2 David Low Way - Attachment 2 - Ecological and Bushfire Assessment Report 9-8-17

Threatened Species Likelihood of Occurrence Assessment ‐ Lot 71 on MCH 2854

Status:
NCR ‐ Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation: NT = Near Threatened; V = Vulnerable; E = Endangered.
EPBC ‐ Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999: V = Vulnerable; E = Endangered; CE = Critically Endangered

Record Source
WO = Wildlife On‐line; PM = Protected Matters Search Tool



                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Likelihood of
Scientific Name                       Common Name                                        Status             Record Source General habitat requirements                                                                                                                     Occurrence
Dermochelys coriacea                  Leatherback turtle                            E              E             PM       Highly pelagic species, venturing close to shore mainly during the nesting season. No nesting sites in Qld since 1996 (SPRATT).                  Unlikely


Eretmochelys imbricata                Hawksbill turtle                              E              V              PM          Major nesting of Hawksbill Turtles in Australia occurs at Varanus Island and Rosemary Island in Western Australia, and in the northern        Unlikely
                                                                                                                              Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait, Queensland.Hawksbill Turtles spend their first five to ten years drifting on ocean currents (Carr
                                                                                                                              1987a; Limpus et al. 1994e). During this pelagic (ocean‐going) phase, they are often found in association with rafts of Sargassum (a
                                                                                                                              floating marine plant that is also carried by currents). Once Hawksbill Turtles reach 30 to 40 cm curved carapace length, they settle and
                                                                                                                              forage in tropical tidal and sub‐tidal coral and rocky reef habitat. They primarily feed on sponges and algae. They have also been found,
                                                                                                                              though less frequently, within seagrass habitats of coastal waters, as well as the deeper habitats of trawl fisheries. Hawksbill Turtles have
                                                                                                                              been seen in temperate regions as far south as northern NSW.


Lepidochelys olivacea                 Olive Ridley Turtle                           E              E              PM          Female Olive Ridley Turtles lay clutches of eggs on sandy beaches, hatchlings disperse into offshore currents and have a pelagic phase of Unlikely
                                                                                                                              unknown length. In Australia, there are no records of this species forming large synchronous nesting aggregations. Thus, Olive Ridley
                                                                                                                              Turtles in Australia are likely to be solitary nesters. Small juveniles through to adults reside in coastal zones along the northern coast of
                                                                                                                              Australia and historical bycatch data indicates that large immature and adult‐sized Olive Ridleys are present all year round over soft
                                                                                                                              bottomed habits of northern Australian continental shelf waters. A substantial part of the immature and adult population forage over
                                                                                                                              shallow benthic habitats from northern Western Australia to south‐east Queensland.



Natator depressus                     Flatback turtle                               V              V              PM          All recorded rookeries (nesting beaches) for flatback turtles occur in Australia. The largest flatback rookery is on Crab Island just off the Unlikely
                                                                                                                              Northwest coast of Cape York Peninsula, Australia. Annual nesting numbers in the order of 1000 to 2000 female turtles a year have been
                                                                                                                              recorded. Mating in the shallow water adjacent to the island has been observed, and the waters are likely to be an important breeding
                                                                                                                              location.

Delma torquata                        Collared delma                                V              V              PM          Normally inhabits eucalypt‐dominated woodlands and open‐forests in Queensland Regional Ecosystem Land Zones (LZ) (Brigalow Belt              Unlikely
                                                                                                                              Reptiles Workshop 2010): 3, 9 and 10.

Saiphos reticulatus                   Three‐toed snake‐tooth skink                   -             V              PM          In Queensland, the Three‐toed Snake‐tooth Skink has been recorded in rainforest, closed forest, wet sclerophyll forest, tall open Unlikely
                                                                                                                              Blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis ) forest, tall layered open eucalypt forest and closed Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus ) forest.
                                                                                                                              It has also been recorded from extensive regrowth in heavily logged areas.

Allocasuarina emuina                  Mt. Emu she‐oak                               E              E            WO,PM         Open and closed heath on fine-grained rhyolite rocky slopes (Mt Peregian) and in wallum heath on undulating coastal plain.   Unlikely
                                                                                                                              The soils range in texture from sands, sandy loams and light to medium clays, usually with a weak acidic reaction. Emu
                                                                                                                              Mountain Sheoak is found in relatively flat, low-lying coastal areas at elevations of between 5 and 70 m above sea level and
                                                                                                                              on a range of inclinations from flat to slopes of 20 degrees (Halford 1993b; Wilson & Johnson 1989). Dominant species of
                                                                                                                              heathland habitat where Emu Mountain Sheoak occurs include Ptilanthium deustum , Hakea actites and Banksia oblongifolia .
                                                                                                                              Wet heath vegetation grows to 1–1.5 m in height and is dense.




I:\WE Jobs 2017\WE17035 ‐ Castaways Beach\Resources\Likelihhod of Occurence Desktop_Assessment.xlsx