RFI - Attachment 4C - MSES-MNES Assessment - Noosa Landfill RRC- Revision 3

                                                                                        Native Foresters



Due to the change of the EPBC listing advice for koala from Vulnerable to Endangered in
February 2022 this assessment has been based 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
                             habitat as it is:
 population of a                                           spotter catcher and for        habitat.
 species                     - Adjacent existing           koala following
                             cleared areas                 sequential clearing
                                                           requirements outlined in
                             - A section of vegetation     the NC Act 1992.
                             that "sticks" into the
                             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
                                                           disturbance.
                             The 1.02ha is:

                                -   0.21 ha of Core
                                    habitat, and
                                -   0.81 ha of Locally
                                    refined habitat


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