Development Application part 2 OF 2 All of CD, Information in notes - MCU12/0216

CSR West Ridge Quarry
Ecological Assessment Report




3                  Assessment Methods
In order to assess the ecological values of the proposed disturbance areas and their surrounds, the following
activities were conducted in general accordance with The Noosa Plan Policy 18 – Ecological Assessment
Guideline:
> an initial desktop-based review of existing information on the vegetation communities, flora species and
  fauna species of the study area; and
> an on-site vegetation survey and opportunistic fauna survey to confirm and enhance information collated
  during the desktop review.
Detailed methods for each of these components are provided below.

3.1                Desktop Review
The desktop component of the study involved compilation and review of existing information, including the
following sources:
> Regional Ecosystem (RE) mapping by the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource
  Management (DERM) (refer Appendix A).
> Finding: There is no mapped remnant vegetation in the proposed disturbance areas.
> High Value Regrowth mapping by DERM (refer Appendix A), which maps areas of mature regrowth
  (vegetated areas which have not been cleared since 31 December 1989) and regrowth watercourses in
  priority catchments.
> Finding: There are no mapped High Value Regrowth areas in the proposed disturbance areas. The
  proposed works do not intercept mapped watercourses.
> Essential Habitat mapping by DERM (refer Appendix A). Essential Habitat maps are produced for flora
  and fauna species that are Endangered, Vulnerable or Near Threatened under the Queensland Nature
  Conservation Act 1992 (NC Act). Essential Habitat is compiled from a combination of species habitat
  models and buffered records of species presence.
> Finding: No mapped Essential Habitat areas are present in or around the proposed disturbance areas.
> Mapping of Koala Assessable Development Areas (KADA / Priority KADA) pursuant to the South East
  Queensland Koala Conservation State Planning Regulatory Provisions (SPRP) (refer Appendix B).
> Finding: No KADA or Priority KADA is mapped in the proposed disturbance areas and no Koala Habitat
  Values are recognised.
> Wildlife Online database, which is an online database of restricted geographic precision, maintained by
  DERM and comprised of records of species protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NC Act).
  The Wildlife Online search was conducted for a 2km radius measured from the centre of the quarry (refer
  Appendix C).
> Finding: three threatened frog species, two threatened birds and one threatened plant have been
  recorded within a 2km radius of the site.
> Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) Protected Matters Search,
  which is an online database that is maintained by the Commonwealth Department of Sustainability,
  Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPaC). The EPBC Protected Matters Search
  identifies Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES), including nationally Threatened
  species and communities that may potentially occur within a defined boundary, primarily based on habitat
  modelling. The EPBC Protected Matters search was conducted for a 1 km radius surrounding the centre
  of the West Ridge quarry (refer Appendix D).




CSR Building Products Ltd                        Version 3                                    4 December 2012
Ecological Assessment Report V3.docx       Commercial in Confidence                                   Page 4