Significant Residual Impact criteria Interfere with the recovery of the species; and
Assessment
Unlikely
The Project will lead to the loss a population of 46 individuals of C. megacarpa, located in the project area. The cycad recovery plan (Queensland Herbarium, 2007) defines the overall objectives of recovery actions as: • To prevent further loss of individuals, populations, pollinator species and habitat critical for the species survival. • To recover existing populations to normal reproductive capacity to ensure viability in the long-term, prevent extinction, maintain genetic viability, and improve conservation status. As discussed above, the habitat confirmed within the project area does not meet the definition of habitat critical to the survival of the species, as outlined in the cycad recovery plan (Queensland Herbarium, 2007). Through the implementation of the proposed Cycas megacarpa Management Plan, the size of the population will be maintained or increased by translocating and/or propagating and planting cycads. As such, the project is considered unlikely to interfere with the recovery of the species. C. megacarpa was confirmed within the project area during field investigations. A population of approximately 46 individuals were confirmed within the project area. All 46 confirmed individuals of C. megacarpa will be cleared by the proposed works. Whilst this population contains breeding individuals, due to the degraded nature of the project area, natural decline of the population is expected. Through the implementation of the proposed Cycas megacarpa Management Plan, the breeding cycle of the population will be aided through collection and propagation of seeds that is likely to yield higher recruitment than would occur naturally. As such, the project is considered unlikely to cause disruption to ecologically significant locations (breeding, feeding, nesting, migration or resting sites) of a species.
Unlikely
Cause disruption to ecologically significant locations (breeding, feeding, nesting, migration or resting sites) of a species.
4.2.Koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) The koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) is listed as endangered under the EPBC Act and NC Act. Koala habitat is generally defined as coastal and inland areas supporting Eucalyptus forests and woodlands (DAWE, 2022). Koala habitat includes places that contain resources necessary for foraging, survival, growth, reproduction and movement. This includes forests or woodlands, roadside and rail vegetation and paddock trees, safe intervening ground matrix for travelling between trees, and patches to forage, shelter and reproduce, and access to vegetated corridors or paddock trees to facilitate movement between patches (DAWE, 2022). The species has a specialist diet, feeding on the leaves of select species of Eucalyptus, Lophostemon, Corymbia, Angophora and occasionally Melaleuca and Leptospermum (Martin & Handasyke, 1999) (Moore & Foley, 2000). Consequently, koalas are reliant on access to stands of forest and woodland that support key food-tree species. Koalas move distances of up to 10 km in urban south-east Queensland (DAWE, 2022) and 16 km in rural south-east Queensland. For the rest of the year, koalas move relatively little within home ranges that vary between 8 ha and 135 ha (DAWE, 2022). In semi-arid areas on the western fringe of the species’ distribution, habitat selectivity is high, and occupancy is generally restricted to riparian/drainage line habitats (DAWE, 2022).
Wulguru Technical Services Pty Ltd – Heritage Minerals Upper Mundic Gully TSF – Fauna Survey Assessment Report 44
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