2016-12-12 General Committee - Attachment 1 to Item 6 - Biodiversity Assessment Report

                                           Noosa Biodiversity Plan – Biodiversity Assessment Report




Connectivity
                  Data sources                                     Method                                                   Scoring system                      Data output
  Attribute
Patch size     Base layer        Patch/connectivity base layer developed based on Queensland Offsets Policy –      0 = urban, roads, waterbodies*
                                 Landscape Fragmentation Tool                                                      1 = cleared, scattered trees,
                                     •   Remnant, contiguous, and contiguous regrowth combined to                  sparse regrowth
                                         patch/connectivity base                                                   2 = patch
                                     •   Nodes and patches differentiated by > 1 ha remaining after removing                                                 Scored Patch Size
                                                                                                                   3 = small node
                                         50m edge effect (core size)t. Large Node has internal core greater than                                             Layer
                                         50 ha, medium 11-50 ha, small 1-10 ha                                     4 = medium node
                                     •   Node = core + edge                                                        5 = large node
                                     •   Patch = edge with core < 1 ha or no core
                                     •   Matrix – area between nodes/patches – retains ecological condition
                                         attribute
Connectivity   Base layer        Adjacency assessment of proximity between habitat nodes (supported nodes)         0 = urban, roads, waterbodies*
                                 or degree of connection of patches to nodes                                       1 = cleared, scattered trees,
                                     •   Medium and large nodes assumed to be self-supporting                      sparse regrowth, patch with no or
                                     •   Small nodes are supported if within 100m of another node                  lower order connection to node
                                     •   Patches directly connected if within 100m of a node                       2 - patch with indirect (2nd/3rd level)
                                     •   Patches indirectly connected (2nd level connection) if within 50m of a    connection to node (core/edge)            Scored Connectivity
                                         directly connected patch                                                  3 - patch with direct connection to       Layer
                                     •   3rd level connection within 50m of a 2nd level connection, and so forth   node
                                                                                                                   4 - small node - unsupported (not
                                                                                                                   connected to another node)
                                                                                                                   5 - small node - supported
                                                                                                                   6 - medium & large node
Corridor       Base layer        Corridor mapping based on the results of the patch size and connectivity          N/A
                                 assessment as per above. Corridors identified and mapped by:
                                     •   Maintaining large and medium nodes as per patch size classification.
                                         These were considered the base to which corridors need to connect /
                                         link                                                                                                                Mapped corridors
                                     •   Identifying areas with high patch connection ratio i.e. areas already
                                         acting as a form of link
                                     •   Identified areas buffered out by 250m to remove internal ‘gaps’ caused
                                         by clearings and then buffered in by 250m to bring corridor external
                                         boundaries back to original extent


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