CALGA Monitoring Report 2 For: Calga Sand Quarry Extension November 2013 Final PO Box 2474 Carlingford Court 2118 Report No. 12081RP The preparation of this report has been in accordance with the brief provided by the Client and has relied upon the data and results collected at or under the times and conditions specified in the report. All findings, conclusions or recommendations contained within the report are based only on the aforementioned circumstances. The report has been prepared for use by the Client and no responsibility for its use by other parties is accepted by Cumberland Ecology. Revision Date Issued Reviewed by Approved by Date Approved Revision Type Approved by: David Robertson Position: Director Signed: Date: 29 November, 2013 CUMBERLAND ECOLOGY © - CALGA FINAL CALGA SAND QUARRY EXTENSION 29 NOVEMBER 2013 Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Summary 1.1 1.1.1 Introduction 1.1 1.1.2 Methods 1.1 1.1.3 Results 1.1 1.1.4 Conclusions and Recommendations 1.2 1.2 Purpose 1.3 1.3 Background 1.3 1.3.1 Performance Criteria 1.3 2 MONITORING 2.1 Literature Review 2.1 2.2 Site Inspection 2.1 2.2.1 Revegetation Monitoring 2.2 2.2.2 Threatened Species Monitoring 2.3 3 RESULTS 3.1 Rehabilitation Monitoring 3.1 3.1.1 Quadrat Surveys 3.1 3.1.2 Rehabilitation Progress 3.7 3.1.3 Noxious Weeds 3.7 3.2 Fauna 3.8 3.2.1 Native Fauna 3.8 3.2.2 Vertebrate Pests 3.10 3.3 Threatened Species Monitoring 3.10 3.3.1 Hibbertia procumbens 3.10 3.3.2 Darwinia glacuophylla 3.11 4 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 4.1 Conclusion 4.1 4.1.1 Rehabilitation Areas 4.1 CUMBERLAND ECOLOGY © - CALGA FINAL CALGA SAND QUARRY EXTENSION i 29 NOVEMBER 2013 Table of Contents (Cont'd) 4.1.2 Threatened Species Surveys 4.1 4.2 Recommendations 4.1 Table of Appendices A. FLORA SPECIES RECORDED IN MONITORING QUADRATS B. SPECIES PLANTING LIST C. THREATENED SPECIES LOCATIONS D. THREATENED SPECIES PROFILES D.1 Darwinia glaucophylla D.1 D.2 Hibbertia procumbens D.1 List of Tables 2.1 Coordinates, Orientation and Photo Point Location of Quadrats 2.2 3.1 Revegetation Species Required to be Represented in the Final Landform and their Occurrence in 2013 3.7 3.2 Birds Recorded on the Subject Site 3.9 A.1 Plant Species Recorded within Quadrats 2012 A.1 A.2 Plant Species Recorded Within Quadrats 2013 A.6 B.1 Plant Species List B.1 CUMBERLAND ECOLOGY © - CALGA FINAL CALGA SAND QUARRY EXTENSION ii 29 NOVEMBER 2013 List of Tables C.1 Locations of Darwinia glaucophylla on site C.1 List of Figures 2.1 Location of Monitoring Quadrats in Rehabilitation Areas 2.4 3.1 Darwinia glaucophylla and Hibbertia ssp. detected in and adjacent to the subject site 3.17 List of Photographs 3.1 Quadrat 1 3.2 3.2 Bare, eroded section of north-eastern bund wall north of quadrat 4 3.3 3.3 Quadrat 4 3.4 3.4 Quadrat 5 3.4 3.5 Quadrat 2 3.5 3.6 Quadrat 3 3.6 3.7 Crofton Weed recorded in north-eastern perimeter drain in 2012. 3.8 3.8 Likely Abandoned Wombat Burrow in Quadrat 3 3.10 3.9 Tagged Darwinia glaucophylla individual in good health (Tag is located on a fence above the individual) 3.12 CUMBERLAND ECOLOGY © - CALGA FINAL CALGA SAND QUARRY EXTENSION iii 29 NOVEMBER 2013 List of Photographs 3.10 A large sandstone outcrop fringed with Darwinia glaucophylla individuals is located in Monitoring Plot 1 3.13 3.11 Tagged Darwinia glaucphylla individual in 2012 suffering from dieback 3.14 3.12 Deceased tagged individual in 2013 3.14 3.13 Flowering Darwinia glaucophylla individual with juvenile foliage 3.15 3.14 Darwinia glaucophylla individual with mature foliage 3.16 3.15 Deceased individual tagged in 2012 in 2013 3.16 CUMBERLAND ECOLOGY © - CALGA FINAL CALGA SAND QUARRY EXTENSION iv 29 NOVEMBER 2013 Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Summary 1.1.1 Introduction The purpose of this report is to detail the second round of results of a biodiversity monitoring programme of the Calga Sand Quarry and provide recommendations following the second round of monitoring. The monitoring programme was established in 2012 by Cumberland Ecology. This report forms part of the Annual Environmental Management Report (AEMR) for the Project. A Rehabiliation and Landscape Management Plan (RLMP) was prepared for the Project in 2006 by R.W. Corkery & Co. In order to meet a number of the commitments referred to in the RLMP, rehabilitation and noxious weed management is required to be undertaken and monitored, and the results of such monitoring are required to be reported on in the AEMR. Additionally, a threatened flora monitoring programme and report are required to be prepared to assess whether quarry operations are having any affect on populations of threatened species occurring on and adjacent to the site. 1.1.2 Methods Site inspections were conducted on the 5th and 6th of November 2013. The site inspection on the 5th consisted of surveying five fixed monitoring quadrats in rehabilitation areas established by Cumberland Ecology in 2012 and conducting random meanders of the site to identify noxious weed infestations and signs of vertebrate pests. The site inspection on the 6th of November was to survey populations of the two threatened flora species, D. glaucuphylla and H. procumbens on and adjacent to the site, through random meander surveys and re-assessment of three monitoring plots for D. glaucuphylla, previously set up in 2012. 1.1.3 Results i. Rehabilitation Areas Of the five quadrats surveyed in the rehabilitation areas, weed cover had reduced in all of them. However, the groundcover in most quadrats was found to be dominated by exotic species, the exception being in Quadrat 3 (where weed cover was estimated at 5% in 2013) which represents the most mature regeneration stand. Quadrats 4 and 5 were particularly CUMBERLAND ECOLOGY © - CALGA FINAL CALGA SAND QUARRY EXTENSION 1.1 29 NOVEMBER 2013 weed infested with cover estimated at 55-75%). Additionally, some Acacia species are beginning to dominate the shrub and small tree layers in places, suppressing the growth of other native shrubs and groundcovers. Large sections of the north-eastern bund wall have slumped along the top edge, showing signs of erosion and are bare, which makes it difficult for native plants to establish. The presence of noxious weeds on the site was much improved, with only a few individuals observed within rehabiliation areas. In general, the rehabilitation areas are not considered mature enough to provide much habitat for fauna at this stage, either native or exotic. ii. Threatened Species Monitoring Surveys by Cumberland Ecology in 2012 did not find any occurrences of H. procumbens on the site or in the bushland area adjacent to the site. During the survey two non-threatened species of Hibbertia were found on the subject site and in the surrounds. This was confirmed in the 2013 surveys. Individuals of D. glaucophylla that were mapped previously were present throughout parts of the south-west corner of the site, in areas with exposed rock and skeletal soils. Some of the previously tagged individuals that were noted as being in poor health last year were found to be dead in the 2013 surveys. However, it was considered that the death of these individuals was due to natural processes, as most other individuals within the sub-populations were observed to be healthy and one individual near monitoring plot 3 was observed flowering. 1.1.4 Conclusions and Recommendations Weed control has generally been carried out with a high degree of success and all quadrats had a lesser abundance score for weeds than recorded in 2012. Despite this, the ground layer of most monitoring quadrats was generally depauperate of a diversity of native species which were being outshaded by thick Acacia thickets in some areas. Rehabilitation is generally being implemented in accordance with the performance criteria outlined in the RLMP. There are some shortfalls in regards to erosion and sediment control of some of the bund walls, which need to be addressed. The recent threatened species surveys found the population of D. glaucophylla on the site to be healthy and unaffected by mining activities. H. procumbens is either not present on site or wasn’t able to be found at the time of the recent survey, nor in the 2012 survey. A number of recommendations have been made in this report to improve the native species diversity of the rehabiliation areas. This includes addressing the erosion issues near quadrats 4 and 5, and some follow-up weed control is needed here, which may require some additional planting of native shrubs and groundcovers. Some thinning of Acacia species is also required. The few remaining individuals of noxious weeds should be removed and their presence monitored across the site as they are likley to have seed in the soil bank. CUMBERLAND ECOLOGY © - CALGA FINAL CALGA SAND QUARRY EXTENSION 1.2 29 NOVEMBER 2013 Threatened species monitoring sholud continue and new plants tagged in 2014 to replace those individuals that died. 1.2 Purpose The purpose of this report is to detail the second round of results of a biodiversity monitoring programme of the Calga Sand Quarry (hereafter known as the Project) and provide recommendations following the second round of monitoring. The monitoring programme was established in 2012 by Cumberland Ecology. This report forms part of the Annual Environmental Management Report (AEMR) for the Project.