this Permit; and (ii) concerning activities done by the Permit Holder under this Permit between 1 January to 31 December of the preceding calendar year. (b) If no clearing authorised under this Permit was undertaken between 1 January to 31 December of the preceding calendar year, a written report confirming that no clearing under this permit has been carried out, must be provided to the CEO on or before 30 June of each year. (c) Prior to 21 June 2024, the Permit Holder must provide to the CEO a written report of records required under condition 13 of this Permit where these records have not already been provided under condition 14(a) of this Permit. DEFINITIONS The following meanings are given to terms used in this Permit: dieback means the effect of Phytophthora species on native vegetation; fauna specialist: means a person who holds a tertiary qualification specialising in environmental science or equivalent, and has a minimum of 2 years work experience in fauna identification and surveys of fauna native to the region being inspected or surveyed, and who holds a valid fauna licence or Ministerial Authorisation issued under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016; CPS 8345/1, 22 August 2019 Page 3 of 4 fill means material used to increase the ground level, or fill a hollow; mulch means the use of organic matter, wood chips or rocks to slow the movement of water across the soil surface and to reduce evaporation; rehabilitate/ed/ion means actively managing an area containing native vegetation in order to improve the ecological function of that area; revegetate/ed/ion means the re-establishment of a cover of local provenance native vegetation in an area using methods such as natural regeneration, direct seeding and/or planting, so that the species composition, structure and density is similar to pre-clearing vegetation types in that area; riparian vegetation has the meaning given to it in Regulation 3 of the Environmental Protection (Clearing of Native Vegetation) Regulations 2004; watercourse has the meaning given to it in section 3 of the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914; wetland/s means an area of seasonally, intermittently or permanently waterlogged or inundated land, whether natural or otherwise, and includes a lake, swamp, marsh, spring, dampland, tidal flat or estuary; weed/s means any plant - (a) that is a declared pest under section 22 of the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007; or (b) published in a Department of Parks and Wildlife Regional Weed Rankings Summary, regardless of ranking; or (c) not indigenous to the area concerned; and wetland/s means an area of seasonally, intermittently or permanently waterlogged or inundated land, whether natural or otherwise, and includes a lake, swamp, marsh, spring, dampland, tidal flat or estuary.