Any ripe seeds found in the recipient site during maintenance and monitoring events shall be collected and delivered to the nursery for propagation. A minimum of 200 seedlings will be produced to supplement the existing plant stocks so that ‘no net loss’ is met. Surplus seeds collected or seedlings grown will be made available to Botanic Gardens or scientific institutions for study and display. During the monitoring period at the recipient site any found seed will be dispersed around the recipient site to facilitate the ongoing establishment of C. megacarpa at the recipient site. This manual dispersal shall involve pressing each seed into the surface of the soil (but not covering it) in a suitable micro-site with a slight depression and sparse surrounding vegetation to promote germination and seedling survival. Seeds dispersed by this technique shall be allowed to germinate and grow naturally and shall not be subject to supplementary watering. Should insufficient quantities of seed be collected from the impact site or recipient site for propagation to adequately compensate for translocation losses, additional seed will be sourced (subject to approval) from the plants elsewhere on the mining lease. Plants deemed to not be in the wild will be the focus of these activities as no approval is required to collect these seeds and it will further preserve the local genetic pool. It may also be prudent to take a proactive approach and undertake early seed collection activities within the impact area prior to vegetation clearing, once project approval is granted. Confirmation should be sought from The Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) that such early works could be undertaken under the broader EIS approval once granted. Planting of tubestock Given the limited seed availability and lengthy propagation time for the species, it may take 3 - 5 years before seedlings are available for planting. Seedling development (growth, health, survival) will be regularly checked with the nursery and planting timeframes adjusted according. Seedlings will ideally be hardened off at least 3 months prior to planting. Prior to planting, an aluminium tag will be attached to each seedling with a unique identifier. Planting will follow the method described above. 5.7 5.8 Hygiene Biosecurity hygiene practices shall be implemented to avoid the spread, proliferation and/or introduction of weeds and pathogens. These include ensuring tools, equipment, boots, vehicles and machinery are cleaned before arriving to site. • To manage the risk of weed introduction on the long-term health and viability of translocated plants, a strict weed hygiene protocol will be implemented for the translocation and monitoring phases. Disturbed areas within the broader project area are infested with a variety of weeds. Therefore, there is a risk that vehicles travelling through such areas may pick up and spread propagules of these weeds.
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Mundic Gully TSF Translocation Project - Cycas megacarpa
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