Attachment 6- Ecology report prepared by Gondwana Ecology

     3. SITE ECOLOGY - BACKGROUND

3.1 Past Reporting and Site History
A number of flora and fauna studies have previously been undertaken across the site and surrounding
areas. Natural Solutions Environmental Consultants undertook a biodiversity assessment of the site in
2007 for WA Stockwell Pty Ltd in 2007 2. This report also provided a summary of past ecological
assessments of the Noosa Civic site, including:

     •    WBM Oceanics Australia (2001) Eenie Creek Flora & Fauna Impact Assessment Study;
     •    WBM Oceanics Australia (2002) Elf Skink Surveys & Habitat Assessment;
     •    URS Australia Pty Ltd (2002) Ecological & Environmental Assessment for Noosa Shire Business Centre;
     •    James Warren & Associates Pty Ltd (2004) Fauna Assessment Noosa Shire Business Centre;
     •    Michael Olsen (2003) Flora Report prepared for the Planning & Environment Court of Queensland;
     •    Michael Olsen (2004) Flora Report prepared for the Planning & Environment Court of Queensland; and
     •    Frank Carrick (2004) Appraisal of Likely Effects on Koala Habitat Values.

In reviewing the previous reports, supplemented with their own site investigations, Natural Solutions
concluded that the vegetation covering the area proposed for development of Stage 3 was a non-
remnant secondary community. The area was cleared in the 1970s and had also been regularly
disturbed by fire. Despite these significant disturbances there was limited weed incursion. An aerial
photograph (1979) with the RAL overlay is provided in Attachment C.

3.2 Databases and Mapping
The following databases and reports were reviewed prior to undertaking field investigations, to
determine vegetation communities and component plant species likely to be encountered on the
site:

     •    Commonwealth’s EPBC Online Protected Matters Search Tool with search radius of a 1km;
     •    Queensland Wildlife Online database with search radius of a 5km radius (co-ordinates -
          26.4172, 153.0509);
     •    Queensland Regional Ecosystems Report and Regulated Vegetation;
     •    Queensland Biodiversity and Conservation Values;
     •    Koala Habitat Mapping; and
     •    Flora Survey Trigger Map.

3.3 Commonwealth EPBC Act
The Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is the
national framework for considering matters of national environmental significance (MNES).

The Commonwealth database search tool of MNES3 identifies several national values (listed under the
EPBC Act 1999) potentially occurring within 1km of the subject land as follows:

     •    two listed threatened ecological communities (Lowland Rainforest of Subtropical Australia
          and Coastal Swamp Oak Forest of NSW and SEQ)
     •    40 threatened species (including grey-headed flying fox, koala, frogs and plant species)
     •    18 migratory species
     •    25 marine species, whales and other cetaceans (not considered relevant for the subject land)
     •    26 invasive species

2 Natural Solutions (2007) Biodiversity Assessment for Noosa Civic Stage 3.
3 Commonwealth (2019) EPBC Protected Matters Report. Accessed 1 February 2019.



Ecology Report – Lot 3 SP 246584 Noosa Civic                                                             3