Attachment C - Rev Fauna and Flora Assessment

                                                                                         Native Foresters




Habitat features that were considered significant for assessing the presence of breeding places
and/or habitation value for native fauna, include but are not limited to:

   i.   Presence of hollow-bearing trees: These may be used by birds, reptiles or arboreal
        mammals to incubate or rear offspring;
  ii.   Presence of bowers, nests, dreys: These structures are commonly used by birds or
        mammals to incubate or rear offspring;
 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;
  v.    Presence of large trees: Large trees can be a dominant feature of native vegetation and
        are difficult to replace once lost. Their influence for wide-ranging species can extend over
        a considerable distance from their location.
 vi.    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.
vii.    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.
viii.   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.
 ix.    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.
  x.    Recruitment: Recruitment of plant species, particularly woody perennials, within all strata
        reflects the site’s long-term viability.
 xi.    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.

Some areas were obscured by thick vegetation and/or vines, and certain habitat features within
the treetops were difficult to assess due to their height within the canopy. All features that were
able to be effectively assessed are described in section 3.4.

Significant habitat trees >500mm dbh were identified onsite and then further described in
Appendix C in order to inform works, identify specific trees for retention and assist the fauna
spotter-catcher in identification of breeding places during works. Significant habitat trees contain
at least one habitat feature that could be used as a breeding place. For example a tree that
contains an arboreal termite mound, a small hollow, peeling bark, large crevices, or is hollow at
the base.




 Vipassana Centre Building Program - Pomona – Fauna and Flora Assessment                      13