HVO 2009 Annual Environmental Management Report - Final

Coal & Allied – Hunter Valley Operations
3.7 THREATENED FLORA AND FAUNA
3.7.1 Environmental Management
Coal & Allied has implemented flora and fauna management practices aimed at minimising the potential
impacts on species and habitat resources as a result of mining and associated activities. These practices are
documented in the Coal & Allied EMS Environmental Procedure 10.2 Flora and Fauna.
The procedure incorporates the actions described in the flora and fauna management plans required by
HVO’s development consents. It ensures the protection and management of threatened species within the
development consent area through appropriate planning, pre-clearing surveys in areas where threatened
species are known to occur, and monitoring. As part of this procedure, management of other key threatening
processes is also undertaken such as weed management and feral animal control.
HVO also ensures the extent of clearing is minimised and rehabilitation carried out progressively during pit
operation. The effectiveness of the rehabilitation programme is reported in Section 5 of this report. A
rehabilitation plan is developed and reviewed as part of the MOP, which is approved by DII.
3.7.2 Environmental Performance
Coal & Allied’s EMS Environmental Procedure 13.3 Ground Disturbance Permit describes the GDP process.
The GDP process is activated when any clearing is required to be undertaken on the mine site. The GDP
follows a systematic process, which ensures that a range of environmental conditions and licences are
checked for the specific area of land to be cleared. This is then followed by a site inspection by the
environmental department. The GDP is issued with specific conditions that are required to be completed
before any clearing may occur. Clearing is generally only permitted between January and May, to avoid the
nesting and breeding times of threatened species. GDP requests that are submitted between May and
December may require an independent ecologist to undertake site inspections for the presence of threatened
species.
Coal & Allied’s EMS Environmental Procedure 13.3 Ground Disturbance Permit describes the GDP process,
which has been developed at HVO to ensure all employees are aware of the process to be followed.
The GDP application requires details on the area to be cleared, the timing, and must be approved by specific
Coal & Allied managers. The review of the application includes an assessment of the area to be cleared
including, but not limited to:
Compliance of the proposed disturbance with relevant statutory approvals and management plans eg
Development Consent conditions, licence conditions, Flora and Fauna Management Plan (FFMP) and
Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP);
Status of identified archaeological sites;
Presence of any threatened species;
Location of monitoring sites; and
Water management measures that may be required.
Once a GDP is approved, the boundary of the agreed disturbance area is pegged and labelled by a qualified
surveyor. At sites where threatened species are known to be present, a threatened species management
protocol is also implemented. The key components of the protocol are site observations/surveys, threatened
species management actions and reporting.
A total of 43 GDP’s were approved for HVO in 2009. Two independent site inspections were conducted by
AECOM to review sites being cleared during faunal breeding seasons. Any habitat trees were marked and
exclusion zones were developed within these GDP’s until the completion of the breeding season to minimise
any environmental effects.
AEMR 2009 118