Attachment 6 - Ecological Assessment

                          Ecological Assessment – Attunga Heights



applications which are considered against the State Development Assessment Provisions
(SDAP).

The SDAP includes Module 8: Native Vegetation Clearing (2013) which uses certified
mapping (DEHP mapping) to administer the VMA. Mapping includes:

      regulated vegetation management mapping for remnant vegetation and remnant
       vegetation associated with any natural watercourse or wetland;
      regional ecosystem (RE) mapping for Endangered REs and Of Concern REs;
      essential habitat (EH) mapping for habitat essential for threatened species; and
      referable wetlands mapping for waterway contributing to the Great Barrier Reef
       catchment.

Other categories assessed under module 8 include:

      clearing to maintain connectivity;
      clearing on acid sulphate soils;
      soil erosion; and
      salinity.

Property Maps of Assessable Vegetation (PMAVs) are a part of the framework of the VMA.
They are property-scale maps that show the location, boundary and conservation status
of vegetation. PMAVs are submitted by landholders and used to update DEHP’s Regulated
Vegetation mapping for determining the location of vegetation assessable under the VMA.


6.4.2 Assessable Vegetation on the Subject Site
6.4.2.1 Possible Exemptions
The current regulated vegetation management map of the subject site includes both
Category B (remnant vegetation) and Category X (vegetation not regulated under the
VMA) areas. Category B areas cover the majority of the subject site (1.63 ha). The
Regional Ecosystem (RE) mapping identifies the Category B regulated vegetation as the
following REs (FIGURE 5):

      RE 12.2.1 (Of Concern) - Notophyll vine forest on parabolic high dunes; and
      RE 12.2.5 (Least Concern) - Corymbia intermedia, Lophostemon confertus,
       Banksia spp., Callitris columellaris open forest to low closed forest on beach
       ridges.

Exemptions on freehold land include clearing of Least Concern or Of Concern remnant
vegetation (Category B regulated vegetation) ‘in an urban area for an urban purpose (e.g.
residential, industrial, sporting, recreational or commercial)’.

The Noosa Plan (2006) identifies the site largely as ‘Open Space Conservation’, with small
areas of ‘Attached Housing’ and ‘Semi-attached Housing’. Exemptions may apply within
these latter areas, however clearing in the remainder of the site will be assessed against



Job No: Q12038/Rw1                      JWA Pty Ltd                                    40