UPDATED DA - Attachment 8 - Flora and Fauna Assessment

                                                                                                 Native Foresters



3.5      Justification of survey timing and weather conditions

The initial field survey was conducted in fine winter conditions, while the follow-up survey
occurred in overcast summer conditions. Meteorological data was obtained from Tewantin
RSL Park {station 040908} (BOM 2024), approximately 7km away. In the two weeks prior
to the surveys, approximately 62.6 mm of rainfall was recorded before the winter survey
and 129.8mm before the summer survey. Weather conditions are detailed in Table 2.

TABLE 2: Weather conditions during flora and fauna surveys
                                                                        RELATIVE HUMIDTY               RAIN
 DATE                                   TEMPERATURE (°C)
                                                                        9AM AND 3PM (%)                (MM)
 10th July 2024                         14 - 23                         91, 80                         7.4
 19th December 2024                     24 - 26                         69, 59                         0

The timing of the winter survey is considered suitable for the target threatened species,
Wallum froglet, which is known to call in winter. For other threatened species (e.g. Koala
and Greater glider), recent rainfall and cool temperatures may have lowered activity levels.
Conditions during the follow-up survey are considered suitable for all the target fauna
species as breeding activity for most fauna species peaks in spring and summer.

The timing of the surveys was considered appropriate for the flora survey as none of the
species are deciduous, although some of the Special Least concern orchids that lack leaves
may not have been detected.

3.6      Field survey limitations

Emphasis is placed on surveying listed threatened ecological communities, populations
and/or species that are considered likely to occur within the survey area. With respect to
opportunistic observations, the possibility exists that certain species may not have been
detected during field investigations due to:

●        seasonal inactivity during field survey;
●        species present within microhabitats not surveyed;
●        species that occur at very low abundance or in very small populations;
●        cryptic species able to avoid detection;
●        transient wide-ranging species which were not present during survey period;
●        absence of reproductive material for flora identification;
●        survey duration and methods used; or
●        unknown external factors affecting fauna.

The field assessment for fauna employed passive techniques only (i.e., no live trapping,
hair tube analysis or scat analysis), and the habitat assessment was limited to contracted
timeframes. The lack of observational data on some species should therefore not be taken
as necessarily indicating that a species is absent from the site.

For definitive assessment of species presence/absence, particularly for aquatic, cryptic and
/ or nocturnal species such as small mammals, fish and fossorial reptiles, targeted species
surveys in which a combination of Elliott traps, Fish traps, Camera traps and Herptile Funnel
traps should be conducted over multiple seasons or years.



Noosa Landfill & Resource Recovery Centre Expansion – Site A, Rev 2 – Fauna & Flora Assessment        16