Boffa Miskell Ltd | Waihi North Project | Terrestrial Ecology Values and Effects of the WUG | 22 June 2022 81 8.5.2 Enhancement Planting: Vegetation and Habitat Loss Associated with Vent Raises As described in Section 6.4.2, revegetation of a total of 4.15 ha on the north east ridge of Willows Road Farm will connect an existing remnant bush fragment (Vegetation Area 3) occupied by Hochstetter’s frog to Coromandel Forest Park (Figure 15). This area will be fenced to exclude stock and pigs and subject to pest control (rodents, possums and mustelids), and provided legal protection in perpetuity48. While the potential habitat created by this initiative is not a ‘like for like’ replacement of the vegetation and habitat communities of the interior Coromandel Forest Park that will be cleared as part of the WUG, replanting this area will connect an indigenous forest fragment with established fauna values with Coromandel Forest Park, effectively expanding the Park’s extent. Replanting this area will also buffer the existing forest edge, thus creating more forest interior habitat with established vegetation that will improve the viability and habitat quality of both the forest fragment and Coromandel Forest Park. The extent of revegetation was determined on the basis that this is the area required to reconnect Vegetation Area 3 with Coromandel Forest Park. Ecological benefits and the areas described above are quantified in Table 14. Fencing and enhancement planting on the north east ridge of Willows Road Farm will be completed within the first 5 years of the project. Pest control will begin once fencing is complete. Table 14: Rational for the proposed enhancement planting between Vegetation Area 3 and Coromandel Forest Park with comparison to vent raise areas. Vent raise Footprint (loss) Vegetation Area 3 (existing) Coromandel Forest Park edge habitat (existing) Connectivity area between Area 3 and CFP (enhancement) Size of Area 0.0576 ha 3.45 ha n/a 4.15 ha Known values Mature broadleaf forest Hochstetter’s frogs Mature broadleaf canopy Mature broadleaf trees with scrub understory Nil Benefit of enhancement planting between Vegetation Area 3 and CFP n/a Improve viability of vegetation community Creation of habitat corridor Improve viability of forest margin Creation of habitat corridor Creation of habitat corridor Benefit of fencing / pest and weed control n/a Allow natural regeneration of understory Protect Hochstetter’s frog n/a Protection of new plantings and fauna that occupy new habitat Timeframe realise benefits n/a Within 10 years Within 10 years 25 years 48 Proposed conditions are provided in Part E of the AEE, (Mitchell Daysh, 2022)).
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