Myalup-Wellington Project - Above Dam Pipelines Flora, Vegetation and Fauna Survey DRAFT Prepared for Harvey Water by Strategen March 2018 Myalup-Wellington Project - Above Dam Pipelines Flora, Vegetation and Fauna Survey DRAFT Strategen is a trading name of Strategen Environmental Consultants Pty Ltd Level 1, 50 Subiaco Square Road Subiaco WA 6008 ACN: 056 190 419 March 2018 Limitations Scope of services This report (“the report”) has been prepared by Strategen Environmental Consultants Pty Ltd (Strategen) in accordance with the scope of services set out in the contract, or as otherwise agreed, between the Client and Strategen. In some circumstances, a range of factors such as time, budget, access and/or site disturbance constraints may have limited the scope of services. This report is strictly limited to the matters stated in it and is not to be read as extending, by implication, to any other matter in connection with the matters addressed in it. Reliance on data In preparing the report, Strategen has relied upon data and other information provided by the Client and other individuals and organisations, most of which are referred to in the report (“the data”). Except as otherwise expressly stated in the report, Strategen has not verified the accuracy or completeness of the data. To the extent that the statements, opinions, facts, information, conclusions and/or recommendations in the report (“conclusions”) are based in whole or part on the data, those conclusions are contingent upon the accuracy and completeness of the data. Strategen has also not attempted to determine whether any material matter has been omitted from the data. Strategen will not be liable in relation to incorrect conclusions should any data, information or condition be incorrect or have been concealed, withheld, misrepresented or otherwise not fully disclosed to Strategen. The making of any assumption does not imply that Strategen has made any enquiry to verify the correctness of that assumption. The report is based on conditions encountered and information received at the time of preparation of this report or the time that site investigations were carried out. Strategen disclaims responsibility for any changes that may have occurred after this time. This report and any legal issues arising from it are governed by and construed in accordance with the law of Western Australia as at the date of this report. Environmental conclusions Within the limitations imposed by the scope of services, the preparation of this report has been undertaken and performed in a professional manner, in accordance with generally accepted environmental consulting practices. No other warranty, whether express or implied, is made. Client: Harvey Water Revision Strategen Submitted to Client Report Version Purpose No. author/reviewer Form Date Preliminary Draft Report A Client review R Chesney, T Sleigh, Electronic 29/03/18 R Firth / D Newsome (email) Draft Report Final Draft Report Final Report Filename: COL17493_01 R002 Rev A - 29 March 2018 DRAFT Table of Contents Table of contents 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Scope 1 2. Context 3 2.1 Legislative context 3 2.1.1 Conservation significant flora and ecological communities 3 2.1.2 Environmentally Sensitive Areas 4 2.1.3 Protection of native vegetation 4 2.1.4 Fauna 5 2.1.5 Introduced species 5 2.2 Environmental setting 6 2.2.1 Soils and topography 6 2.2.2 Climate 6 2.2.3 Regional vegetation 7 2.2.4 Background Ecological Information for Black Cockatoos 8 3. Methods 12 3.1 Flora and vegetation 12 3.1.1 Desktop assessment 12 3.1.2 Field assessment 12 3.1.3 Data analysis and vegetation mapping 12 3.1.4 Survey limitations and constraints 13 3.2 Black cockatoo habitat assessment 15 4. Results 16 4.1 Flora and vegetation 16 4.1.1 Desktop assessment results 16 4.1.2 Field survey results 21 4.2 Black Cockatoos 29 4.2.1 Potential Breeding Habitat 29 4.2.2 Foraging Habitat 29 5. Discussion 32 5.1 Flora and Vegetation 32 5.2 Black Cockatoos 32 5.2.1 Potential Breeding Habitat 32 5.2.2 Foraging Habitat 33 6. References 34 List of tables Table 1: Personnel 12 Table 2: Flora and vegetation survey potential limitations and constraints 14 Table 3: Threatened and Priority flora potentially occurring within the Survey Area 17 Table 4: Locations of Threatened and Priority flora species recorded within the Survey Area 21 Table 5: Vegetation Types 24 Table 6: Area (ha) covered by each VT within the Survey Area 25 Table 7: Vegetation condition scale (Keighery 1994) 27 Table 8: Area (ha) covered by each vegetation condition category within the Survey Area 27 COL17493_01 R002 Rev A 29-Mar-18 DRAFT Table of Contents List of figures Figure 1: The Survey Area 2 Figure 2: Mean monthly climatic data (temperature and rainfall) for Collie 6 Figure 3: Regional vegetation mapping 11 Figure 4: Locations of Threatened and Priority flora recorded within the Survey Area 23 Figure 5: Averaged randomised Species Accumulation Curve 24 Figure 6: Vegetation Types (VTs) mapped within the Survey Area 26 Figure 7: Vegetation condition within the Survey Area 28 Figure 8: Black Cockatoo forging habitat and potential breeding trees in the Survey Area 31 List of appendices Appendix 1 Conservation significant flora and ecological community definitions Appendix 2 DEE Black Cockatoo Distribution Maps Appendix 3 Desktop assessment results (DBCA 2017, DEE 2017c) Appendix 4 Vascular plant taxa recorded from quadrats within the Survey Area Appendix 5 Quadrat data Appendix 6 Potential Black Cockatoo Breeding Trees COL17493_01 R002 Rev A 29-Mar-18 DRAFT Myalup-Wellington Project - Above Dam Pipelines 1. Introduction 1.1 Background The Myalup-Wellington Project is an industry-led initiative to reduce salinity in Wellington Dam, Western Australia’s second largest reservoir. The Project is a major component of the State Government’s Water for Food program, which has the primary objective of doubling the economic value of agricultural production to regional economies by 2050. The Myalup-Wellington Project includes construction of water supply pipelines above the Wellington Dam. The purpose of the pipelines is to convey saline water diverted from the Collie River East Branch near Buckingham, to storage at the disused Muja Mine ‘Z’ pit, then to a Water Treatment Plant near the Collie Power Station, with treated potable water conveyed to Harris Dam and brine conveyed to the existing brine disposal pipeline at Collie Power Station. Harvey Water engaged Strategen to undertake a flora and vegetation survey and Black Cockatoo habitat assessment for the pipeline corridor. The survey and habitat assessment will build on the Reconnaissance (Level 1) flora, vegetation and fauna survey undertaken for the pipeline corridors in 2017, to provide sufficiently robust data to enable assessment of impacts to threatened flora and fauna and support project approvals. 1.2 Scope The scope of this flora and vegetation survey and Black Cockatoo habitat assessment was to undertake a desktop study and field assessment within the Survey Area (165.13 ha) (Figure 1). The objectives were to: • conduct a desktop survey for Threatened and Priority flora which have been identified as being present in or around the Survey Area • collect and identify the vascular plant species present within the Survey Area • search areas of suitable habitat for Threatened and/or Priority flora • define and map the native vegetation communities present within the Survey Area • map vegetation condition within the Survey Area • provide recommendations on the local and regional significance of the vegetation communities • define and map Black Cockatoo habitat within the Survey Area • prepare a report summarising the findings. COL17493_01 R002 Rev A 29-Mar-18 1 420000 432000 6312000 6312000 C oa lfie COLLIE lds Road ! 6300000 6300000 420000 432000 Figure 1: Survey Area Scale 1:120,000 at A4 Legend km 0 1.2 2.4 3.6 ¹ Survey area (Pipeline) Coordinate System: GDA 1994 MGA Zone 50 Note that positional errors may occur in some areas Roads Date: 22/02/2018 Author: vdinh [email protected] www.strategen.com.au Source: Landgate: Aerial Imagery - 22/02/2018. Path: Q:\Consult\2017\COL\COL17493\01_GIS_documents\ArcMap_documents\COL17493_G015_RevA.mxd DRAFT Myalup-Wellington Project - Above Dam Pipelines 2. Context 2.1 Legislative context This biological survey has been conducted with reference to the following Australian and Western Australian legislation: • Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) – Australian Government • Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 (WC Act) – State • Environmental Protection Act 1986 (EP Act) – State • Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (BAM Act) – State. 2.1.1 Conservation significant flora and ecological communities Conservation significant flora and ecological communities are determined at a state and federal legislative level. Flora within Western Australia that is considered to be under threat may be classed as either Threatened flora or Priority flora. Where flora has been gazetted as Threatened flora under the WC Act, the taking of such flora without the written consent of the Minister is an offence. The WC Act defines “to take” flora as to gather, pluck, cut, pull up, destroy, dig up, remove or injure the flora or to cause or permit the same to be done by any means. The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) (2017a) contains the current list of Threatened flora in Western Australia. Priority flora are considered to be species which are potentially under threat, but for which there is insufficient information available concerning their distribution and/or populations to make a proper evaluation of their conservation status. Parks and Wildlife categorises Priority flora according to their conservation priority using five categories, P1 (highest conservation significance) to P5 (lowest conservation significance), to denote the conservation priority status of such species.