Ecological Opportunities Assessment
East Coast Ecology worked on a great project recently which investigated the ecological opportunities for a site in western Sydney.
Certain types of developments require complying with a more stringent set of environmental obligations that revolve around sustainability and promotion of the site’s ecological values. In this case, our client wants to build eco-tourist facilities to capitalise on the natural beauty of the 25ha property.
The site investigation identified several exciting opportunities for our client to integrate ecological values with the proposed development, including:
Improve and expand upon important habitat for Swift Parrots (Lathamus discolor), a Critically Endangered species that has been identified as relying on parts of the property for foraging. This would involve increasing the habitat connectivity within the site by planting Casuarina glauca and Angophora floribunda along the lower lying areas and drainage lines, and Eucalyptus tereticornis and E. moluccana between existing patches of Cumberland Plain Woodland
Increase terrestrial habitat quality by installing nest boxes and bat boxes, and aquatic habitat quality by reducing fertilizer runoff and controlling aquatic weeds and pest fish (i.e. Plague Minnow)
Establishment of low impact paths for bushwalking, birdwatching and spotlighting. Several threatened species occur within the area, or may move into the area following an increase in the condition and connectivity of vegetation within the site
Educational opportunities that focus on restoration efforts, threatened fauna and flora (particularly Swift Parrots), use of artificial habitat, different survey techniques (e.g. spotlighting and call playback) and community engagement programs.
