08/1128 - Information Response to Biodiversity Items & Ecological Impact Items - Place Designs [As Published] · 132008.1128

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BCROS RF Response to Council 20081126 Page 7 of 28

Item 16.

Please provide an assessment of the subject site with relation to the Environmental protection
Agency's Biodiversity Assessment Panel mapping of State Significant Bioregional Wildlife
corridors. This report is to be authored by a suitably qualified and experienced Ecologist or
equivalent persons.

Ecological Assessment Report (2007)

The following comment was provided in the Ecological Assessment Report (2007):
2.1 Wildlife Corridor Values

Habitat assessment combined with desktop analysis of mapping and aerial photography indicate
that the section of Noosa National Park adjacent to the Subject Site provides a significant
north/south wildlife corridor for fauna species dependent on heathland/sedgeland communities in
the wider locality. The Subject Site itself supports taller open woodland/wallum heathland that
provides additional width, shelter and variation in vegetation to the adjacent Noosa National Park
corridor.

Noosa Council mapping indicates that most of the Subject Site is designated as “Open Space
Conservation”. A smaller section at the north of the site is designated as “Community Services”
and is therefore consistent with the land use proposed for development. The development area
will be confined to the northern area of the subject site and therefore will not impact vegetation of
the southern area of the site. This vegetation will continue to enhance the wildlife corridor values
of the adjacent Noosa National Park.

The small waterway in the northern area of the site may also contribute as a small-scale movement
corridor. The occurrence of Lewin’s Rail both within the site’s waterway and along Burgess Creek
downstream of the site appears to support that there is some movement of species along the
waterway corridor. However, the waterway is heavily degraded and infested with weed species,
and there is no continuation of habitat along the waterway to the east of the Subject Site.
Although the waterway provides suitable habitat for a range of fauna species it is unlikely to
contribute significantly as a movement corridor between larger, more intact areas of habitat.

Regional Corridors

{t is acknowledged the site is located within the confluence of several broad corridors. Diagram 2 EPA
Biodiversity Planning Assessment Corridor Mapping. Girraween Master Plan June 2006 Background
Information Part 2 (Noosa Council 2006).

The Regional Corridors were developed as part of the EPA's Biodiversity Planning Assessment process for
SEQ, and has been incorporated in the SEQ Regional Plan Policy 2 - Natural Environment and the SEQ
Regional Nature Conservation Strategy 2003-2008 (SEQ-RNCS). The Regional Corridors are broad in nature
and represent major movement corridors for mobile fauna or waterway corridors and other areas of
generally connected vegetation. Three major regional corridors converge on the Noosa area
« The southern Coastal (Peregian) corridor that include sections of the Noosa National Park with
strands east and west of Lake Weyba
« Awestern corridor that incorporates peaks such as Mt Cooroy and Mt Tinbeerwah. This corridor
contains significant areas of State Forest and other protected tenures.
e Anorthern corridor from Noosa Heads National Park.

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