Attachment C - Rev Fauna and Flora Assessment

                                                                                     Native Foresters



1.0 INTRODUCTION
Native Foresters has been commissioned by Dhamma Rasmi Organisation to conduct a flora
and fauna survey and habitat assessment of the vegetation surrounding the Vipassana
Meditation Centre on Rules Road, Pomona Queensland. Construction of new accommodation
areas and a meditation building have been proposed for the site.

This report assesses the fauna and flora which are present; the ecological condition of the subject
site, and the presence of breeding habitat for native fauna. Recommendations relating to
mitigating the potential impacts on fauna and flora species of conservation significance are made
where considered relevant to proposed works.

1.1      Objectives of the report

The objectives of the report are as follows:

•     To provide the results of the Flora Survey undertaken in compliance with the requirements of
      the Flora Survey Guidelines – Protected Plants (Nature Conservation Act 1992);
▪     To provide the results of the Breeding Places Assessment undertaken in compliance with the
      DES Species Management Program Requirements for tampering with a protected animal
      breeding place, the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and Nature Conservation (Wildlife
      Management) Regulation 2006.
▪     To comment on the potential impacts of any proposed works including the implementation of
      required Bushfire Management Zones on native flora and fauna, including State and/or
      Commonwealth listed species and their breeding habitat.


1.2      Site description

The subject site is the 350 metre by 400 metre section of the Vipassana Centre that contains
existing buildings, gardens, buffering bushland and cleared areas, located at Rules Road,
Pomona. The extent of works includes the internal access road, cleared lawn areas and gardens,
and remnant sclerophyll forest on the outer edges of the existing built environment, including a
proposed fire management buffer. This represents a total area of approximately 14 hectares. The
subject site is under freehold ownership (Lot 6 RP848414) and adjoins a number of other freehold
properties along the boundaries.

An additional 100 metre buffer area was surveyed for EVNT-listed flora species. The 100 metre
buffer covered lands within and beyond the boundaries of the Vipassana Centre. The total
clearing impact area for the site which includes the 100 metre buffer is approximately 33 hectares.
Refer to Figure 1 for a Locality map and Figure 2 for a Survey area map which shows the area
surveyed. It is noted that this survey area has being subsequently refined to reduce the amount
of vegetation clearing required.

Underlying geology has been described by the Department of Environment and Science (DES),
and Wilson and Taylor (2012) as varying from Land Zone 3 in the creek flats (alluvium associated
with recent Quaternary alluvial systems) to Land Zone 9-10 on the elevated areas (sandstone
ranges and sedimentary rocks) and Land Zone 11 in the vegetated pond area (hills and lowlands
on metamorphic rocks).



 Vipassana Centre Building Program - Pomona – Fauna and Flora Assessment                   5