CLIENT:  Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC)

YEAR:  2021 to 2024

LOCATION:  Creek crossing along Branchview Road, Queensland

PROJECT CATEGORY:  Protected Flora, Water Infrastructure, Impact Management Plan, Threatened flora, Threatened Ecological Community (TEC)

PROJECT OUTLINE

Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) were in the process of realigning and upgrading the creek crossing along Branchview Road to a concreate bridge crossing. The road, owned and operated by TRC, serves as a vital thoroughfare for predominantly agricultural and residential uses.

Redleaf was engaged in 2021 to conduct a protected flora survey when the conservation significant species – near threatened (Qld) Digitaria porrecta – was observed within the proposed upgrade area. Subsequent surveys were conducted by Dr Darren Fielder to confirm the species presence and extent in 2024. Dr Fielder found an additional threatened species in 2024 – vulnerable (Qld) Picris barbarorum – and determined that sections within the project footprint is a critically endangered Threatened Ecological Community (TEC) – Natural grasslands on Basalt and fine-textured alluvial plains of Northern NSW and Southern QLD.

As part of the impact management plan, translocation of protected flora was implemented in January 2025 to relocate the protected flora from the project’s clearing footprint. Additionally seeds from the two (2) species were collected to be grown in a nursery under controlled conditions to later be planted back in the area.

KEY TASKS

• Field assessment: determination of the numbers and extent of the threatened species on site
• Identifying threshold, characteristics and extent of TEC on site
• Reporting findings in a protected flora report and developing an impact management plan
• Collection of seeds from both species to be germinated at a nursery
• Monitoring progress of seedlings replanted on site