04 October 2016 Andrew Jensen Senior Environmental Consultant Coffey 47 Doggett Street NEWSTEAD QUEENSLAND 4006 Dear Andrew Re: Ecological constraints assessment for proposed new substation at Cape River Project no. 23052 Biosis Pty Ltd and Ecological Survey & Management were commissioned by Coffey on behalf of Kennedy Energy Park Pty Ltd to complete an ecological assessment to verify the ecological values and associated legislative constraints relevant to the proposed construction of an electrical substation at Cape River, Queensland. It is understood that construction of the substation forms part of the proposed Kennedy Energy Park, a wind energy and solar development approximately 20 kilometres south-east of Hughenden in northern Queensland. The proposed electrical substation is located approximately 117 kilometres north-east of the Kennedy Energy Park and will form part of the energy transmission and distribution network. The objective of this ecological constraints assessment is to determine the presence of any threatened ecological communities (TECs) within the study area and, where applicable, assess the impacts of the project on any species, populations and/or ecological communities (biota), or their habitat, that are regulated by Commonwealth, State and Local Government legislation. Background The proposed substation is located on the northern side of the Flinders Highway approximately 190 kilometres south-west of Townsville. For the purposes of this ecological constraints analysis, the study area was confined to an area of approximately 0.6 hectares (Figure 1; Appendix 1). The study area is wholly located within the: • Desert Uplands Bioregion • Cape-Campaspe Plain subregion • Charters Towers Regional Council Local Government Area (LGA). The study area is situated on the mid to lower slopes of a gently undulated low rise on the edge of very broad ancient river terrace associated with the Cape River. The surrounding landscape is characterised by a mosaic of native woodland vegetation and lands that have been cleared and modified for pastoral and Biosis Pty Ltd Melbourne Resource Group 38 Bertie Street Phone: 03 9646 9499 ACN 006 175 097 Port Melbourne VIC 3207 Fax: 03 9646 9242 ABN 65 006 175 097 Email: [email protected] biosis.com.au agricultural pursuits. An existing electricity substation and a meat processing plant are situated on land adjacent to the study site. Method Database and literature review The following desktop sources were used to provide an initial assessment of the ecological values of the study area: • Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) Protected Matters Search Report (PMST) • Queensland Government’s: – Regulated Vegetation Management Map and Vegetation Management Supporting Map – Wildlife Online Database – Protected Plants Flora Survey Trigger Map – Essential habitat mapping • Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) database. A 20 kilometre radial search area around a central coordinate was used for the PMST, Wildlife Online and ALA searches (the search area). Defining the legislative framework for assessment The implications for the project were assessed in relation to key biodiversity legislation and policy including: • Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), which regulated impacts to matters of national environmental significance (MNES) • Queensland’s – Vegetation Management Act 1999 (VM Act), which regulates impacts to native vegetation communities – Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NC Act), which regulates impacts to threatened, near threatened and special least concern flora and fauna – Environmental Offsets Act 2014 (EO Act), conditions offsets for significant residual impacts to MNES and matters of state environmental significance (MSES), e.g. species protected under the NC Act, mapped regulated vegetation – Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002 (LP Act), which guides management of declared pest plants • Dalrymple Shire Planning Scheme 2006. Field investigation A field investigation of the study area was undertaken on 14 September 2016 to validate the remnant regional ecosystems (RE) present in the survey area and assess the potential for threatened flora and fauna species and communities to occur. The timing of the flora survey provided sub-optimal conditions for the detection of all flora species, particularly annual herbaceous and grass species due to the dry conditions. However, the threatened flora species most likely to be present within the survey area were considered © Biosis 2016 – Leaders in Ecology and Heritage Consulting 2 likely to be identifiable at the time of the field survey. Fauna species incidentally observed during the flora survey were recorded and habitat characteristics assessed for suitability to support threatened fauna species. The study area was surveyed in compliance with the Methodology for Survey and Mapping of Regional Ecosystems and Vegetation Communities in Queensland, Version 3.2 (Neldner et al. 2012). The Queensland Government has mapped the study area and surrounds as supporting remnant vegetation (Figure 2; Appendix 1). The validation and mapping of remnant vegetation within the study area was undertaken using one detailed secondary site, and two quaternary photo monitoring points were (Figure 3; Appendix 1). The less detailed sampling (quaternary photo points) was conducted to provide additional information relating to the vegetative structure and composition and to assist in mapping the extent and distribution of the identified remnant vegetation within the study area and assessment of habitat for threatened species. A detailed flora species lists was collected at the secondary site (Figure 3) and a traverse list was compiled to account for additional species that were recorded within the same vegetation type but outside of the secondary site plot. Data recorded at the secondary site included: • date and precise location (with reference to handheld GPS) • soils, slope, aspect and landform observations • ground-layer, mid-stratum and canopy species composition and abundance • structural characteristics • condition and disturbance of existing vegetation communities (including distribution of weed species) • quantitative and qualitative species composition within a 1000 m2 quadrat, and documentation of ancillary species identified within the immediate area or during foot traverse • basal area of vegetation (Bitterlich Stick methodology) • photographs of the community (north, east, south, west, groundcover and soils). A habitat based assessment was completed to determine the presence of suitable habitat for threatened species previously recorded or predicted to occur within the search area. This list was filtered according to species descriptions, life history, habitat preference and soil preference to determine those species most likely to be present within the study area. Results The desktop review of databases and other relevant resources returned the following results. • No threatened ecological communities (TECs) under the EPBC Act have been identified as potentially occurring within the search area. • The site and surrounds have the potential to provide habitat for: – a number of flora and fauna species listed as threatened under the EPBC Act – a number of flora and fauna species listed as threatened or near threatened under the NC Act. • A number of bird species listed as migratory under the EPBC Act and/or and special least concern under the NC Act (Appendix 2 and 3). © Biosis 2016 – Leaders in Ecology and Heritage Consulting 3 • The entire study area is identified as supporting remnant vegetation containing least concern Regional Ecosystems (REs), namely RE 10.3.6a/RE 10.3.12a (90:10 ratio) (Figure 2; Appendix 1). • The study area does not support any mapped essential habitat on the Essential Habitat Map. • The study area does not occur within or adjoining a high risk area (HRA) on the Protected Plants Flora Survey Trigger Map. The on-ground ecological values of the study area as determined by the desktop review and field survey are presented below. Vegetation communities The study area has been mapped by the Queensland Government as supporting remnant least concern vegetation containing RE 10.3.6a/RE 10.3.12a (90:10 ratio). These REs are described as follows. • RE 10.3.6a: Reid River Box Eucalyptus brownii dominates the very sparse to sparse canopy. Dallachy’s Gum Corymbia dallachiana and Silver-leaved Ironbark E. melanophloia frequently occur in the canopy and sometimes as co-dominants. Red-flowered Bauhinia Lysiphyllum carronii, Ironwood Acacia excelsa, Beefwood Grevillea striata, Whitewood Atalaya hemiglauca, False Sandalwood Eremophila mitchellii, Yellow-barked Paperbark Melaleuca nervosa and Vine Tree Ventilago viminalis frequently occur in the very sparse lower tree layer. Occurs on alluvial plains. • RE 10.3.12a: Corymbia plena dominates the canopy usually with Dallachy’s Gum co-dominant. The low tree layer is usually very sparse or more commonly there are scattered small trees including Acacia sericophylla, A. torulosa and Yellow-barked Paperbark. Aristida ingrata usually dominates the very sparse to sparse ground layer. Occurs on sandy alluvial terraces (eastern). A key focus of the field survey was to verify the accuracy or otherwise of the RE mapping for the study area and confirm that vegetation present does not support the structural and/or floristic elements of any TECs described under the EPBC Act. A summary