Appendix D Terrestrial and Aquatic Biodiversity - Environment ...

• Water bodies – The waterbodies targeted were mainly permanent Melaleuca swamps and
billabongs. Limited survey effort, only identification and recommendation towards avoiding these
features.
• Vegetation types
o Monsoon Forest (often occurs in spring fed gullies with sandstone outcrops)
o Monsoon Vine Thicket (coastal vegetation type)
o Riparian (distinct vegetation supported along creeks and rivers)
o Mangroves (coastal and lower reaches of major river systems)
• Other features – Sinkholes and springs
The survey of the rocky outcrops, riparian zones and waterbodies along the haul road route was undertaken
with the use of a helicopter over a five day period in early February 2012 by an EcOz botanist.
The survey included the following assessment intensity:
• 37 rocky out crops ground-truthed and rated;
• 4 rocky outcrops assessed in detail (as part of fauna surveys);
• 7 riparian/creek crossings; and
• 112 waterbodies ground-truthed.
Collected field data was entered into an excel spread sheet with the information used to update the
preliminary survey mapping within ArcGIS 10. Updated map data for the surveyed sensitive habitats was
then assessed to give recommendations on considerations required to reduce the overall impacts that the
haul road construction will have on local sensitive habitats. Maps were produced using ArcGIS 10 with
accompanying tables providing point locations, descriptions, habitat values and recommendations for each
area surveyed.
Limitations of Survey and Methods
The sensitive habitat survey has been conducted within a 3km wide buffer from the haul road route (i.e. 6km
corridor). Given that road design changes may occur during the time of survey to reroute the road anywhere
with the buffer short comings in data collection are likely. Changes to the proposed route since the survey
was conducted have resulted in the riparian assessment site at Rosie Creek no longer being located along
the current haul road route. Recommendations given resulting from this survey are preliminary as the survey
may not have focused on the final haul road route. An onground check of recommendations prior to
construction of the road will determine if further recommendations are required to minimise impacts on
sensitive habitats along the final route.
Although vegetation classification attempts to place vegetation into “types” and place boundaries around
these types, in reality vegetation is a continuum. Vegetation communities feature a reasonable amount of
variation within a classified type due to soils, rainfall, surface drainage, fire history and other factors. The
boundaries between vegetation types may not always be clear due to a gradual transition. For example
extensive ground-truthing was necessary to separate the occurrences of Melaleuca viridiflora and Melaleuca
citrolens dominated communities. Within all Melaleuca communities within the survey area, Melaleuca
viridiflora and Melaleuca citrolens are both almost always present but in significantly different proportions.
The dominance of each species is not readily delineated from the aerial imagery alone.
The extent of the survey does influence the degree to which different, but reasonably similar, vegetation
types can be distinguished from each other. The survey of the potential MLA may have clumped subtypes
which would become more apparent through surveying a more extensive area. For example the stands of
Lancewood (Acacia shirleyi) in this survey have been regarded as a single type. There may be subtypes of
Lancewood as the understory species varies depending on the surrounding vegetation (e.g. Melaleuca
Woodland or Eucalyptus Woodland).
Vegetation type 3 is an aggregate of vegetation communities for two very different substrates (white quartz
sandstone and iron stone ridge) however vegetation composition and structure are similar due to the
Client: Western Desert Resources Ltd Page 20 of 150
Doc No. DW120004-C0302-EIA-R-0036
Doc Title: Appendix D – Terrestrial Biodiversity Technical Report