Albany Wind Farm
The Albany Wind Farm was constructed in 2001 and, at 20MW of power generation, is the biggest wind farm in Western Australia. The wind farm was constructed in the Sandpatch coastal reserve managed by the City of Albany.
Biota staff and local biologists completed the flora and fauna surveys of the project area and assisted Western Power to prepare an environmental assessment of the proposed development.
We also provided environmental support during the detailed design and construction of the project. This included input to contractor specifications, the preparation and auditing of an Environmental Management Plan. |
|
Brockman Syncline 4
Biota completed several different biological surveys to support the formal environmental assessment of Hamersley Iron's Brockman Syncline 4 iron ore mine. These included:
- Flora and vegetation surveys
- Targeted rare flora surveys
- Vertebrate fauna survey
- Short Range Endemic (SRE) survey
- Molecular (DNA) studies of land snail taxa
- Stygofauna surveys
These studies were completed to a high standard, consistent with relevant EPA guidance statements. A new species of land snail was collected during the surveys for this project.
Pilbara Iron staff had also previously collected a new species of Ptilotus from the project area, and Biota botanists conducted further confirmation surveys for this undescribed species. |
|
Nextgen Fibre Optic Cable
The Nextgen fibre optic cable was a national-scale project to construct new fibre optic infrastructure across the eastern states and into Western Australia. Biota carried out flora and fauna surveys along the proposed cable installation route as part of the Sinclair Knight Merz environmental team on behalf of Leighton Contractors.
| 17 stand-alone flora and fauna reports were completed for the various construction sections extending from the South Australian border across the Nullarbor plain, through the Goldfields and the Wheatbelt, finishing in the Perth metropolitan area. |
|
Onlow Solar Saltfield
The Onslow solar salt field is situated immediately adjacent to the town of Onslow on the Pilbara coast and was constructed in 1997. Several mangrove tidal creek systems enter this coastline, forming one of the key issues for the project.
Biota has carried out:
- ten years of mangrove community monitoring
- Ongoing preparation of Annual Environmental Reports (AERs)
- Ongoing island fauna community monitoring
- Rehabilitation advice and general environmental support
|
|
Orebody 23
Biota was approached by BHP Billiton Iron Ore to assist in resolving a project approval stalled because of issues involving stygofauna. Specifically, the risk that dewatering of Orebody 23 near Newman would affect the only known populations of several stygal amphipod species.
The approach included:
- Developing an overall strategy to approach the issue
- Designing and implementing a stygofauna sampling plan
- Managing inputs from specialist geneticists and taxonomists
- Documenting the findings in a final report to environmental agencies
The project resulted in the resolution of the project impasse and substantial improvements in the understanding of the genetics and morphology of the stygal animals involved. |
|
Mesa A
Mesa A is situated adjacent to the North-West Coastal Highway, some 50 km west of Pannawonica. Biota zoologists unexpectedly recorded troglobitic animals inside the mesa during baseline exploration surveys, leading to a large scale survey and research programme. This study resulted in the identification of a series of troglofauna communities occuring as island populations in mesa formations along the Robe River valley.
The Mesa A project also involved a range of other biological surveys, including:
- seasonal terrestrial fauna surveys of the Mesa A and Waramboo deposits and the 50 km rail corridor to Pannawonica
- seasonal flora and vegetation survey of the Mesa A and Waramboo deposits and the 50 km rail corridor to Pannawonica
- Targeted surveys for the Northern Quoll at Mesa A and along the Robe River valley
|
|
