Attachment 6 - Ecological Assessment

                           Ecological Assessment – Attunga Heights



      category B (dark blue) - remnant vegetation;
      category C (light blue) - high-value regrowth vegetation;
      category R (yellow) - regrowth vegetation within 50m of watercourses in priority
       reef catchment areas; and
      category X (white) - areas not regulated under the Vegetation Management Act
       1999.


2.2.3.3 Regional Ecosystems and PMAV Mapping
Regional ecosystems (REs) are vegetation communities that are consistently associated
with a particular combination of geology, land form and soil in a bioregion. Each RE has
been assigned a conservation status which is based on its current extent in a bioregion as
a proportion of its pre-clearing extent. Regional ecosystem maps show the extent and
conservation status of regional ecosystems at a property level. On a regional ecosystem
map, remnant vegetation is shown as either a remnant endangered regional ecosystem, a
remnant of concern regional ecosystem, or a remnant least concern regional ecosystem.
Where regional ecosystem mapping does not exist, the remnant map will identify areas of
remnant and non-remnant vegetation.

The Queensland Herbarium has mapped the extent of RE’s and Essential Habitat across
Queensland, however it should be noted that mapping was completed at a scale of
1:100,000 and as such there are inaccuracies at a property scale. As a result, RE maps
should be considered to indicative only and should not be relied upon as an inherently
correct source of vegetation mapping. Site ground truthing is required to confirm the
presence of RE types and their extent, verify floristics and structure and confirm
conservation status.

A Property Map of Assessable Vegetation (PMAV) is a property scale map that is prepared
to amend the Regulated Vegetation Management Mapping in cases where it does not
accurately reflect the site’s ground truthed vegetation distribution, or in other cases, to
‘lock in’ the current extent of remnant and non-remnant vegetation.


2.2.3.4 Essential Habitat Mapping
Essential Habitat are areas identified by DEHP as essential habitat for a species of wildlife
listed as endangered, vulnerable, near threatened or rare under the Nature Conservation
Act 1992. These areas are shown on RE maps and Essential Habitat maps.


2.2.3.5 Referable Wetlands Mapping
Referable wetlands maps show the location of wetlands as defined under the
Environmental Protection Regulation 2008 and wetland protection areas (WPAs) in the
Great Barrier Reef catchments.

Wetlands on the referrable wetlands maps have been mapped using the Aquatic
Biodiversity Assessment and Mapping Methodology and have been assessed for ecological
significance using the environmental values for wetland in section 81A of the
Environmental Protection Regulation 2008. Wetlands are considered either High



Job No: Q12038/Rw1                       JWA Pty Ltd                                       9