Attachment 7A - Impact Assessment Report

                                                                             Native Foresters



5.2.2 Criteria – Landscape Connectivity
Section 3 of the SRI Guidelines (DEHP, 2014) states:

A development impact on connectivity areas is determined to be significant if either of the
following tests are true:
                  a. The change in the core remnant ecosystem extent at the local scale (post
                     impact) is greater than a threshold determined by the level of fragmentation
                     at the regional scale (see table below); or
                  b. Any core area that is greater than or equal to 1 hectare is lost or reduced
                     to patch fragments (core to noncore).


DES’s Landscape Fragmentation and Connectivity (LFC) decision support tool was used to
identify and quantify any significant impacts on connectivity associated with proposed works.
The LFC measures the extent and arrangement of the existing remnant vegetation against the
extent that would remain if the prescribed activity were to occur. The LFC analysis determined
that any impact on connectivity is not significant due to the following:

        o   The percent change of 0.01% in the extent of core remnant ecosystem at the local
            scale is not significant.
        o   No core remnant areas occur on the site, determining any impact is not significant.

The output of the LFC tool is provided in Appendix F – Log File Landscape Fragmentation
and Analysis Tool.



5.2.3 Criteria – Animals - Protected wildlife habitat (habitat for an animal that is
‘endangered’ or ‘vulnerable’ wildlife or a special least concern animal)
Section 5 of the SRI Guidelines (DEHP, 2014) states that a significant residual impact on
protected wildlife habitat is any prescribed activity that will:

         (a) lead to a long-term decrease in the size of a local population.
         (b) reduce the extent of occurrence of the species.
         (c) fragment an existing population.
         (d) avoid genetically distinct populations forming as a result of habitat isolation.
         (e) result in invasive species that are harmful to an endangered or vulnerable species
         becoming established in the endangered or vulnerable species’ habitat.
         (f) introduce disease that may cause the population to decline,
         (g) interfere with the recovery of the species, OR
         (h) cause disruption to ecologically significant locations (breeding, feeding, nesting,
         migration, or resting sites) of a species.

It is considered unlikely that the prescribed activity will have an SRI on Protected Wildlife
Habitat for Wallum froglet (Crinia tinnula), Wallum rocketfrog (Litoria freycineti) and Swamp
crayfish (Tenuibranchiurus glypticus) within the Noosa Landfill Expansion area for the
following reasons:




Noosa Landfill & RRC Expansion – MNES & MSES Significant Impact Assessment                      22