Environmental management of fauna and flora

Protected species

Guidance for the consideration of protected species

For early project planning consideration, it is important to understand what fauna, flora and habitats could be impacted.

Conservation legislation

Native fauna species are protected under Commonwealth and State legislation. The 'conservation status' is an indicator of how likely a species is to remain alive at present or in the near future, and is based on trends in population size, health, distribution and known threats, i.e. the level of risk it faces in the wild.

Throughout Queensland, there are more than 230 threatened fauna species (of which 40% are endemic to Queensland) and more than 770 threatened flora species (of which 70% are endemic to Queensland). Depending on the degree of risk of extinction, these threatened species are allocated differing conservation statuses. 

Some of the species mentioned under this legislation occur in the Sunshine Coast region, and are subject to recovery plans and other conservation measures.

The current federal and state conservation classes, which are consistent with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) species listing conventions, are as follows:

Federal

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) 1999 

• Critically endangered
• Endangered
• Vulnerable.

State

Nature Conservation Act (NCA)1992 and the Nature Conservation (Animal) Regulation 2020

• Critically endangered
• Endangered
• Vulnerable
• Near Threatened
• Least Concern.

These conservation classes are referenced in the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 and the Sunshine Coast Biodiversity Report 2020 for the Sunshine Coast LGA.

For further guidance, refer to the following:

• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) 1999
• Nature Conservation Act (NCA) 1992 and the Nature Conservation (Animal) Regulation 2020.
• Biodiversity Report 2020: Technical Background Report for the Sunshine Coast Local Government Area - Appendix B
• Queensland Government - Department of Environment and Science.

Threatened Species Strategy 2021-2031

The Australian Government has developed the Threatened Species Strategy 2021-2031 as a forward plan for the recovery and protection of Australia's threatened plants, animals and ecological communities. This strategy includes:

• 2 high level objectives:
  • to improve the trajectory of priority threatened species; and
  • improve the condition of priority places by 2031.
• 6 prioritisation principles to select priority species and places, based on risk of extinction, multiple benefits, feasibility and effectiveness, importance to people, uniqueness and representativeness.
• 8 key action areas, including both on-ground and supporting actions, that are fundamental to the recovery of threatened species and where the Australian Government can make a difference.

Threatened species framework

The Queensland Government's Threatened Species Program 2020-2040 provides the framework for helping conserve Queensland's most vulnerable flora and fauna species. It aims to "deliver coordinated actions to identify, protect and recover threatened species across our terrestrial and aquatic environments and mitigate the threatening processes that impact them". 

Several species within Sunshine Coast LGA are under direct threat from habitat clearing, through loss of nesting and breeding sites, removal of food sources and human – fauna conflicts. These include (but are not limited to):

• The Richmond birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera richmondia)
• The koala (Phascolarctus cinereus)
• The glossy black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami)
• The little red flying-fox (Pteropus scapulatus), the black flying-fox (Pteropus alecto) and the grey-headed flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus).

Threatened ecological communities

The Australian Government describes ecological communities as "a naturally occurring group of native plants, animals and other organisms that are interacting in a unique habitat. Its structure, composition and distribution are determined by environmental factors such as soil type, position in the landscape, altitude, climate and water availability". 

The EPBC Act states "ecological community means the extent in nature in the Australian jurisdiction of an assemblage of native species that:

• (a) inhabits a particular area in nature; and
• (b) meets the additional criteria specified in the regulations (if any) made for the purposes of this definition."

These ecological communities contribute to the natural management of air, water and soil nutrients. They have the ability to reduce or control erosion and salinity, and can also provide breeding and feeding habitat for native species. 

See the following for further guidance:

• Figure 1: Ecological communities
• Sunshine Coast Biodiversity Report 2020 for the Sunshine Coast Local Government Area.

Figure 1: Ecological communities

South East Queensland Ecological Restoration Framework Manual

The SEQ Ecological Restoration Framework Manual has been developed to "provide a systematic means of describing biodiversity across the variable environments of Queensland" (Queensland's regional ecosystems - Building and maintaining a biodiversity inventory, planning framework and information system for Queensland - Queensland Government, Department of Environment and Science (DES)).

One of the primary goals is the protection, maintenance and restoration of regional ecosystems (RE) within reserves for enhancing ecosystem resilience.

Regional ecosystems are vegetation communities in a bioregion that are consistently associated with a particular combination of geology, landform, soil and floristic composition. The regional ecosystem classification is an essential tool for natural resource management and conservation planning. 

Regional significance is also important. There are a number of species which are uncommon locally, at distributional limits, or in disjunct populations on the Sunshine Coast.

This manual also provides a guide to species selection and the sourcing of plant stock, although site specific circumstances and objectives will determine the most appropriate species. 

Projects should:

• protect native fauna habitat, e.g. food, roosting and breeding sites
• protect the environment (by reducing climate change effects)
• reduce flooding and soil loss
• provide refugia for fauna during climatic changes. 

For further information see Sunshine Coast Biodiversity Report 2020 for the Sunshine Coast Local Government Area. 

Retain, restore, expand and connect

Designing a sustainable built environment ensures we minimise our impact on the natural environment. 

See Figure 2: Key principles to achieve fauna and flora conservation. 

For further information in regard to the operational management of Council's environment reserves, refer to the Sunshine Coast Council Environmental Reserves Network Management Plan (ERNMP).

Figure 2: Key principles to achieve fauna and flora conservation

Retain

Restore - high ecological value

Expand and connect