Reference Document - Flora and Fauna Assessment - 132005.638.04

                                                                                                                     Native Foresters



                      iii.       Presence of caves, mounds, burrows, ground hollows and/or coarse woody debris:
                                 These structures are commonly used by birds, mammals, reptiles or amphibians to
                                 incubate or rear offspring;
                      iv.        Presence of permanent water, ephemeral ponding, depressions and/or, seasonally
                                 inundated areas: waterbodies may be used for breeding by aquatic species or
                                 amphibians, or that may provide intermittent breeding habitat for opportunistic
                                 species.

                    Other habitat features that are considered significant for assessing the site’s overall habitat
                    value for native fauna, include but are not limited to:

                        i.       Canopy cover: The uppermost stratum of woody vegetation that forms the canopy
                                 functions as habitat for birds and arboreal mammals, provides food and resources,
                                 and determines the degree of light penetration and heat reaching the lower strata
                                 and ground detrital layer.
                       ii.       Weed cover: Weeds can dominate and suppress native plant growth which affects
                                 the diversity of food sources; they can change the fuel or litter characteristics of a
                                 site, thereby altering the fire regime, and also prevent recruitment and succession
                                 of native vegetation.
                      iii.       Understorey components: The shrub and herb strata generally contain the greatest
                                 plant species richness and can be a useful indicator of disturbance and changes in
                                 condition.
                      iv.        Organic litter, fallen timber and rocks: Litter cover can be indicative of the degree of
                                 disturbance of a site, and can be an important determinant of species recruitment.
                                 It will influence soil microclimates, structure and composition, and provide refugia
                                 for invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and ground dwelling mammals.
                       v.        Recruitment: Recruitment of plant species, particularly woody perennials, within all
                                 strata reflects the site’s long-term viability.
                      vi.        Landscape context: The size of a patch, its connectivity and distance to a core area
                                 of vegetation (i.e., greater than 50 hectares) can affect both its regenerative capacity
                                 and long-term viability. Species–area relationships suggest that large areas support
                                 more species and populations than smaller ones thus retaining greater genetic
                                 variability and providing refuge for species susceptible to disturbances.

                    3.4          Method used to assess likelihood of occurrence

                    For the threatened and Special least concern fauna and flora identified by government
                    databases as potentially occurring within one to two kilometres of the survey area, their
                    likelihood of occurrence within the impact area was assessed based on the habitats present;
                    local knowledge of species distribution and the occurrence on site of specific breeding
                    places or breeding habitat for the species. The criteria used to support the likelihood of
                    occurrence ratings are:

                                Known - species positively recorded by this survey or other survey by qualified
                                 ecologists during past 30 years;
                                Likely - based on the presence of suitable habitat and recent database records from
                                 study area or with two kilometres proximity;
                                Possible - suitable habitat present for the species, but no recent database records
                                 from the study area or proximity; and
                                Unlikely - based on a lack of suitable habitat and lack of proximate records.


                    Noosa Landfill & Resource Recovery Centre Expansion – Site A, Rev 2 – Fauna & Flora Assessment        15

Document Set ID: 23617066
Version: 1, Version Date: 05/03/2025