February 2009 Review of Flora and Fauna Protected under the EPBC Act 1999 Western Areas NL 11 Ventnor Avenue WEST PERTH WA 6005 Ph: (08) 9334 777 Western Areas N.L. Forrestania Nickel Project Table of Contents 1.0 PURPOSE AND SCOPE................................................................................................................ 4 2.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 4 3.0 DESCRIPTION OF LOCALITY .................................................................................................... 5 4.0 FAUNA ........................................................................................................................................... 6 4.1 Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris) ................................................................................. 6 4.2 Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) .......................................................................................................................... 8 4.3 Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus) ...........................................................................................................10 4.4 Eastern Great Egret (Ardea alba, Ardea modesta, Egretta alba) ...................................................................12 4.5 Cattle Egret (Ardea Ibis, Bubulcus ibis) ..........................................................................................................12 4.6 Fork-tailed Swift (Apus pacificus) ..................................................................................................................13 4.7 Slender-billed Thornbill (Acanthiza iredalei iredalei) ....................................................................................14 4.8 Chuditch (Dasyuris geoffroii) .........................................................................................................................15 4.9 Red-tailed Phascogale (Phascogale calura) ...................................................................................................18 5.0 FLORA ........................................................................................................................................ 19 5.1 Banksia sphaerocarpa var. dolichostyla (Ironcaps Banksia) ..........................................................................20 5.2 Eucalyptus steedmanii (Steedman’s Gum) ....................................................................................................21 5.3 Eremophila viscida (Varnish Bush) ................................................................................................................23 5.4 Anigozanthos bicolor subsp. Minor (Little Kangaroo Paw) ............................................................................24 5.5 Grevillea involucrata (Lake Varley Grevillea).................................................................................................25 5.6 Roycea pycnophylloides (Saltmat) .................................................................................................................26 5.7 Boronia revoluta (Ironcap Boronia) ...............................................................................................................27 6.0 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................ 28 7.0 PLATES ....................................................................................................................................... 30 8.0 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 32 Tables Table 1: E. steedmanii population size assessment ......................................................................................................22 Review of flora and fauna protected under the EPBC Act 1999, as reported by Protected Matters Search Tool for Spotted Quoll 2 Western Areas N.L. Forrestania Nickel Project Table of Figures Figure 1: Location of Forrestania in Western Australia ................................................................................................. 5 Figure 2: Distribution of Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo ...................................................................................................... 6 Figure 3: Distribution map of Malleefowl ..................................................................................................................... 8 Figure 4: Distribution of Merops ornatus .....................................................................................................................10 Figure 5: Distribution map for Ardea alba ...................................................................................................................12 Figure 6: Distribution map for Ardea ibis .....................................................................................................................12 Figure 7: Distribution map for Apus pacificus ..............................................................................................................13 Figure 8: Distribution map for the Slender-billed Thornbill ...........................................................................................14 Figure 9: Distribution map for Chuditch ......................................................................................................................15 Figure 10: Distribution map for the Red-tailed Phascogale ..........................................................................................18 Figure 11: Distribution map for Banksia sphaerocarpa var. dolichostyla ......................................................................20 Figure 12: Distribution of Eucalyptus steedmanii .........................................................................................................21 Figure 13: Distribution map for Eremophila viscida .....................................................................................................23 Figure 14: Distribution map for Eremophila viscida .....................................................................................................24 Figure 15: Distribution map for Anigozanthos bicolor subsp. Minor ............................................................................24 Figure 16: Distribution map for Anigozanthos bicolor subsp. Minor .............................................................................25 Figure 17: Distribution map for Grevillea involucrata ..................................................................................................25 Figure 18: Distribution map for Grevillea involucrata ..................................................................................................26 Figure 19: Distribution map for Roycean pycnophylloides ............................................................................................26 Figure 20: Distribution map for Boronia revoluta ........................................................................................................27 Review of flora and fauna protected under the EPBC Act 1999, as reported by Protected Matters Search Tool for Spotted Quoll 3 Western Areas N.L. Forrestania Nickel Project 1.0 PURPOSE AND SCOPE The Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is triggered when actions that have, or which are likely to have, a significant impact on Matters of National Environmental Significance (NES) are undertaken, or are proposed to be undertaken. Matters of NES that are protected by the EPBC Act include: World Heritage Properties; National Heritage Places; Wetlands of International importance; Listed threatened species or ecological communities; Migratory species; Commonwealth marine areas; and Nuclear actions (including uranium mines). Other matters protected by the EPBC Act include: The environment, where actions proposed are on, or will affect Commonwealth land and the environment; The environment, where Commonwealth agencies are proposing to take an action. Western Areas NL’s (WSA), Spotted Quoll mining proposal (the SQ proposal) was referred to the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) in August 2008. Following referral of the SQ proposal, advice was received from DEWHA (20 October 2008), that the SQ proposal was considered to be a controlled action (i.e., likely to have a significant impact on a matter of NES; namely listed threatened species and communities) and that it would be assessed at a preliminary documentation level of assessment. It is the purpose of this document to review the potential for the SQ proposal to impact on listed threatened species and communities which, according to the DEWHA protected matters search tool, have potential to occur within the proposed SQ open pit and underground mine footprint area. Strategies that seek to avoid, mitigate or offset impacts on listed threatened species and communities of concern in the SQ proposal project area are included in the Environmental Protection Statement and accompanying management plans and appendices. These were prepared for the Western Australian (WA) Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) as a part of the formal WA Environmental Impact Assessment process for the SQ proposal. This document is included as a supplement to this document. 2.0 INTRODUCTION WSA propose to undertake the development of the nickel sulphide resource located