Natural Resources
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is important to us as we develop greenfield sites that can vary from farms and agricultural lands to sites that include forest and bushland. Some of these sites contain, or are adjacent to, areas with high levels of biodiversity. Our Residential Development business, which tends to have the most significant biodiversity impacts, has developed Sustainable Guidelines for Acquisition.
The guidelines include a requirement to consider the impact on ecology by identifying areas of significance for biodiversity or protected species and investigating how we can enhance biodiversity value through development of the site.
In FY09, we worked with local and state governments to ensure our developments meet relevant planning and regulation requirements for biodiversity management. We are interested in developing residential communities that maintain or enhance biodiversity in the local area. This has included regenerating degraded grazing land into vegetated open spaces (see North Shore case study) and developing residential communities that are close to native bushlands and parks.
Environmental Impact Assessments
Assessing the impacts on biodiversity of our developments and engaging with the local community is critical to ensuring projects are granted approval both by regulatory authorities and by community stakeholders. Local government often requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) when considering approvals for developments. For example, we need to prepare an EIA:
- If the development is on a greenfield site (a site that has not been built on before, usually in rural areas) or a brownfield site (a site that has been built on before, usually in urban areas),
- If the site has any ecological or conservation value.
Where required for development approval, we conduct an EIA. Assessing the impact of biodiversity may incorporate stakeholder consultation with groups including local government, local communities and residents, environmental action groups and ecological experts.
Biodiversity planning
A review of 81 properties and projects in our Residential Development (Residential Communities and Apartments) business identified that 21 per cent have threatened species or communities located on, or near, the project. The total area of land that impacts the species habitat is 1,077 hectares. Of these projects, half have biodiversity management plans in place and these have generally been required by approval authorities. In total, around a fifth of the projects reviewed have biodiversity plans in place with some approval authorities requiring biodiversity management plans regardless of whether there are threatened or endangered species or impacted communities.
In our 2008 CR&S report, we said we would pilot biodiversity indicators at a number of sites in FY09. We began work on this but did not progress it due to changes in structure and personnel in the Residential sustainability team. However, biodiversity has been identified as a focus area in the Residential Development business' new sustainability strategy. We aim to gain a better understanding of our biodiversity holdings in FY10 by refining our register of threatened and endangered species and communities nationally.
Threatened or endangered species or communities impacted by projects |
Residential Communities |
Apartments |
Retirement Living |
Total |
Percentage of projects that impact threatened or endangered species |
24% |
9% |
0 |
21% |
Total area of land that impacts species habitat or makes up community |
1,075ha |
2ha |
0 |
1,077ha |
Projects with a biodiversity plan approved by relevant approval authority |
24% |
9% |
0 |
21% |
Total projects that partnered with or involved community and non-government organisations in natural resource management |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
CASE STUDY
MIBA South Parkland
The MIBA South Parkland area is the first of a number of urban parklands in the North Lakes Western Precinct. This area, which was established in late 2008, incorporates a range of water-sensitive urban design strategies to protect the local environment and achieve best practice in community development.
MIBA South Parkland also plays an important role in water flow mitigation and has been designed to help control flooding in the local area and protect local neighbourhoods from inundation and storm water damage.
Stormwater harvesting systems will provide the irrigation supply to two hectares of landscape. This equates to a reduction of up to 20 million litres of potable water use per year. The electricity used for the irrigation will be offset by a 4kW solar photovoltaic system that will be located in the park. The stormwater harvesting will also provide additional benefits such as a reduction in the load of stormwater pollutants to downstream ecosystems.
CASE STUDY
Preserving and restoring biodiversity at North Shore
North Shore is North Queensland's largest masterplanned community, incorporating over 5,200 new homes across more than 1,000 hectares of land. The project was launched in September 2008 and is 5 per cent complete. The community will include schools, retail and commercial space, community facilities and natural bushland and parklands.
North Shore is located alongside the Bohle River on land previously used for grazing. The site is an important habitat for the endangered Black Throated Finch and the vulnerable Striped Tailed Delma (a legless lizard). In the planning phase we considered how best to protect and enhance the habitat of these species, manage stormwater runoff in a way that enhances the water quality of the receiving ecosystems, regenerate degraded grazing property and enhance the sites natural biodiversity.
We implemented a range of initiatives including:
- Construction of a $20 million best practice stormwater treatment system which includes constructed wetlands,
- The rehabilitation of all eroded areas of the site, and preventative works to stop further erosion,
- Provision of a 100 metre buffer to Saunders and Stoney Creeks (tributaries of the Bohle River) and the creation of additional waterholes and ponds in the open space corridor for native wildlife. We also committed $50,000 per annum for five years to establish the Black Throated Finch Trust to research and conserve this species.
These initiatives have resulted in the rehabilitation of over 40 hectares of native bushland adjacent to the Bohle River, making it a suitable habitat for native flora and fauna. The initiatives have also led to the construction of Townsville's first large scale bio-retention basin (over one hectare) at a cost of approximately $1 million.
Our stakeholders, including residents, community groups, council and prospective buyers, have responded positively to the project to date and to our approach. The positive stakeholder sentiment toward the project is evidenced by the fact that the project has managed to achieve 265 sales during a period where the land sales market in Townsville has halved.