Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd

Home

Services

EcoRamblings

Technology

EcoCheck®

EcoCheck®Walkabout

The EcoCheck®Walkabout Assessment has been developed by Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd to provide confidential advice regarding ecological issues identified during a brief site visit.

All advice is based solely on the experience of the assessor and not on precollated historical data or the analysis of original data. Consequently, some ecological issues may be omitted and may be raised by other interested parties based on preexisting data or original data not available to the assessor during this survey.

No literature or database searches were conducted during this assessment. Searches of these datasets may reveal historical records for flora, fauna, vegetation or significant species habitat. If this type of data is required it is recommended that you request an EcoCheck®Basic Assessment, but be aware that information and advice with this product can not be confidential due to permit conditions and contractual obligations associated with our Data Supply Agreement with the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

A short report can be supplied on request. This report is prepared in confidence for the client by Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd and will not be distributed to any other party outside the company unless (i) prior consent is given by the client, or (ii) the information enters the public domain and becomes public knowledge.

GET A QUOTE

EcoCheck®Basic

The EcoCheck®Basic Assessment documents known or potential ecological issues and includes a brief site inspection to confirm that these issues are still relevant to the site. The report also identifies any triggers for the Flora & Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, the Native Vegetation Retention Controls under the Planning and Environment Act 1987, the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 and the recently enacted Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, allowing you to rapidly assess your legislative obligations.

The assessment is based on the most up-to-date and official lists of flora, fauna and vegetation types in Victoria. The primary aim is to flag key ecological issues that may become constraints to continued development of a particular parcel of land. The use of state-of-the-art technology allows Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd to provide an economical 'first-look'.

What does the EcoCheck®Basic Assessment include?

1. A list of significant flora known to occur or reasonably believed to occur within the target property. This includes plants recorded within the study area and those recorded within 500m of the study area from vegetation similar to that remaining within the study area.
2. A list of significant fauna that could utilise resources within the target area. This includes sedentary species recorded within 500m of the target property in habitat similar to that remaining within the study area and all mobile species recorded within 5000m of the target property that could rely in some way on resources e.g. food plants, breeding sites, shelter, prey that are known to occur or reasonably believed to occur within the target property.
3. A list of significant vegetation types known to occur or reasonably believed to occur within the target parcel. A list of legislative issues that may arise from the development of the site.

GET A QUOTE

EcoCheck®Intermediate

The EcoCheck®Intermediate Assessment expands on the EcoCheck®Basic Assessment using ecological data collected during a detailed site inspection. This report is essentially an audit of what occurs within your study area.

What does the EcoCheck®Intermediate Assessment include?

1. A detailed discussion of significant flora known to occur or reasonably believed to occur within the target property. This includes plants recorded within the study area and those recorded within 500m of the study area from vegetation similar to that remaining within the study area.
2. A detailed discussion of significant fauna that could utilise resources within the target area. This includes sedentary species recorded within 500m of the target property in habitat similar to that remaining within the study area and all mobile species recorded within 5000m of the target property that could rely in some way on resources e.g. food plants, breeding sites, shelter, prey that are known to occur or reasonably believed to occur within the target property.
3. A detailed discussion of significant vegetation types known to occur or reasonably believed to occur within the target parcel. This product includes a map showing the extent and habitat score of all remnant vegetation.
4. A detailed discussion of legislative issues that may arise from the development of the site. Specific legislation addressed includes the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, the Planning and Environment Act 1987, the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Specific discussion regarding NET GAIN and HABITAT SCORES as described in 'Victoria's Native Vegetation Management - A Framework for Action' are also addressed in this report. Although potential CLEARANCE OFFSETS are outlined, the report does not include the detailed vegetation assessment of the OFFSET site or the associated 10-year management plan required in order to have a planning permit that includes the clearance of native vegetation approved. Clients will need to obtain a quotation for an EcoCheck®Advanced(flora) once this assessment has identified NET GAIN requirements and potential sites where OFFSETS can be achieved.

GET A QUOTE

EcoCheck®Advanced

The EcoCheck®Advanced Assessment expands on the EcoCheck®Intermediate Assessment. It includes Items 1 to 4 outlined above and

EITHER

General recommendations for management of identified ecological issues suitable for planning ongoing management requirements. These will be based on the current knowledge of the biology and ecology of the species, vegetation or habitat present and published best practice. If detailed management specifications are required suitable for input into a work program a client should migrate to the EcoCheck? Ultimate product or have a custom-made management plan written for the study area.

OR

Recommendations for mitigation of potential impacts by a proposed development or action. Suitable for use in an Environmental Impact Statement or inclusion in a Planning Application to justify particular development options.

GET A QUOTE

EcoCheck®Ultimate OR Annual/Biennial Vegetation Audit

An expansion of the EcoCheck®Advanced Assessment where ongoing integrated management is required. Structured around a Dynamic Monitoring-Management Model this product is meant to be implemented on an annual basis following management rather than on a once-off basis.

This product provides a prioritised list of management actions for reserves within a municipality or region based on spatial analysis of vegetation quality and known threats e.g. weeds, pests . It also incorporates known ecological requirements of each vegetation type and flags the need for ecosystem-wide events like ecological burns or inundation events.

The detailed analysis also provides comprehensive tables of all vegetation types within the target reserves, the amount of habitat hectares present and any recorded changes between years. These results are provided as histograms and scattered diagrams to help visualise changes and justify ongoing expenditure.

GET A QUOTE

Other things you need to know

COPYRIGHT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The copyright and intellectual property for all work remains the property of Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd unless the contrary is agreed to in writing at the start of the project or specified to the contrary within the report (e.g. when a photograph by another worker is reproduced with permission).

On completion of a contract, and on receipt of all outstanding payments, a client is provided with permission to reproduce any contract documents provided by Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd IN THEIR ENTIRETY to anyone within its organisation and to any other relevant people or organisations as identified in the tender brief or contract (e.g. VCAT Panel, DSE, Local Council). Sections, figures, maps should not be reproduced and/or distributed separately as this information can be taken out of context when viewed in isolation.

In general reports are written specifically for clients to address a specific problem and have not been written as a public document for uncontrolled distribution. If clients wish to supply a copy of a report to a person or organisation not specified in the tender brief or contract then permission should be sought in writing from Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd identifying the proposed recipient of the report and for what purpose they intend to use it.

PRODUCTS SUPPLIED

Unless otherwise specified in the tender brief or contract only three copies of a report will be supplied on completion of the work. In addition, the report will be supplied electronically as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. It is a policy of Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd not to distribute sections of reports, allow sections of published reports to be extracted as they can be taken out of context or allow reports to be changed once they have been published. As such all electronic files are provided as 'locked-down' files that can only be viewed on a computer screen or printed.

GOVERNMENT DATABASES

Access to government databases on flora, fauna and vegetation are rigidly controlled by data supply agreements. If a contract involves the extraction of historical records from the Flora Information System, Atlas of Victorian Wildlife, Victorian Fish Database or DSE's Geospatial Data Library, Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd has a contractual obligation to provide the raw data back to the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

PERMITS

Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd requires a range of permits to conduct work on flora and fauna on public land within Victoria. It is a condition of these permits that a copy of all reports be forwarded to the relevant authority, usually the Department of Sustainability & Environment or Parks Victoria, on completion of a contract.