Wildlife Strikes at Moorabbin Airport Associated with ProposedResidential Development at the Kingswood Golf Course, Dingley

Village, Victoria

Date: 10th February 2016

Author: Chad Browning (Consultant Zoologist) and Aaron Organ (Director / Principal Ecologist)

Ref: 7006

1 Introduction

Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd was commissioned by AS Residential Property No.1 Pty Ltd to provide

advice regarding the potential for the Kingswood Dingley Village development to increase wildlife strikes at

Moorabbin Airport.

The residential community is proposed to be developed by AS Residential Property No.1 Pty Ltd within the

Kingswood Golf Course site, located approximately two kilometres from Moorabbin Airport (Figure 1). The

development will include mixed density housing (800-1,000 lots), open space, pedestrian and cycling paths, a

mixed use/ community precinct and several stormwater treatment wetlands.

Owing to the proximity of the proposed development site to Moorabbin Airport, any potential indirect

impacts on airfield operations require consideration, particularly wildlife strikes. To this end, this assessment

aims to:

Review existing conditions at the Kingswood Golf Course site;

Identify components of the Kingswood Dingley Village development project that have the potential

to increase the risk of wildlife strikes at Moorabbin Airport;

Determine if the development components are likely to increase the risk of wildlife strikes; and,

Identify suitable mitigation measures (where required) to account for potential risks.

2 Existing Conditions

Existing conditions within the Kingswood Golf Course site are illustrated in Figure 2. The proposed

development site has been subject to comprehensive environmental studies, including an Arborist

Assessment completed in September 2015 (Homewood Consulting Pty Ltd 2015) and an Ecological

Assessment completed in January 2016 (Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd 2016). The assessments

provide the following information relevant to existing conditions and the risk of wildlife strikes at Moorabbin

Airport:

The Kingswood Golf Course site is highly modified and is dominated by linear strips of tree

vegetation with an understory that has been cleared/ slashed between fairways and greens. The

Arborist Assessment identified 1,348 trees (or groups of trees) within the site, the majority of which

have been planted.

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The Ecological Assessment identified 1.3 hectares of native vegetation (Plains Grassy Woodland and

Damp Sands Herb-rich Woodland), 34 scattered trees and over 90 hollow-bearing trees within the

site.

Four artificial waterbodies are present within the site, with a total area of approximately two

hectares. Existing waterbodies (EW) include (Figure 2):

o EW1: 1.2 hectares - Constructed pond

o EW2: 0.1 hectares - Water hazard dam

o EW3: 0.5 hectares - Irrigation dam

o EW4: 0.2 hectares - Water hazard dam

These artificial waterbodies receive harvested stormwater which is stored in a natural aquifer

beneath the golf course (Smart Water Fund 2012). The waterbodies are considered to provide

moderate to high value habitat for fauna species within the locality, including common waterbirds.

During the recent Ecological Assessment Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata, Pacific Black

Duck Anas superciliosa, Eurasian Coot Fulica atra and Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio were

observed using these habitats. At the time of assessment, these waterbodies had a low to moderate

cover of aquatic vegetation. The margins were generally fringed with introduced grasses, with

scattered Tall Rush Juncus procerus and small stands of emergent Bulrush Typha spp. Little

submerged or floating vegetation was present within the waterbodies.

A review of the Birdata Database (Birdlife Australia 2016) indicates that there are no Important Bird

Areas (IBAs) (sites of global bird conservation importance) within the vicinity of the proposed

development site. The closest IBA is Carrum Wetlands which consists of a number of isolated

wetland sites (e.g. Edithvale, Seaford, and Eastern Treatment Plant), the closest of which is located

approximately 10 kilometres from the proposed development.

3 Proposed Conditions

The draft Development Framework Plan and Proposed Development Plan are provided as Figures 3 and 4,

respectively. The Kingswood Dingley Village development will decrease the extent of open space currently

provided by the fairways and greens of the Kingswood Golf Course. At the time of preparing this assessment

the extent of vegetation removal was unconfirmed; however it is accepted that the proposed development

will result in the removal of at least half of the remnant patches and scattered trees identified during the

recent Ecological Assessment (Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd 2016), including hollow-bearing trees.

Vegetation losses within the development footprint will be ‘offset’ by the planting of native trees and shrubs

in areas of open space, road reserves and around proposed stormwater treatment wetlands. The Ecological

Assessment Report recommended that any landscape planting utilises indigenous species sourced from a

local provenance.

While not specifically recommended in the Ecological Assessment report (Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty

Ltd 2016), nest boxes may be installed within the areas of retained vegetation to compensate for the loss of

hollow-bearing trees.

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Following development, the site will support three large artificial waterbodies, covering approximately 2.9

hectares. Proposed waterbodies (PW) include (Figure 2):

PW1: 1.8 hectares - Minor expansion of the existing pond (EW1)

PW2: 0.7 hectares - A new stormwater treatment wetland

PW3: 0.3 hectares - Expansion of the existing water hazard dam (EW4) for creation of a stormwater

treatment wetland

The proposed development will increase the cover of surface water within the site by 0.9 hectares (45%) and

improve the quality of available aquatic habitats through revegetation and ongoing maintenance.

4 Discussion

In reviewing the potential for the Kingswood Dingley Village development to increase wildlife strikes at

Moorabbin Airport, three components of the pre and post-development environments are considered to

have the potential to significantly affect the population levels of birds and bats within the locality:

Availability and condition of waterbodies;

Extent of potential foraging and roosting habitat; and,

Availability of hollows (hollow-bearing trees and nest boxes).

Existing conditions within the proposed development site are relatively conducive to bird and bat activity,

with the Kingwood Golf Course supporting large areas of open space, patches of remnant vegetation,

scattered trees, over 90 hollow-bearing trees and four waterbodies covering an area of approximately two

hectares.

Based on project information available at the time of this assessment, post-development conditions are

unlikely to significantly reduce the occurrence of birds or bats within the locality. While the large areas of

open space afforded by the existing Golf Course would be significantly reduced, an extensive landscape

planting program is likely to result in a net gain of native vegetation cover within the site. Following

development, the area and condition of aquatic habitat within the site will be increased and nest boxes may

also be installed to compensate for the removal of any hollow-bearing trees removed.

The proposed landscape treatments and potential installation of nest boxes are considered unlikely to

significantly increase bird and bat activity within the site. The decrease in the extent of open space and

changes in land use (Golf Course to mixed density housing estate) are likely to limit the benefits to local,

nomadic and migratory bird and bat species, and large-bodied birds (e.g. Pelicans and Ibis that can be prone

to aircraft collisions), provided by landscape plantings, increases in surface water cover and aquatic habitat

improvements. Once constructed, wetlands associated with the Kingswood Dingley Village development are

unlikely to modify bird movements throughout the locality, with larger and established wetlands in the

broader landscape, such as those included in the Carrum Wetlands IBA, providing higher quality and more

favourable habitat.

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Given that the proposed development is unlikely to significantly affect bird or bat populations within the site

and locality, the risk of wildlife strikes at Moorabbin Airport is considered to remain very low and consistent

with the existing conditions. Published wildlife strike statistics (ATSB 2014) indicate that there were 111 bird

strikes recorded at Moorabbin Airport between 2004 and 2013, of which 102 occurred within the

Aerodrome confines (Table 1).

Of the 111 strikes recorded, 11 were classified as damaging (serious and minor damage), with the

responsible species recorded as ‘Crow/Raven’, ‘Duck’, ‘Ibis’ and ‘Silver Gull’ (ATSB 2014).

Table 1. Number of Bird Strikes at Moorabbin Airport - 2004-13 (ATSB 2014)

Aerodrome Proximity No. of Bird Strikes

Aerodrome confines 102

5 to 15 kilometres 7

>15 kilometres 1

Unknown 1

Given the relatively low number of bird strikes recorded outside the aerodrome confines between 2004 and

2013 (8%), the risk of strikes occurring within the vicinity of the proposed development site are considered

low.

The National Airports Safeguarding Framework (NASF) Guideline C: Managing the Risk of Wildlife Strikes in

the Vicinity of Airports (Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development 2014) provides advice to

help protect against wildlife hazards originating off-airport. The guideline includes a risk assessment matrix,

listing common land uses surrounding airports, the associated wildlife attraction risk and recommended

responses. While the risk assessment does not specifically include residential development, the guideline

indicates that mitigation measures should be considered in instances where a ‘Wildlife sanctuary/

conservation area - wetland’ is proposed within three kilometres of an airport runway.

The NASF Guideline (Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development 2014) recommends the

following mitigation measures in instances where new land uses are to be established which increase the risk

of wildlife strike:

A requirement for a Wildlife Management Program;

The establishment of wildlife management performance standards;

Allowance for changes to design and/or operating procedures at places/plants where land use has

been identified as increasing the risk of wildlife strike to aircraft;

Establishment of appropriate habitat management at incompatible land uses;

Creation of performance bonds to ensure clean–up and compensation should obligations not be

met;

Authority for airport operators to inspect and monitor properties close to airports where wildlife

hazards have been identified; and,

Consistent and effective reporting of wildlife events in line with Australian Transport Safety Bureau

(ATSB) guidelines.

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Measures to mitigate the risk of wildlife strikes are also provided by organisations such as the Australian

Airports Association and are applicable to scenarios where a sufficient level of risk has been identified.

Proposed measures for off-site locations within the industry guideline: ‘Managing Bird Strike Risk - Airport

Practice Note 6’ (AAA 2015) include reducing water attraction, physical exclusion (netting) and the

implementation of bird dispersal programs (canons etc.).

The potential mitigation measures are inconsistent with the project’s objectives for environmental

management and are considered unwarranted given the low likelihood that bird and bat numbers will

significantly increase following development. While the project will establish wetlands within three

kilometres of the airport runway, such habitats are already present within the subject site and the proposed

increase in surface water cover (from two hectares to 2.9 hectares) and habitat improvement works are

considered unlikely to significantly increase bird or bat populations within the locality.

Based on the findings of this assessment, it is considered that there is no requirement to amend the

Proposed Development Plan (Figure 4) or prepare a management plan relating to bird strike risk are part of

the ongoing project approvals phase. Regardless, the risk of bird strike at Moorabbin Airport must be

constantly monitored to account for changing environmental conditions surrounding the Airport.

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References

ATSB (Australian Transport Safety Bureau) 2014. Australian Aviation Wildlife Strike Statistics 2004 - 2013.

Australian Government. Canberra, ACT.

Australian Airports Association (AAA) 2015. Managing Bird Strike Risk - Species Information Sheets. Airport

Practice Note 6.

BirdLife Australia 2016. Birdata Databade. URL: http://www.birdata.com.au/homecontent.do. Accessed: 02

February 2016. Melbourne, Victoria.

Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd 2016. Ecological Assessment for a Proposed Residential Development

at the Kingswood Golf Course, Dingley Village. Unpublished report prepared for AS Residential

Property No.1 Pty Ltd.

Homewood Consulting 2015. Preliminary Assessment of trees located at the Peninsular Kingswood Golf

Course, Dingley Village. Unpublished report prepared for Robert Luxmoore Pty Ltd.

Smart Water Fund 2012. Kingswood Golf Club implements aquifer storage and recovery for irrigation.

Available from URL http://www.smartwater.com.au/knowledge-hub/water-smart-cities/aquifer-

storage-recovery/kingswood-golf-club-implements-aquifer-storage-and-recovery-for-irrigation.html .

Accessed 02 February 2016.

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Figures

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Fig1

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Fig2

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Figure 3. Draft Development Framework Plan

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Figure 4. Proposed Development Plan