Ecological Assessment Report

Biodiversity and Conservation Values (3SP246584)                                                           30/03/2016 16:41:54




Biodiversity Planning Assessments
Introduction
The department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) attributes biodiversity significance on a bioregional scale
through a Biodiversity Planning Assessment (BPA). A BPA involves the integration of ecological criteria using the Biodiversity
assessment and Mapping Methodology (BAMM) and is developed in two stages: 1) diagnostic criteria, and 2) expert panel
criteria. The diagnostic criteria are based on existing data which is reliable and uniformly available across a bioregion, while
the expert panel criteria allows for the refinement of the mapped information from the diagnostic output by incorporating local
knowledge and expert opinion.
The BAMM methodology has application for identifying areas with various levels of significance solely for biodiversity
reasons. These include threatened ecosystems or taxa, large tracts of habitat in good condition, ecosystem diversity,
landscape context and connection, and buffers to wetlands or other types of habitat important for the maintenance of
biodiversity or ecological processes. While natural resource values such as dryland salinity, soil erosion potential or land
capability are not dealt with explicitly, they are included to some extent within the biodiversity status of regional ecosystems
recognised by the EHP.
Biodiversity Planning Assessments (BPAs) assign three levels of overall biodiversity significance.
         • State significance - areas assessed as being significant for biodiversity at the bioregional or state scales. They also
         include areas assessed by other studies/processes as being significant at national or international scales. In addition,
         areas flagged as being of State significance due to the presence of endangered, vulnerable and/or near threatened
         taxa, are identified as "State Habitat for EVNT taxa".
         • Regional significance - areas assessed as being significant for biodiversity at the subregional scale. These areas
         have lower significance for biodiversity than areas assessed as being of State significance.
         • Local significance and/or other values - areas assessed as not being significant for biodiversity at state or regional
         scales. Local values are of significance at the local government scale.

For further information on released BPAs and a copy of the underlying methodology, go to:
http://www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/biodiversity/planning/

The GIS results can be downloaded from the Queensland Spatial Catalogue at:
http://qspatial.information.qld.gov.au/geoportal/

The following table identifies the extent and proportion of the user specified AOI which is mapped as being of "State",
"Regional" or "Local" significance via application of the BAMM.

Table 9: Summary table, biodiversity significance


 Biodiversity significance                Area (Ha)               % of AOI
 State Habitat for EVNT taxa                                0.2                   0.6%
 State                                                      0.0                   0.0%
 Regional                                                   0.0                   0.0%
 Local or Other Values                                      0.0                   0.0%


Refer to Map 2 for further information.

Diagnostic Criteria
Diagnostic criteria are based on existing data which is reliable and uniformly available across a bioregion. These criteria are
diagnostic in that they are used to filter the available data and provide a "first-cut" or initial determination of biodiversity
significance. This initial assessment is then combined through a second group of other essential criteria.

A description of the individual diagnostic criteria is provided in the following sections.

Criteria A. Habitat for EVNT taxa: Classifies areas according to their significance based on the presence of endangered,
vulnerable and/or rare (EVNT) taxa. EVNT taxa are those scheduled under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and/or the
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It excludes highly mobile fauna taxa which are instead

Page 6