Rev Fauna Flora Assessment

                                                                                    Native Foresters



Potential indirect impacts to existing flora and fauna habitat include:

    ▪    Prescribed setback zones around the buildings may involve replacement of native species
         with mown grass requiring fertiliser and irrigation. Associated nutrient-enriched runoff may
         impact the adjoining Melaleuca wetland and closed sedgeland ecosystems.

It is likely that impacts on local fauna populations and their breeding habitat in the retained
vegetation areas to the east of the proposed development will be able to be minimised and /or
avoided through careful consideration of drainage flows and stormwater runoff during construction
and ongoing operation of the proposed facilities. This may include the use of sediment and
stormwater retention basins.

1.5.1 Impacts on Endangered Swamp Crayfish habitat

Because of insufficient knowledge on Swamp Crayfish breeding ecology, for the purposes of this
report, occupied habitat is considered to be breeding habitat for the species.
The field habitat assessment and targeted species surveys have confirmed an actual distribution
of Swamp Crayfish of approximately 300m2 just east of the existing carpark.
A potential habitat model for Swamp Crayfish within Lot 2 RP177554 has been derived based on
analysis of the following landscape features and spatial data layers:
   i)       presence of canopy cover or understorey vegetation cover;
   ii)      presence of ephemeral ponding; and
   iii)     Q100 flood mapping.
The area of potential habitat for Swamp Crayfish on Lot 2 RP177554 is approximately 2,600 m2.
The actual and potential distributions for the species are shown on Figure 8. Proposed works
will result in the following direct and indirect impacts:
     ▪ Clearing for infrastructure will result in a loss of 50m2 of potential Swamp Crayfish
        habitat;
     ▪ Selective clearing for the bushfire setback will result in understorey modification of
        480m2 of potential habitat for the species and loss of approximately 20m2 of actual
        habitat. A total of 550m2 of modelled crayfish habitat will potentially be impacted by
        clearing an understorey modification;
     ▪ If heavy machinery is used for bushfire buffer clearing, compaction of burrows and
        changes to surface hydrology may occur;
     ▪ Potential increased contamination of surface water with herbicides (and wetting agents)
        used to control vegetation may occur as a result of vegetation management activities.
     ▪ Potential Increased nutrient and sediment-enriched stormwater runoff associated with the
        increased density of housing may occur;
     ▪ Injury or death to the individuals foraging above ground from machinery and people.
     ▪ Channelling runoff through a pipe culvert may lead to increased scouring of the benthos
        within the area of occupied habitat to the east of the carpark, potentially reducing its habitat
        value for Swamp Crayfish.
     ▪ Changes to vegetation structure, microhabitat conditions and connectivity may affect
        fauna movement to areas of potentially suitable habitat.
     ▪ Changes to water quality and/or site hydrology, increased erosion and sedimentation may
        impact future viability of breeding habitat eg: aquatic weeds, pH shifts, dissolved oxygen
        levels, etc.
     ▪ Predation of relocated individuals if appropriate habitat features are disturbed and/or not
        replaced.


Carramar Extension – Fauna and Flora Assessment – Revision 2                                           9