Attachment 7A - Impact Assessment Report

                                                                               Native Foresters



In light of the change of the EPBC listing advice for koala from Vulnerable to Endangered in
February 2022, this guideline is no longer current, and assessment has been based solely on
the Matters of National Environmental Significance - Significant impact guidelines 1.1, EPBC
ACT 1999 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2013).
Table 2: Significant Impact (SI) Assessment for MNES (Threatened Species- Koala)
 CRITERIA                    AVOIDANCE OF                  IMPACT MITIGATION     LIKELIHOOD
                             IMPACT                                              OF
                                                                                 SIGNIFICANT
                                                                                 IMPACT (SI)
 An action is likely to have a significant impact on an Endangered species if there is a real
 chance or possibility that it will:
 Lead to a long-term      The expansion area is      Vegetation clearing will   Unlikely – removal
 decrease in the size of considered to be less       be conducted under         of 1.02 ha whilst
 an important             valuable as koala          supervision of a Fauna     retaining 266ha of
 population of a          habitat as it is:          spotter catcher and for    habitat.
 species                  - Adjacent existing        koala following
                          cleared areas              sequential clearing
                          - A section of vegetation requirements outlined in
                          that "sticks" into the     the NC Act 1992.
                          existing landfill areas
                          - likely to have less use
                          by koala populations in
                          the area due to the
                          proximity of active
                          landfill areas to this
                          vegetation
                          - existing edge impacts
                          from light, wind, weeds,
                          etc.
                          Presence of koala
                          within this area is likely
                          transient.
 Reduce the area of       Disturbance will be        Workers will not enter     Unlikely, some
 occupancy of an          restricted to the patch of the adjoining remnant      area to be cleared
 important population     vegetation to be cleared vegetation adjacent to       but not considered
                          (1.02ha), and thus is not the proposed clearing       a significant
                          likely to significantly    area unless strictly       amount when
                          reduce the area of         necessary, with the work compared to area
                          occupancy for              area clearly delineated to retained on site.
                          threatened species.        minimise further
                          The 1.02ha is:             disturbance.
                              - 0.21 ha of Core
                                  habitat, and       Suitable Koala fencing to
                              - 0.81 ha of Locally stop individuals entering
                                  refined habitat    the cleared impact area
                          Remaining habitat on       and/or landfill area will
                          Lot 77 is:                 be used to reduce
                              - Approx. 235 ha of impacts from potential
                                  Core habitat, and  vehicle strike, exposure
                              - 31 ha of Locally and stress.
                                  refined habitat
                          Therefore, the impact
                          area is removing 0.4%
                          of habitat on site.




Noosa Landfill & RRC Expansion – MNES & MSES Significant Impact Assessment                        8