Ecological Assessment

APPENDIX J- Detailed Analysis of Koalas against the Commonwealth’s Draft EPBC Act Referral
Guidelines for the Vulnerable Koala (combined populations of Queensland, New South Wales and
Australian Capital Territory).

Table 1-1 provides an analysis of the Study Area against the Coastal criteria in the Koala habitat
assessment tool (DoE, 2013). The habitat assessment tool has been applied to the entire Study Area
and has not been restricted to the smaller proposed development footprint of the Noosa Civic
Expansion. Areas outside of the Study Area are not considered as part of the “impact area” because
direct and indirect impacts will be limited to within the Study Area.

Table 1-1    Koala Habitat Assessment Tool analysed for the Study Area
 Attribute      Score       Habitat               Assessment for study area against                         Resulting
                            Assessment            category                                                  Habitat
                            Category                                                                        Assessment
                                                                                                            Score
 Koala          +2 (high)   Evidence of one or    We undertook koala surveys using the KRAM                 +2
                            more Koalas           method in 2013. A single koala scat was recorded
 Occurrence
                            within the last 2     during this assessment indicating koala
                            years                 use. Further, records on Koala Tracker (Harris,
                                                  2013) were noted from within 1km of the Study
                                                  Area in 2013.

                                                  (While there is evidence of koala use (one scat
                                                  collected) and the presence of koala habitat trees,
                                                  the size of the population frequenting the Study
                                                  Area cannot be determined on the evidence
                                                  collected or from the available literature. This said,
                                                  no koalas were observed during the assessment
                                                  and no koala scratches were recorded on
                                                  Eucalyptus grandis or any other tree species. As
                                                  there is little evidence of presence it is likely koala
                                                  usage of the Study Area is low. This assertion is
                                                  supported by the recent release (August, 2014) of
                                                  a Queensland Government tender to trial the
                                                  translocation of sterile koalas to Noosa National
                                                  Park partly on the basis of the “apparent inability of
                                                  the area to support a self-sustaining population”
                                                  (Department Environment and Heritage Protection,
                                                  2012)).
                +1          Evidence of one or    -
                            more koalas within
                (medium)
                            5 km of the edge
                            of the impact area
                            within the last 5
                            years
                0 (low)     None of the above     -
 Vegetation     +2 (high)   Has forest or         Ecological Survey identified the following Koala          +2
                            woodland with 2 or    food tree species:
 Composition                more known Koala           >     Eucalyptus grandis;
                            food tree species          >     Eucalyptus resinifera;
                            in the canopy              >     Eucalyptus robusta;
                                                       >     Lophostemon suaveolens;
                                                       >     Lophostemon confertus;
                                                       >     Melaleuca nodosa;
                                                       >     Melaleuca quinquenervia; and
                                                       >     Melaleuca saligna.
                +1          Has forest or         -
                            woodland with
                (medium)
                            only 1 species of
                            known koala food
                            tree present in the
                            canopy.
                0 (low)     None of the above     -
 Habitat        +2 (high)   Area is part of a     The guideline defines Contiguous landscape as             +2
                            contiguous            “An area of koala habitat bounded by
 Connectivity
                            landscape ≥ 500       barriers”. Barriers are also defined as “A feature
                            ha                    (natural or artificial) that is likely to prevent the
                                                  movement of koalas. Natural barriers may include