49 EMROP: Waihi North Project WAI-985-000-PLN-LC-0001_Rev0 clean 5.2.4 Summary of potential adverse effects on resident lizards Areas that support indigenous lizards will be directly affected by the activities proposed as part of the WNP. Activities such as vegetation removal, blasting, and significant earthworks could result in a range of direct and indirect adverse effects on the local lizard populations. Potential effects include, but are not limited to: • Direct mortality or injury during vegetation clearance; • Habitat loss, fragmentation, and isolation through the removal of vegetation and associated refuge structures (e.g. rocks); • Displacement of lizards that could result in reductions in individual fitness or heightened risk of predation by exotic mammalian predators; and • Construction related disturbances (e.g. noise, vibrations, or dust effects). Notwithstanding these effects, the AEE demonstrated a Low level of effect on indigenous lizards (Bioresearches, 2022) due to the low magnitude of known habitat removal (at GOP only). The moko skink, while found to be present in habitats contiguous with the NRS and TSF3 footprints, are avoided. 5.2.5 Managing potential adverse effects on indigenous lizards The complete avoidance of potential effects on indigenous lizards and their habitats cannot be achieved due to the current extent of the project design. Therefore, managing the effects will be achieved through mitigation that will involve the implementation of a salvage-relocation operation and release site habitat enhancement and in accordance with a Wildlife Act Authority. In addition, habitat augmentation will be provided for to contribute additional resources for resident indigenous lizards with the objective of maintaining indigenous lizard populations within the wider WNP area. Notwithstanding the detection of only terrestrial skinks within the WNP area, the salvage methods described in this LMP are best practice and designed to detect and capture both terrestrial and arboreal lizards (e.g. skinks and geckos). That is, the methods are applicable across the range of lizard taxa that may potentially be encountered within the WNP footprint. 5.2.6 Securing biodiversity gains Habitat creation / planting (1.7 ha) and enhancement actions (2.34 ha) for native lizards within the WNP are designed to maximise opportunities to protect and enhance existing moko skink values in perpetuity. Moko skink are a nationally ‘At Risk’ species that is often sympatric (share same habitats) with copper skinks. However, unlike copper skinks, moko skinks are now extinct through most of their natural range on the New Zealand mainland, now persisting in potentially fewer than five populations along the north-east of the North Island, excluding offshore islands. Therefore, the localised presence of this species in the surrounding Waihi North landscape offers a significant opportunity to preserve and enhance this biodiversity value. Habitat enhancement measures for this species, and copper skinks, are addressed in Table 15 and Figure 5.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjE2NDg3