Council embarks on new plan for South Goulburn's threatened species

Work, including tree clearing, is well underway on Kennards' storage unit at 163-167 Hume Street, adding to the previously declared enterprise corridor. The developer is purchasing biodiversity offsets to compensate for the trees' loss.

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Red Rooster has also popped up and next door, to the north, there are plans to clear at least some of the remnant Box Gum Grassy Woodland. The council's biodiversity assessment officer, Brian Faulkner said some of the trees on this site appeared to have been "deliberately and illegally poisoned."

A report has revealed that despite 2004 recommendations, development in Hume Street and the wider South Goulburn area has failed to adequately protect endangered and threatened species.

At a recent meeting, Cr Bob Kirk said although a management plan was in place, adherence to it had been "dismal."

"This review is long overdue," he said.

Mr Faulkner, a registered horticulturalist, has completed the South Goulburn Threatened Species Management Plan. He and staff re-surveyed remnant vegetation identified by environmental consultant, Rod Falconer in 2004 as part of his South Goulburn Endangered/Threatened Species Management Plan.

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That document recommended "retention and restoration of remnant vegetation where possible" and stated that pockets of Box Gum Woodland were degraded and at risk of further clearing due to ongoing development. It also highlighted the importance of creating a canopy of trees between south Goulburn and the West Goulburn Bushland Reserve.

But Mr Faulkner's 2023 review found that about one quarter of the remnant vegetation identified by Mr Falconer as important, had been removed since 2004. Some of this was on council land in and around South Goulburn caravan park, sold off in 2014. The council retains just 2.6 hectares of remnant vegetation in the study area.

"Since 2004 there has been significant further development of the South Goulburn area and a continual loss of remnant trees and native vegetation," Mr Faulkner reported.

"Areas that were recommended to be restored and revegetated to provide canopy cover have not been revegetated."

Moreover, a vegetation corridor along Carr Street had "not been successful." This was due to residential development and despite a rezoning to C4 environmental living.

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He said that "continuing intense pressure" to undertake further clearing and development in the South Goulburn meant the council would have to balance community benefits with damage to biodiversity values.

Developers are now subject to a higher test, courtesy of the 2016 Biodiversity Conservation Act. It calls for avoidance of clearing, followed by mitigation and offsets, which put a price on the value of native vegetation.

The presence of the critically endangered Box Gum grasslands woodland and derived native grasslands in the South Goulburn study area, means any proposed removal will require a biodiversity assessment report, and offset credits. If it involves removal of a species at risk of 'serious or irreversible impact,' the proponent must demonstrate a social and economic benefit to the state.

But with councillors' recent adoption of Mr Faulkner's review, another layer of protection will apply to what's left.

Additional measures will be implemented to identify and protect remnant Boxy Gum grassy woodland in the South Goulburn area, "as far as is reasonably practical." A management plan to protect the woodland on council-owned land will also be developed, along with a campaign to raise community awareness of its value.

The council will also encourage use of native plant species representative of the Box Gum grassy woodland in landscaping around Goulburn. Monitoring of the woodland's presence will continue and Mr Faulkner's report will be reviewed and updated every five years.

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Mr Faulkner said where the woodland remained, it was mostly in good health but "groundcover layers were degraded and weed infested."

"However there is potential for restoration of these sites," he said.

Cr Michael Prevedello told the meeting the review "drew a line in the sand."

"It provides a guide on how these areas are to be treated," he said.

Cr Jason Shepherd said it was essential that remnant bushland was protected.

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