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GerroaEnvironmentProtectionSociety POBox71JamberooNSW2533 21/12/2016 MrRussPiggGeneralManagerShoalhavenCouncil Pleaseconsiderthissubmissiontotheproposedinvestigationintoalocationforaretirementcomplexat ShoalhavenHeadsaswellasanyLEPzoningreviewCouncilmayundertake. Weunderstandthattherehasbeencommunitypressuretolocateaproposedretirementcomplexin biologicallyimportantbushlandadjacenttotheShoalhavenHeadsgolfcourseandwishtoinformCouncilof thesignificanceofthisvegetationandthevaluesofthehabitatoftheSevenMileBeachecosystem. Thevegetationunitinquestion(indicatedbya redcrossonthephotoopposite)consistsoftwo EndangeredEcologicalCommunities.Theeastern sideisdominatedbylittoralrainforestEECwitha bangalaysandforestoverstory,whilethe westernsideisbangalaysandforestEECwith littoralrainforestunderstory.Theseare protectedecologicalcommunitiesbecausethey arerareandatriskofextinctionduetohistoric coastaldevelopmentpressures. Thisvegetationisalsohabitatforanumberof listedvulnerableandendangeredbatandbird species1andmayalsobeahabitattotherecently listedGreaterGlider. TheGreaterGliderwaslistedasvulnerableunder theEnvironmentProtectionandBiodiversity ConservationActthisyearandtheSevenMile BeachGreaterGliderpopulationwasalso recentlylistedasanEndangeredPopulation undertheevolvingNSWThreatenedSpeciesAct. Itisrelevanttoconsiderthecommentsofthe ScientificCommitteewithregardstothelistingof theGreaterGliderPopulationatSevenMile Beach:TheSevenMileBeachpopulation“has undergonelossandfragmentationofhabitat overthelastdecadeasaresultofclearing associatedwithagriculture,golfcourseexpansion, sandmining,sewagetreatmentplant constructionandroadsideclearing,resultingin lossofhollow-bearingtrees.”2GreaterGlidersutilisethevegetationimmediatelytothenorthofthissite andthereissomehabitatthattheymayutilisewithinthesite. Asthisfragmentedvegetationunithasbeenpartlyexcisedfromthecontingentvegetationtoitsnorth whenthegolfcoursewasexpanded,itwillbelessvulnerabletofuturebushfireimpacts,thusthelittoral 1 Grey-headed Flying-fox, Eastern Bent-wing Bat, Little Bent-wing Bat, Greater Broad-nosed Bat, and Masked Owl, (Gang Gang cockatoo, Glossy Black Cockatoo, Powerful Owl and Sooty Owl have also been sighted in the National Park and are likely visitors to this site) 2 NSW SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE SMB Greater Glider population Preliminary Determination Findings 11 page 3 rainforestwithinthesiteislikelytoflourishinthefuture,andfaunaspecies,includinggreatergliders,may seekrefugeattimesoffire. BecauseofthedevelopingnatureofthislittoralrainforestthereisastrongcaseforCounciltomakea submissiontotheCoastalPlanningFrameworktoincludeitintheCoastalManagementCoastalWetlands andLittoralRainforestareasinthecoastalmaps. WealsourgeCounciltoreviewthezoningofthislandtoensureitismoreconsistentwithvegetationof similarvaluesthatarezoneE2intheShoalhavenLEPtoensureitsfutureprotection. Background WhenmakingadeterminationthatmayimpactontheSMBecosystemit’simportanttoconsiderthe cumulativeimpactsoffurtherclearingonthehighlysensitiveSMBvegetationandunderstandthereasons forofthedecliningviabilityoftheSevenMileBeachhabitatfornativespecies. (SevenMileBeachisanisolatedislandofvegetationdisconnectedfromhinterlandvegetation) TheSevenMileBeachNationalPark,togetherwithadjoiningnativevegetationonprivatelands,formsa vulnerable,disconnectedislandofvegetation.Clearing,fragmentationofvegetationandlossofhabitathas beenacontentiousissueoverthelast30years. HistoricallyurbandevelopmenthasencroachedonCoomonderrySwamp,drainagecanalshavedegraded FoysSwamp,BlueAngleCreekhasbeenmodifiedintoacanal,acidsulphatecontaminationfromFoys SwamphaspollutedCrookedRiver,atleast80hectaresofbiologicallyimportantforestshasbeencleared inassociationwithsandmining,approximately10hectaresofbiologicallyimportantforestswerecleared foraKiamaCounciltipandbiologicallyimportantforestshavebeenclearedandfragmentedinassociation withgolfcourseexpansionandtheestablishmentofaseweragetreatmentplantatShoalhavenHeads. Bushfirehascompoundedtheseimpactsontheviabilityofnativefauna(includingendangeredand vulnerablespecies).Thekoalaappearstohavebecomelocallyextinctsince1982andotherspecies, includingthegreatergliderareatriskofextinctionduetohabitatreduction3. EcosystemsassociatedwithSevenMileBeacharedefinedbyabeach,duneandwetlandssequence.The significantscaleofthewetlands4makesitahabitatforrare,scientificallyimportantvegetationthat supportsanumberendangeredandvulnerablespecies.AlmostallofthevegetationatSMBformsamosaic ofrareEndangeredEcologicalCommunities: TheEndangeredEcologicalCommunitiesfoundatSevenMileBeachinclude: 1. SwampOakFloodplainForestoftheNewSouthWalesNorthCoast,SydneyBasinandSouthEast CornerBioregions 2. SwampSclerophyllForestonCoastalFloodplainsoftheNewSouthWalesNorthCoast,SydneyBasin andSouthEastCornerBioregions 3. FreshwaterWetlandsonCoastalFloodplainsoftheNewSouthWalesNorthCoast,SydneyBasinand SouthEastCornerBioregions 4. LittoralRainforestintheNewSouthWalesNorthCoast,SydneyBasinandSouthEastCorner Bioregions 5. BangalaySandForestoftheSydneyBasinandSouthEastCornerbioregions 6. CoastalSaltmarshintheNewSouthWalesNorthCoast,SydneyBasinandSouthEastCorner Bioregions NotallofthesecommunitiesarewellrepresentedwithintheNationalPark.Significantremnantsremain unprotectedonprivateandcrownlandsandthesehavesufferedfromclearingforfarming,sandquarrying andgolfcourseconstructionetc.Theyarevulnerabletofurtherdevelopmentimpactsandthereis evidencethatthefaunahabitatstheyprovidearebecomingunsustainableforsomespecies5. Thecombinationofbushfire,isolation,habitatlossandvegetationfragmentationthreatenstheviabilityof nativefaunapopulationsatSMB.Thelackofhabitatlinkstothelargerforestsofthehinterlandandthe recentfragmentationofvegetationwestofthecurrentsandquarryandatShoalhavenHeads,hasreduced opportunitiesforfaunapopulationstore-establishthemselves.Thiscombinationofthreatsplacesspecies underpressureincreasingthelikelihoodoflocalextinctions. 3 NSWscientificCommittee.NominationtolistapopulationundertheThreatenedSpeciesConservationAct,1995(GreaterGlider) 4 CoomonderrySwamprepresentsnearly40%ofNSWCoastalfreshwaterwetlandsand90%ofthisecosystemtypeontheSouth Coast 5 StudiesrevealtheareaofhabitatfortheGreaterGlideratSMBislessthatthatconsideredsuitabletosustainviablepopulations. NSWScientificCommittee.NominationtolistapopulationundertheThreatenedSpeciesConservationAct,1995(GreaterGlider) TheGerroaEnvironmentProtectionSocietywouldurgeCounciltohelpinformthecommunityofthevalues ofthisvegetationandworktoensureitsprotection. WebelievethataholisticplanningapproachrequiresconsiderationofthecumulativeimpactsontheSeven MileBeachhabitatwhenmakinglocaldevelopmentdeterminationsthatimpactonitsfringes: Summaryrequests WeaskcounciltoconsiderthefollowingrequeststoensuretheenvironmentofSMBisprotectedtobenefit residentsofShoalhavenHeadsandfuturegenerations. Council: 1. ensurethatdevelopmentdoesn’toccurintheabovementionedbiologicallyimportantvegetation unitatShoalhavenHeads. 2. ImproveprotectionofthislandbyreviewingitszoningtoensureitismoreconsistentwiththeE2 zoningofvegetationofsimilarvaluesintheShoalhavenLEP. 3. makeasubmissiontotheCoastalPlanningFrameworktoincludethelittoralrainforestareason thislandintheCoastalManagementCoastalWetlandsandlittoralrainforestareasinthecoastal maps.(submissionscloseonJanuary23rd) 4. workwithGEPStohelpinformthecommunityofthevaluesandvulnerabilityofthebroaderSeven MileBeachenvironment. HowardHJones(secretaryGerroaEnvironmentProtectionSociety) Phone:42323173 Email:[email protected]
