SARA RFI - Ecological Assessment Report

Ecological Assessment Report
3 - 7 Serenity Close, Noosa Heads

In terms of indirect impacts, construction and operational activities may impact riparian
ecosystems and associated fauna species adjacent to the site through overland flow,
erosion and/or degradation of ecosystems / habitat; however, the proposed change is not
expected to result in any significant impacts as they are mitigated by design and
construction management measures.

Indirect impacts on adjacent waterways are avoided or mitigated as the proposed change
has been designed to retain a vegetated buffer along the southern boundary of the site.
The retention of vegetation will provide a natural barrier to the adjacent waterway.
Furthermore, the proposed change will incorporate the use of a landscaped overland flow
path and rapid infiltration pit which is designed to facilitate the infiltration of stormwater
into the ground and prevent excessive surface flow. By diverting stormwater into this pit,
overland flow is minimised, thus reducing the risk of erosion and the associated sediment
transport into waterways.

Residual indirect impacts shall be mitigated in accordance with the management
measures in Section 6.



5.2 VEGETATION


Potential environmental impacts of development on vegetation include direct and indirect
impacts. Impacts on vegetation could include:

   ● Reduced species richness;
   ● Reduced species abundance;
   ● Changes to the structure of the vegetation communities - directly via vegetation
       removal and indirectly via survivorship and recruitment; and,
   ● Fragmentation of vegetation and corollary impacts on associated fauna habitats.

Direct impacts are primarily associated with vegetation removal necessary to facilitate
development during the construction stage and physical damage to retained vegetation
post construction. Direct damage to conserved vegetation may be deliberate or
accidental.

Indirect impacts include incidental effects of development which cause changes in biotic
and abiotic factors which affect the structure and function of retained vegetation
communities including:

   ● Weed invasion and competition;
   ● Changes to hydrological regimes and runoff quality (i.e. stormwater runoff); and,
   ● Changes to microclimate (e.g. humidity, solar irradiation, nutrients, soil chemistry
       and structure).

Spatial analysis of the impacts of the proposed change indicated that the proposed
change would be positive in terms of overall impacts on native vegetation, as a greater
area of native vegetation will be retained. This includes additional areas of mapped Areas
of Biodiversity Significance on the Noosa Council Biodiversity, Waterways and Wetlands


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