Tronox Management Pty Ltd Chandala Site Processing Plant Clearing Permit Vegetation Survey of Chandala Processing Plant September 2012 Clearing Permit Vegetation Survey of Chandala Processing Plant, October, 2012 This page left blank intentionally a Clearing Permit Vegetation Survey of Chandala Processing Plant, October, 2012 © Landcare Holdings Pty Ltd trading as Western Botanical 19 McDonald Crescent, Bassendean WA 6054 T (08) 9270 0999 F (08) 6278 4988 Report No: WB782 Prepared by: David Leach Approved for Issue: Geoff Cockerton This document has been prepared to the requirements of the client identified on the cover page and no representation is made to any third party. It may be cited for the purposes of scientific research or other fair use, but it may not be reproduced or distributed to any third party by any physical or electronic means without the express permission of the client for whom it was prepared or Western Botanical. This report has been designed for double-sided printing. a Clearing Permit Vegetation Survey of Chandala Processing Plant, October, 2012 This page left blank intentionally a Clearing Permit Vegetation Survey of Chandala Processing Plant, October, 2012 Contents 1. Executive Summary 1 2. Introduction 2 2.1. Project Background 2 2.1.1. Project Description 2 2.1.2. Project Area 3 2.2. Physical Environment 6 2.2.1. Climate 6 2.2.2. Biogeographic Region 6 3. Methods 7 3.1. Desktop Survey 7 3.2. Flora Survey 7 3.2.1. Vegetation Mapping 7 3.2.2. Vegetation Condition 7 3.2.3. Species Inventory 7 3.3. Flora Specimen Identification 8 3.4. Limitations 8 4. Results 9 4.1. Desktop Survey 9 4.1.1. Threatened Ecological Communities 9 4.1.2. Threatened and Priority Flora 11 4.2. Field Survey 12 4.2.1. Vegetation Mapping 12 4.2.2. Vegetation Condition 33 4.2.3. Species Inventory 34 4.3. Significant Flora 34 4.3.1. Calothamnus graniticus subsp. leptophyllus 34 4.3.2. Eucalyptus caesia 36 5. Concluding Discussion 38 5.1. Significant Ecological Communities 38 5.2. Clearing Permit Criteria 38 6. References 41 7. List of Participants 42 i Clearing Permit Vegetation Survey of Chandala Processing Plant, October, 2012 Appendices Appendix 1. Native vegetation condition scale for quick assessment (Casson et al. 2009). 43 Appendix 2. Flora species inventory list of the Project Area 45 Tables Table 1. Summary of Threatened Ecological Communities and Priority Ecological Communities within 10 km of the Project Area. 9 Table 2. Summary of DEC search results for Threatened and Priority flora within 7.5 km of the Project Area. 11 Table 3. Summary of introduced flora species found during field survey and their distribution within the Project Area. 33 Figures Figure 1. Location of Chandala Processing Plant in relation to Perth, Western Australia. Produced with use of Google Maps (2012). 2 Figure 2. Map of the Project Area showing locations of the northern and southern polygons relative to the Chandala Processing Plant. 4 Figure 3. Climate summary (rainfall of past 12 months, mean rainfall, and mean maximum temperature). Source: Pearce RAAF Base, 10 km south of the Project Area (Bureau of Meteorology 2012). 6 Figure 4. Buffer zones for known Threatened Ecological Communities and Priority Ecological Communities within 10 km of the Chandala Processing Plant (at centre mark). 10 Figure 5. Distribution map of Vegetation Associations within the Project Area 13 Figure 6. Distribution of Calothamnus graniticus subsp. letpophyllus, Priority 4. Source: Western Australian Herbarium (2012). 36 Figure 7. Distribution of Eucalyptus caesia, Priority 4. Source: Western Australian Herbarium (2012). 37 Plates Plate 1. Example of ‘Eucalyptus Planted Woodland’ (EPW) vegetation association within the Project Area. 15 Plate 2. Example of ‘Eucalyptus Plantings in Eucalyptus todtiana Open Woodland (EPEtOW) vegetation association within the Project Area. 16 Plate 3. Example of ‘Eucalyptus Plantings in Banksia Woodland’ (EPBW) vegetation association within the Project Area. 17 Plate 4. Example of ‘Melaleuca preissiana and Agonis flexuosa Planted Woodland’ (MpAfPW) vegetation association within the Project Area. 18 Plate 5. Examples of ‘Corymbia calophylla Woodland’ (CcW) vegetation association within the Project Area. 19 ii Clearing Permit Vegetation Survey of Chandala Processing Plant, October, 2012 Plate 6. Example of ‘Eucalyptus rudis Woodland’ (ErW) vegetation association within the Project Area. 20 Plate 7. Example of ‘Eucalyptus todtiana Woodland’ (EtW) vegetation association within the Project Area. 21 Plate 8. Example of ‘Acacia saligna Low Woodland’ (AsLW) vegetation association within the Project Area. 22 Plate 9. Example of ‘Acacia saligna and Regelia ciliata Thicket’ (AsRcT) vegetation association within the Project Area. 23 Plate 10. Example of ‘Acacia saligna, Banksia attenuata, and Banksia menziesii Open Woodland’ (AsBaBm) vegetation association within the Project Area. 24 Plate 11. Examples of ‘Banksia menziesii, Banksia attenuata, Regelia ciliata Open Woodland’ (BmBaRcOW) vegetation association within the Project Area. 25 Plate 12. Examples of ‘Mixed Banksia, Eucalyptus rudis, and Melaleuca ryeae Open Woodland’ (BxErMrOW) vegetation association within the Project Area. 26 Plate 13. Example of ‘Xanthorrhoea preisii and Melaleuca ryeae Low Heath’ (XpMrLH) vegetation association within the Project Area. 27 Plate 14. Example of ‘Regelia ciliata Low Heath’ (RcLH) vegetation association within the Project Area. 28 Plate 15. Example of ‘Regelia ciliata Low Shrubland’ (RcLS) vegetation association within the Project Area. 29 Plate 16. Example of ‘Eremaea pauciflora Open Dwarf Shrubland’ (EpODS) vegetation association within the Project Area. 30 Plate 17. Example of ‘Pentameris airoides Mixed Herbland’ (PaMH) vegetation association within the Project Area. 31 Plate 18. Example of ‘Sparse Juncus pallidus Drainage Line’ (JpDL) vegetation association within the Project Area. 32 Plate 19. Photos of Calothamnus graniticus subsp. leptophyllus, Priority 4. Source: Western Australian Herbarium (2012). 35 Plate 20. Photos of Eucalyptus caesia, Priority 4. Source: Western Australian Herbarium (2012). 37 iii Clearing Permit Vegetation Survey of Chandala Processing Plant, October, 2012 1. Executive Summary Tronox Management Pty Ltd (Tronox) operates the Chandala mineral sands processing plant in Muchea, approximately 49 km north-northeast of Perth, Western Australia. Expansion of the Chandala plant is being considered by Tronox to extend their processing capacity of mineral sands. Western Botanical was contracted by Tronox to perform a flora and vegetation survey to assist preparation of vegetation clearing permits for expansion of the processing plant. Vegetation mapping, vegetation condition assessment, and a species inventory were completed for the 26.6 ha Project Area. Eighteen vegetation associations were recognised and mapped. Eighty-five flora species from 49 genera and 26 families were found, including 17 introduced or weed species. Two Priority 4 species, Calothamnus graniticus subsp. leptophyllus and Eucalyptus caesia, were found within the Project Area. However, all E. caesia plants were obvious plantings and are therefore not protected by the Priority 4 classification. One individual of C. graniticus subsp. leptophyllus was found and is likely (though unconfirmed) a planting. The removal of this plant, if necessary, would likely have a negligible impact on the status of the species. Overall vegetation condition within the Project Area was ‘Degraded’ due to past grazing, weed invasion, and rehabilitative plantings that have removed and/or replaced a majority of mid and ground strata flora. Originally, the Threatened Ecological Community ‘Banksia attenuata woodland over species rich dense shrublands’ was likely present within two associations (a total of 3.59 ha) of the Project Area. Subsequent to past disturbance, these areas no longer possess ‘species rich dense shrublands’ and therefore no longer match the TEC definition. Similarly, the modified remains of the mid and ground strata do not match the description of the Priority Ecological Community (PEC) ‘Swan Coastal Plain Banksia attenuata – Banksia menziesii woodlands (community type 23b)’. Consequently, the associations either do not match the PEC, or represent it poorly and in terms of the upper strata only. A summary of the survey findings against the clearing principles of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 is additionally presented. 1 Clearing Permit Vegetation Survey of Chandala Processing Plant, October, 2012 2. Introduction 2.1. Project Background 2.1.1. Project Description Tronox Management Pty Ltd (Tronox) operates the Chandala mineral sands processing plant in Muchea, approximately 49 km north-northeast of Perth, Western Australia (Figure 1). Chandala currently processes approximately 450,000 tonnes of ilmenite, 80,000 tonnes of rutile, and 20,000 tonnes of leucoxene per year (Tronox Management Pty Ltd 2012). Expansion of the Chandala plant is being considered by Tronox to extend their processing capacity of mineral sands. Western Botanical was contracted by Tronox to perform a flora and vegetation survey to assist preparation of vegetation clearing permits for expansion of the processing plant. Figure 1. Location of Chandala Processing Plant in relation to Perth, Western Australia. Produced with use of Google Maps (2012). 2 Clearing Permit Vegetation Survey of Chandala Processing Plant, October, 2012 2.1.2. Project Area The Project Area consists of two polygons immediately