Protected Plant Survey Report

2. METHOD
This section outlines the methods undertaken to assess the study area in terms of supporting either
protected plants or habitat that supports protected plants.

2.1     Desktop Assessment
Desktop assessments of State and Commonwealth databases were undertaken prior to the
commencement of the field survey. This included freely available Geographical Information System
(GIS) mapping layers and flora species records.

The DES has produced the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NC Act) Protected Plants
EVNT Flora Survey Trigger Map spatial layer which indicates “high risk” areas where EVNT plant
species are likely to occur. The Protected Plants Flora Survey Trigger Map was queried as part of the
desktop review. The study area falls within a mapped high risk area.

Regional Ecosystems (REs) are vegetation communities that are consistently associated with a
particular combination of geology, land form and soil in a bioregion. The Queensland Herbarium has
mapped the remnant and pre-clearing extent of REs for much of the State using a combination of
satellite imagery, aerial photography interpretation and on-ground studies. DES Regional
Ecosystems Report was used to determine the extent and type of remnant or regrowth vegetation
within the study area. REs can be used to predict the occurrence of suitable habitat.

The Commonwealth Department of the Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) Protected
Matters search tool (PMST) was used to identify species listed under the Commonwealth
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) that may occur within
the search area. The PMST is a predictive database that identifies EPBC Act listed flora and fauna
species with a Moderate Potential to Occur in each search area based on bioclimatic modelling. The
search area was defined by the latitude/longitude coordinates -26.3650, 152.9329 with a 2 km buffer.

To determine which EVNT plant species may occur in the high risk area, DES’s Wildlife Online
database was also used to identify all protected plant species, including those listed under the EPBC
Act or the Queensland NC Act, that have previously been recorded within the study area or surrounds
and reported to DES. The Wildlife Online search included a 2 km area around a point within the
study area (26.3650, 152.9329).

2.2     Field Survey
The on-ground flora survey was undertaken within the Clearing Impact Area in accordance with the
Protected Plant Flora Survey Guidelines v2.01 (Wildlife and Threatened Species Operations, DES,
22 August 2020). The site was traversed using the timed meander method and assessed following
the guidelines to determine if any EVNT plant species or supporting habitat was present. Site photos
were taken from various locations as evidence of the vegetation and habitat present on site.

The field assessment of the study area was undertaken on 2nd September 2020. The site was fully
accessible at the time of the survey.

The field assessment was undertaken by Fox & Co Environmental’s Principal Botanist, David Moore.
David is suitably qualified with over 25 years of experience in botanical surveys and plant
identification. David’s curricula vitae and supporting documentation have already been provided to
the department through previous protected plant surveys (eg. Mt Coot-tha Pipeline Flora Survey
Report, Protected Plants (2017), O2 Ecology, Document # 1701056 and Protected Plant Survey
Report, High-Flow Bypass Drain Options 101 Mountain Creek Road, Buderim, Fox & Co.
Document#MPE-01, June 2019).


26 Little Springs Lane Protected Plant Survey
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