Ecological Assessment Letter Report · MCU26/0104

           (EPBC Act), Vulnerable (NC Act).
▪     Under Queensland’s Vegetation Management Act 1999 (VMA), approx. 6% of the property is mapped
      as Category B (remnant vegetation) comprising 0.5ha of Least Concern RE 12.3.5 Melaleuca
      quinquenervia open forest on coastal alluvium. The balance (approx. 94%) is mapped as Category X
      (non-regulated vegetation).
      −    The mapped areas of remnant vegetation are identified as Essential Habitat for Koala, Wallum
           Froglet (Crinia tinnula) and Wallum Rocket Frog (Litoria freycineti).
      −    The technical description for RE 12.3.5 is known to provide potential habitat for Lesser Swamp-
           orchid (Phaius australis) and Yellow Swamp-orchid (Phaius bernaysii), both listed as Endangered
           under the NC Act.
      −    No watercourse/drainage features are mapped across the property.
▪     The property falls entirely within a Koala priority area (KPA). The mapped Category B vegetation is
      classified as Core koala habitat area (KHA) under the Queensland Planning Act 2016 (approx. 4,988m2
      along the northern and eastern boundaries).
▪     The mapped Category B areas are classified as a High Risk Area for protected plants under the NC
      Act.
▪     A narrow extent along the northern and eastern boundaries is mapped as a Wetland of high
      ecological significance under the Environmental Protection Regulation 2019 (Qld).
▪     The property is subject to several environmentally relevant overlays under the Noosa Plan including
      the Biodiversity, waterways and wetlands overlay (Area of biodiversity significance). The Bushfire
      hazard overlay, Flood hazard overlay and Land subject to acid sulfate soils overlay also apply to the
      property, however, these are not addressed within the scope of this report.
A more detailed commentary of the desktop findings cross-referenced with the on-Site ecological survey
results is provided in SECTION 6.


5         Ecological Field Assessment
5.1       Flora and Vegetation Communities
Field investigations identified three (3) broad vegetation communities (VC) within the survey extent:
Cleared Area (VC1), Landscaped Gardens (VC2) and Broad-leaved Paperbark Open Forest (VC3) (refer
FIGURE 3).
Vegetation Community 1 (VC1) – Cleared Area
Occupying approx. 4,509m2, this vegetation community consists of the disturbed areas associated with
the recent clearing for the house site.
The emerging ground stratum (0.0.4m) across the VC extent is patchy and comprises a mix of native and
exotic grasses, sedges and forbs. A line of retained eucalypts fringes the southern extent of the clearing.
Refer to PLATE 1 and PLATE 2.
Vegetation Community 2 (VC2) – Landscaped Garden
Flanking the western edge of the clearing VC2 comprises thickly mulched garden beds supporting a mix
of native and exotic canopy trees, shrubs and lomandras (refer PLATE 3). The assemblage includes several
Foxtail Palm (Wodyetia bifurcata) and she-oaks along with feature plantings such as Flame Tree
(Brachychiton acerifolius) and Golden Penda (Xanthostemon chrysanthus).




20261016 PPL25_Ecological Assessment Letter Report_v1.0 – page 6