Cover Letter, DA Form 1, Plans, Owners Consent, Coastal Environment Assessment · OPW21/0049

  Noosa Spit Coastal Protection Environmental Assessment                                             11
  Matters of State Environmental Significance




3.3      Protected Wildlife Habitat
         Wildlife habitat is defined in the Offset Regulation as: ‘an area of habitat (e.g. foraging,
         roosting, nesting or breeding habitat) for an animal that is endangered, vulnerable or a special
         least concern animal (s6(4)).

         Table 3-2 identifies potential threatened species that may occur within the dredge footprint
         and pipeline corridor.

         Should endangered or vulnerable wildlife habitat be present, the following actions are
         considered a significant residual impact:

         • Lead to a long-term decrease in the size of a local population; or

         • Reduce the extent of occurrence of the species; or

         • Fragment an existing population; or

         • Result in genetically distinct populations forming as a result of habitat isolation; or

         • Result in invasive species that are harmful to an endangered or vulnerable species
           becoming established in the endangered or vulnerable species’ habitat; or

         • Introduce disease that may cause the population to decline, or

         • Interfere with the recovery of the species; or

         • Cause disruption to ecologically significant locations (breeding, feeding, nesting, migration
           or resting sites) of a species. Isolation.

3.3.1.1 Birds
         Several wader species are present or likely to occur in the estuarine wetlands of the project
         area.

         Waders share similar habitat including intertidal mudflats, sandflats and sandy beaches of
         sheltered coasts, in estuaries, bays, inlets, lagoons and harbours. The marine component of
         the project site is not known as an important site for these wader birds however it does provide
         potential habitat that could be used for feeding purposes.

         Recent surveys conducted by the Noosa Integrated Catchment Association Incorporated
         (NICAI 2020) detail shorebird abundance within the study area. Table 3-1 provides the most
         recent abundance counts for these present conservation value species.




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