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Ecology

Full-floristic vegetation surveys in Western Bioregions

Ecoplanning has been undertaking full-floristic plot surveys in western NSW on behalf of the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to help develop the NSW Plant Community Type (PCT) classification. Sites surveyed include roadside reserves, travelling stock reserves, reserves within the NPWS estate and private property, in the south-west slopes, central-west slopes, south-west plains, north-west plains and far north-west plains.

This survey program is aimed at collecting floristic plot data to fill in gaps in the landscape where there are few or no standard vegetation samples and poorly sampled PCTs. The data collected is entered into the NSW Government’s BioNet Atlas Flora Surveys module and is used to inform the refining of the state-wide PCT classification and will feed into the NSW State Vegetation Type Map.

Cumberland Plain Restoration project – monitoring impacts on groundcover flora

Ecoplanning are undertaking annual groundcover flora surveys as part of the Greater Sydney Local Land Services (GS LLS) Cumberland Plain Restoration Project which aims to assess the impact of restoration operations on groundcover species at a biodiversity offset site in Western Sydney.

These surveys are undertaken during October to December each year and will be used to monitor the impact of restoration operations on groundcover flora which include:

  • Cultural/ecological burns
  • Revegetation of shrubs and trees
  • Conservation thinning of shrub and tree species, in particular the shrub Bursaria spinosa (Blackthorn)
  • Grassland restoration (soil remediation & direct seeding)
  • Grazing management (including grazing exclosures)

Annual monitoring is undertaken along permanent transects with permanently marked start and end points. All monitoring is located within Cumberland Plain Woodland and derived grassland.

Plains-wanderer habitat assessments and radio tracking

The Plains-wanderer (Pedionomus torquatus) is one of Australia’s most threatened species, with as few as 1,000 birds estimated to remain in the wild. Staff at Ecoplanning have been involved in the monitoring, management and survey of this species for over 20 years, were excited to be involved in the Paddocks for Plains-wanderer project and the monitoring of captive bred Plains-wanderers released into the wild from 2022 to 2025 for LLS and DPE.

This unique species is a small, ground dwelling bird that inhabits low, open grassland, with most known habitat in the Riverine Plain and northern Victoria. Ecoplanning conducted habitat assessments for LLS in properties participating in the Paddocks for Plains-wanderer initiative, and daily to twice weekly radio tracking of captive bred Plains-wanderer released into the wild. Data collected in the project will help to improve the management of Plains-wanderer habitat and the release of captive bred Plains-wanderers. To hear more about the project look here: Talking Australia: Working with rural landholders to stop extinction

Planning

West Dapto Urban Release Area (WDURA) – Biocertification

The WDURA is located within the WCC Local Government Area (LGA), and includes the suburbs of Kembla Grange, Wongawilli, Horsley, Huntley, Cleveland, Penrose, Avondale, Yallah and Marshall Mount. The WDURA has been identified as a state significant housing release area for the Illawarra, with the WDURA likely to provide 19,500 dwellings, with associated town centres and infrastructure.

Biodiversity certification of the WDURA is being sought by WCC to balance the competing development and conservation objectives within the WDURA. Biodiversity certification can only be ‘conferred’ where the proposal ‘improves and maintains’ biodiversity values. The Biodiversity Certification Assessment Methodology (BCAM) (DECCW 2011) provides a repeatable and consistent approach to measure whether a proposal meets the ‘improve or maintain’ standard. It does this by assessing the impacts of the proposed development, whilst also measuring potential gains to biodiversity from conservation measures that are to be applied to areas set aside from development and protected and managed for conservation.

A large body of survey and assessment work was completed within the WDURA to progress a biodiversity certification outcome consistent with the BCAM, including a site scale vegetation map, capture of vegetation plots consistent with the BioMetric field method (DEC 2008) and completion of targeted threatened species survey.

The land proposed for biodiversity certification covers a range of proposed development lands within the WDURA, including a mix of residential, business, industrial and recreation zones. Land proposed for conservation measures includes areas of recent environmental zoning and some existing Council owned reserves.

Maguires Road, Maraylya three lot subdivision – Biodiversity Development Assessment Report (BDAR) and Vegetation Management Plan (VMP)

Ecoplanning recently completed a BDAR for a small three lot subdivision on Maguires Road, Maraylya, NSW. The site contained several constraints including threatened species and intact native vegetation. Very careful consideration of the vegetation was required to confirm the absence of threatened ecological communities. The heavily vegetated site required a comprehensive bushfire assessment and Ecoplanning prepared a supporting Vegetation Management Plan to balance the needs of the ecological values with the asset protection requirements. Ecoplanning provided clear and concise planning advice to our client, allowing them to demonstrate the avoidance and minimisation of impacts as well as understanding the potential offset liabilities associated with various subdivision and building envelope layouts.

Road upgrade projects – Transport for NSW

Between 2022 and 2024, Ecoplanning completed multiple targeted threatened species surveys for Transport for NSW as part of the Picton Rd and Princes Highway upgrade projects. These targeted threatened species surveys had a particular focus on cryptic threatened orchid species, although also included a range of other threatened flora and fauna species including Giant Burrowing Frogs, Large Forest Owls and Glossy black-cockatoos. Surveys methods employed included parallel transects and the grid-based, large area survey method for threatened flora species. Fauna survey methods included spot-lighting, call-playback, dip-netting for tadpoles, stag-watching and a range of diurnal habitat inspections. The targeted threatened species surveys were completed in accordance with the requirements of the NSW ‘Biodiversity Assessment Method’ (BAM) and relevant guidelines to inform a Biodiversity Development Assessment Report (BDAR) to be prepared to fulfil the requirements of Part 5 of the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

Offsets

ARTC – Inland Rail biodiversity offsets

At Ecoplanning, we have been fortunate to be working with the ARTC to locate, source and generate biodiversity offsets for the inland rail, connecting Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. Our work on this project stems back to 2017, where we worked with AMEC Foster Wheel (now Wood PLC), and consequently with Cardno (now Stantec), as biodiversity offsets specialists identifying properties with appropriate biodiversity values, undertaking field survey and preparing Biodiversity Stewardship Agreements on private land, allowing for offsetting of the impacts of the rail on native biodiversity.

Biodiversity Stewardship Feasibility Assessment (BSFA), Menangle.

Landholders who are considering the merits of entering into a Biodiversity Stewardship Agreement regularly engage Ecoplanning to prepare a Biodiversity Stewardship Feasibility Assessment (BSFA). Ecoplanning recently prepared one of these reports for a landholder in Menangle. The BSFA validates vegetation mapping, collects data in BAM plots and calculates the Vegetation Integrity scores to determine likely credit generation potential of the property in the BAM calculator. In addition, Ecoplanning estimates the potential Total Fund Deposit required for site management and provides a review of current trading prices for the PCTs identified on the property. This enables the landholder to create a business case as to whether entering into a Biodiversity Stewardship Agreement is practical and financially feasible.

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