Attachment B: Ecological Assessment Report 001 Referral of proposed action v October 2016 Report 20 AUGUST 2018 Koonandah Hard Rock Quarry : Lot 11 on HR1950 Ecological Assessment PR138277-1 | Koonandah Hard Rock Quarry : Lot 11 on HR1950 | Ecological Assessment | 20 Page i August 2018 Commercial In Confidence Report Document status Version Purpose of document Authored by Reviewed by Review date 1. Internal Draft - AF 20-DEC-2017 1.2 Final Report for Issue AF LL 02-JAN-2018 2. Final Report with Amendments LL AF 06-JUL-2018 3. Final Report with Additional Amendments LL AF 09-JUL-2018 4. Final Report with Additional Amendments LL AF 20-AUG-2018 Approval for issue Name Signature Date Anton Fitzgerald 20-AUG-2018 This document was prepared by RPS Australia East Pty Ltd (‘RPS’) within the terms of its engagement and in direct response to a scope of services. 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Prepared by: RPS AUSTRALIA EAST PTY LTD Prepared for: DALE & MARILYN SMITH Level 5, Central Plaza PO Box 766 370 Flinders Mall Bowen QLD 4805 Australia Townsville, QLD 4810 Australia PO Box 977, Townsville QLD 4810 T: +61 7 4724 4244 T: 0428 852 257 E: [email protected] E: [email protected] Author: Anton Fitzgerald Reviewed: Laurence Liessmann Approved: Anton Fitzgerald No.: PR138277-1 Version: 4 Date: 20 August 2018 PR138277-1 | Koonandah Hard Rock Quarry : Lot 11 on HR1950 | Ecological Assessment | 20 Page ii August 2018 Commercial In Confidence Report Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Objectives .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Scope of works .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.3 Site description ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.4 Statutory considerations .................................................................................................................. 4 2 METHODS .......................................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Desktop assessment......................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Site inspection ................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2.1 Flora survey ......................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2.2 Targeted fauna survey methods ......................................................................................................... 8 2.2.3 Active searches ................................................................................................................................... 9 3 RESULTS: CONSTRAINTS, POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND IMPLICATIONS .................................. 11 3.1 Vegetation ........................................................................................................................................ 11 3.1.1 Regional ecosystems ........................................................................................................................ 11 3.1.2 Threatened ecological communities .................................................................................................. 14 3.1.3 On-ground vegetation communities .................................................................................................. 14 3.1.4 Queensland vegetation management state code ............................................................................. 17 3.1.5 Threatened flora ................................................................................................................................ 17 3.1.6 Flora constraints, potential impacts and mitigation measures .......................................................... 18 3.2 Fauna ................................................................................................................................................ 21 3.2.1 Threatened fauna .............................................................................................................................. 21 3.2.2 Marine and migratory species ........................................................................................................... 24 3.2.3 Existing impacts ................................................................................................................................ 25 3.2.4 Fauna constraints, potential impacts and mitigation measures ........................................................ 25 3.3 Aquatic ecosystems and wetlands ................................................................................................ 28 3.3.1 Watercourses .................................................................................................................................... 28 3.3.2 Wetlands ........................................................................................................................................... 30 3.3.3 Aquatic ecosystems and wetlands constraints, potential impacts and mitigation measures ............ 30 3.4 Matters of state environmental significance ................................................................................ 30 4 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................ 34 5 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................. 36 PR138277-1 | Koonandah Hard Rock Quarry : Lot 11 on HR1950 | Ecological Assessment | 20 Page iii August 2018 Commercial In Confidence Report Tables Table 1 Relevant environmental statutory considerations .......................................................................... 4 Table 2 Description of vegetation classifications ...................................................................................... 11 Table 3 Regional ecosystem descriptions................................................................................................. 12 Table 4 Ground-truthed vegetation communities of the project area ........................................................ 14 Table 5 Conservation significant flora that have the potential to occur on site ......................................... 18 Table 6 Threatened fauna that have the potential to occur on site ........................................................... 21 Table 7 Migratory species that have the potential to occur on site ........................................................... 25 Table 8 Clearing statistics for vegetation communities on project area .................................................... 26 Table 9 Matters of state environmental significance assessment ............................................................ 31 Table 10 Summary of findings .................................................................................................................... 34 Table 11 Threatened ecological communities likelihood of occurrence ..................................................... 43 Table 12 Threatened flora likelihood of occurrence .................................................................................... 45 Table 13 Threatened fauna likelihood of occurrence .................................................................................. 49 Table 14 Migratory fauna likelihood of occurrence ..................................................................................... 56 Table 15 E.crebra woodland ....................................................................................................................... 63 Table 16 E.acmenoides mixed woodland ................................................................................................... 65 Table 17 Melaleuca woodland .................................................................................................................... 69 Figures Figure 1 Location and aerial imagery