Friends of Grasslands
supporting native grassy ecosystems
PO Box 440
Jamison Centre
Macquarie ACT 2614
email: advocacy@fog.org.au
web: www.fog.org.au
Re: Lawson Mixed Use Site Place Design
Friends of Grasslands (FOG) is a community group dedicated to the conservation of natural temperate grassy ecosystems in south-eastern Australia. FOG advocates, educates and advises on matters to do with the conservation of native grassy ecosystems, and carries out surveys and other on-ground work. FOG is based in Canberra and its members include professional scientists, landowners, land managers and interested members of the public.
FOG wishes to provide additional feedback, centred on the appropriate management of environmental, to help shape the Place Design Brief. We thank you for your past engagement with us on matters relating to the Lawson 2A development. Many of our concerns to date are also applicable to the Lawson Mixed Use Site Place Design.
Site constraints
In the Background Information Summary document, the text states that "[t]he current planning for the site indicates that there are no significant constraints for the site at this stage.” FOG would dispute this assertion, on the grounds that there is no mention of the known environmental values of the site. Prior to past development of infrastructure in this site, this entire area would have constituted Natural Temperate Grassland and wetland and riparian habitat. There are important ‘constraints’ that have been overlooked. The conservation values that still remain include:
- Patches of Natural Temperate Grassland, a critically endangered ecological community listed under the EPBC Act are present (Figure 1, area AD (b)); as previously advised, these patches appear to have been overlooked by the initial site assessment of the proposed development area. The Conservation Advice for this community states that "The areas considered critical to the survival of the ecological community cover all patches that meet the key diagnostic characteristics and condition thresholds for the ecological community plus buffer zones. This is because the ecological community has a restricted geographic extent and is highly fragmented." Hence, every effort must be taken to ensure that no areas of this critically endangered ecological community are lost through direct or indirect causes of damage.
- Intact riparian zones with creek-side and floodplain vegetation adjacent to College Creek characterised by extensive beds of Cumbungi (Typha domingensis), that comprise known habitat for the migratory Latham's Snipe (Figure 1). These areas should be subject to landscaping using sensitive design principles that recognise and retain any existing values, in particular the Cumbungi beds within the flow lines and flood plains of College Creek, and the banks and beds of the creek that are free of Cumbungi as these also provide important habitat elements that are otherwise not available in the landscape.
- Planted vegetation (Figure 1, the north and south of both blocks labelled ‘AD’) that has become important habitat for a variety of woodland bird species, some of which are listed as threatened under ACT legislation, and others that are known to be declining in the region (Bounds et al 2021). Species identified include Gang-gang Cockatoo, Superb Parrot, White-winged Triller and Scarlet Robin, and Dusky Woodswallow and Flame Robin that are listed under NSW threatened species legislation.
Figure 1: Screenshot of the map in the "Background" tab on the YourSay platform, with annotations to illustrate the environmental values of the site, including areas identified by a grassy ecosystem ecologist from FOG as containing areas of planted vegetation, areas of Natural Temperate Grassland and the riparian zones.
Landscaping
Based on data collected from Canberra Nature Map, there is a strong case for viewing ornamental pears (Pyrus spp.) and Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvfolia) as sleeper weeds.
Those areas with conservation values, rather than being seen as constraints are essentially a bonus, where residents may enjoy the natural landscape and species as they grade towards the creek. However, these areas require special management to retain those values, including protection during construction and ensuring a lower intensity of recreation than areas of mostly introduced vegetation.
Recommendations
- We urge that the matters we have raised above are protected from disturbance during construction and potential use be compatible with the protection of these environmental values.
- Any landscaping near natural areas should aim for enhancing habitat values, including the use of rocks, logs and mixed vegetation structure, which will ensure richness of habitat for fauna.
- FOG strongly urges the developers of this Mixed Use Site to avoid using sleeper weed species, instead favouring species that can enhance the extant environmental values listed above, while still considering matters of drought and fire resistance. The planting of these sleeper weeds will require resources spent on-going management to control regeneration, and does not prevent birds spreading seed from those species into other areas.
- We urge the developer to apply the precautionary principle in its use of plant materials and in future landscape design and where possible to enhance and extend the areas of conservation value.
We believe strongly that there are opportunities in following the above recommendations to retain and value the identified conservation values, including for the intrinsic natural values, wellbeing, protection of the lake from contaminants, and hopefully, resources in management.
Our contact is Rainer Rehwinkel, rainer.rehwinkel@fog.org.au.
Yours sincerely
Professor
Jamie Pittock
President, Friends of Grasslands
29 February 2024