GERROA SAND MINE EXTENSION – HABITAT CORRIDORS

This mine modification will:

  • cement impacts of vegetation fragmentation on the Greater Glider and possible remnant koala populations due to the limited width of the Blue Angle Creek habitat corridor.
  • reduce opportunities for movement of ground dwelling species along this corridor.
  • ensure no future expansion of this important corridor and limit development of the broader

SRCMA/Berry corridors

The Blue Angle Creek corridor connects the western vegetation fragment with the larger habitat areas of SMB. The western fragment is habitat for Blackbutt forest and the winter flowering EEC Swamp Sclerophyll forest, with its winter flowering swamp mahogany. This habitat provides a food source for birds, bats, sugar gliders, koalas and Greater Gliders. This corridor needs to be further expanded to ensure greater connectivity to ensure a viable habitat corridor for ground dwelling and arboreal species to assist their survival.

The new dredge pond (figure 2, light blue) will permanently impact on this narrow Blue Angle Creek corridor with no future possibilities for its extension.

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Figure 2. Western vegetation fragment and Blue Angle Creek corridor. Red indicates the current dredge pond. Light Blue indicates the proposed dredge pond. The Blue Angle Creek corridor is the narrow area of vegetation between these dredge ponds. The western vegetation fragment is the vegetation west of the current dredge pond.

The Blue Angle Creek corridor needs to be be further expanded to create a viable corridor for dispersal of fauna, including endangered species and populations, and included in the CB conservation area.

We believe the most appropriate expansion to consolidate the core vegetation of the western fragment and facilitate dispersal is the dark blue area indicated in figure 3 below.

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Figure 3. GEPS proposed Blue Angle Creek Corridor expansion. Green indicates the existing compensatory planting along Blue Angle Creek required as a condition of consent. Dark Blue indicates our proposed corridor expansion. This should be planted with black butt and swamp mahogany species to favour endangered fauna dispersal.

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