Case Study 1: Design, plan and cost fauna survey

Background information
A new lead, zinc and silver mine (called the Millenium Mine) in a remote region of Gulf of Carpentaria has been approved by the Commonwealth and Queensland governments. The mine will create 1,200 jobs in a region of high unemployment and generate $2,200 million for the Australian economy. The owners of the mine, a large international mining consortium (Ohmygoshi Ltd.) are required by Queensland state laws to prepare an Impact Assessment Statement (IAS). The IAS aims to provide relevant, explicit details of the project and its management to enable the environmental and socio-economic acceptability of the project to be determined.

Tenders have been called to submit detailed proposals for the FAUNA component of the IAS. Your company (Feral Enterprises Pty Ltd) is a leading ecological consultant based in Darwin with extensive experience in undertaking fauna surveys. You see this as an excellent opportunity to display your companies' talents.

No previous fauna surveys have been done in the region, although numerous museums have gathered a number of specimens from ad hoc collecting. It is believed that a number of rare and endangered species occur in the region. These include the Painted Turtle (Emydura subglobosa), Gouldian Finch (Erythura gouldiae) and Carpentarian Antechinus (Pseudantechinus mimulus).

A large number of Aboriginal sacred sites are located in the project area. The traditional owners, the Waanyi people, live in a small community nearby. Disused mine shafts are common in the area, a legacy of small-scale mining at the start of the century.

Aims
The specific aims of the FAUNA tender are as follows:

• provide a list of all vertebrate and invertebrate species (both aquatic and terrestrial) known to occur in the project area
• determine the distribution of species in relation to habitats available
• determine the conservation significance of species and sites within the project area
• establish long-term monitoring sites for assessing mine impact and rehabilitation.

Location of project area
The mine is located 250 km north of Mt Isa, Queensland, close to the Northern Territory border.

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The region is sparsely populated with limited infrastructure. The region is located in the tropical savanna and the vegetation, which consists of scattered trees with a grass understorey, is largely intact. The landscape is characterised by flat alluvial plains and low rocky ranges.

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The climate is monsoonal, with a short wet season (December to March) where an average of 500 mm of rain falls followed by a long dry season (April to November).

An area of 2,585 ha will be cleared for the mine site (shaded areas on the vegetation map below). No accommodation facilities are available, and no airstrip within 50 km. A number of pastoral stations are located 20 km away.

Vegetation
Nine distinct vegetation communities occur within the project area: six woodland, two grassland and one riparian.

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Woodland communities

Terminalia canescens & Atalaya hemiglauca mid-high open woodland occurring on flat areas

Eucalyptus leucophloia open mallee woodland occurring on steep slopes of sandstone hills

Eucalyptus leucophloia open mallee woodland with mixed understorey occurring on rocky outcrops

Eucalyptus pruinosa mid-high open woodland occurring on alluvial plains

Eucalyptus terminalis mid-high woodland occurring on limestone formations

Grassland communities

Very tall grassland occurring on flat alluvial plains

Triodia (spinifex) hummock grassland occurring on sandstone hills and footslopes

Riparian community

Eucalyptus camaldulensis tall open forest with mixed understorey occurring next to intermittent creek lines

Land systems
Four major land systems have been classified in the project area:

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Argylla - dissected hills with much rock outcrop. Skeletal soils and Upper Proterozoic geology comprising siltstone and sandstone.

Gregory - grassland plains of mainly cracking black clay soil alluvia. Late Tertiary to Quaternary geology.

Korong - gently sloping, mildly dissected lower parts of footslopes with variable soils comprising sand, gravel clay and silt. Cainozoic (Pliocene) geology.

Thorntonia - rough limestone rocky hills comprising some dissected plateaux and mesas. Skeletal soils and Middle Cambrian geology.

In your proposal make sure to include the following information

Length 1500-2500 words (please don't go over this limit)

As part of your proposal be sure to fully describe the following sections:

1.Title
2. Table of Contents
3. Introduction
4. Methods and Justification (sub-section this as you wish). Be sure to include

• sampling design (include seasonal timing if appropriate)
• faunal groups to be sampled and trapping methods
• types of data to be collected
• descriptive statistics to be used
  NB. you are encouraged to consider and include statistical analyses to be used but will not be marked on this component
• outline and justify methods of data collection

5. Costs, time and staff required

• cost and time budget for planning, sampling and report writing. Include full costing of all items required (transport, food, general camping gear etc; assume you already have all Elliott and cage traps)
• staff required
• timing and length of survey

6. References

• the proposal must be fully referenced
  

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