By Violet Li
Communities around Stevensons Brothers Industries (SBI) landfill are expressing concern around the habitat loss of the local endangered species Southern Brown Bandicoot, as the latest report reveals the operator removed about half a hectare of native vegetation, allegedly without the authorised permits, during the past three years.
The Native Vegetation Removal Assessment, a submission to support the operator’s recent proposed planning permit amendments, was commissioned after Casey Council issued a breach notice of alleged unauthorised native vegetation removal in January 2023.
“Too much native vegetation has already been removed,” a resident wrote to the Casey Council in their lodged objections against the proposed permit amendments.
“I am also worried about the damage to native vegetation and the possible effect it will have on the endangered bandicoot population,” another resident objected.
The assessment found that the removal comprised 0.456 hectares of native vegetation in patches around the edges of the quarry, including seven large trees.
It identified ‘complete direct removal of canopy and understorey species’ due to unpermitted clearing and ‘partial native vegetation removal’ resulting from unauthorised bike tracks and rubbish and metal materials dumping.
The stormwater runoff, which carried sediment, was discovered to indirectly contribute to the death of native vegetation in several studied areas.
One of the areas worth noticing was the zone opposite the office near the site entrance where trucks and the road are washed down.
“Water runoff has been directed into adjacent native vegetation via a concrete gutter,” the assessment wrote.
“This area is now devoid of native vegetation due to inappropriate hydrology and excess sediment.
“The only attempt to control sediment runoff is the presence of hay bales, however, these are not proving to be effective at trapping sediments in this location.”
Echoing the residents’ concerns, an updated fauna management plan to satisfy the proposed planning permit amendment noted that vegetation in the area met the habitat requirements for South Brown Bandicoot, a species listed as endangered under both the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act).
Though the investigators did not catch the presence of the species during the survey periods, the plan assumed that the species were active on site given the presence of numerous sights within the adjoining Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne.
“If resident in the study area, this species would be susceptible to impacts involving the removal or modification of treed native vegetation, particularly those areas with dense lower understories,” the plan wrote.
The plan also stated that the lost vegetation due to allegedly unpermitted clearing could not be feasibly revegetated due to ‘past quarry activities and soil being too disturbed for planting to be successful’.
SBI was contacted for comment.
