Managing necessary environmental works
A self-assessable vegetation clearing code
Effective from 8 August 2014
This publication has been compiled by Operations Support (Vegetation Management) of State
Land Asset Management, Department of Natural Resources and Mines
© State of Queensland, 2014.
The Queensland Government supports and encourages the dissemination and exchange of
its information. The copyright in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY) licence.
Under this licence you are free, without having to seek our permission, to use this publication
in accordance with the licence terms.
You must keep intact the copyright notice and attribute the State of Queensland as the source
of the publication.
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The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The Queensland
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reader/user accepts all risks and responsibility for losses, damages, costs and other
consequences resulting directly or indirectly from using this information.
Contents
1. How to use this document
2
2. Introduction
3
2.1 Self-assessable vegetation clearing code
3
2.2 Scope of the code
3
3. Notification and compliance
5
3.1 Notification
5
3.2 Compliance
5
4. Necessary environmental works
6
4.1 General
6
4.2 Restoring the ecological and environmental condition of land
8
4.3 Clearing for natural disaster preparation
11
4.4 Clearing to remove a contaminant
13
4.5 Re-vegetation works
15
Appendix 1: Summary of code practices
16
Appendix 2: Other legislation
18
Glossary
19
i
1. How to use this document
This code states the required outcomes for necessary environmental clearing, the practices
that must be complied with and provides guidance on how to comply with each practice. The
practices are shaded blue throughout the document and a summary of the practices is
provided in Appendix 1.
There is a glossary at the end of the document that defines specific terms used in the code. If
a term is not included in the glossary, it may be defined in the Vegetation Management Act
1999.
Other resources that are referred to in this code and will assist your compliance with its
requirements include the:
• regulated vegetation management map—available at www.dnrm.qld.gov.au
• vegetation management supporting map—available at www.dnrm.qld.gov.au, which
shows the:
o vegetation management wetlands map
o vegetation management watercourse map
o essential habitat map
• full regional ecosystem descriptions contained in the Regional Ecosystem Description
Database—available at www.ehp.qld.gov.au
• State Policy for Vegetation Management—available at www.dnrm.qld.gov.au
• Vegetation Management Act 1999—available at www.legislation.qld.gov.au
• Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009—available at www.legislation.qld.gov.au
Figure 1: Gully erosion
2. Introduction
2.1
Self-assessable vegetation clearing code
This is a self-assessable vegetation clearing code (code) for necessary environmental
clearing of vegetation made in accordance with the Vegetation Management Act 1999. It is
based on the purposes of this Act, and the principles and required outcomes of the State
Policy for Vegetation Management. It sets out the required outcomes and practices for
necessary environmental clearing of vegetation.
This code deals with clearing that is necessary to restore the ecological and environmental
condition of land, prepare for the likelihood of a natural disaster and remove contaminants
from land. Any areas cleared under this code must be left in a condition that will naturally
regenerate or will be re-vegetated with native species.
Required outcomes
This code will achieve the following required outcomes:
• wetland and watercourse bank stability maintained
• water quality, ecosystem processes and habitat maintained
• landscape stability maintained
• regional ecosystems maintained and conserved.
Practices
The required outcomes will be achieved if you comply with the practices in this code, which
are shaded blue throughout the document (and provided in Appendix 1).
2.2
Scope of the code
This code applies:
• to the clearing of vegetation in a Category B area. Category B areas are shown on
the regulated vegetation management map, available at www.dnrm.qld.gov.au
• on the following tenures:
o
freehold land
o
Indigenous land
o
leasehold other than tenures issued over roads, trust lands and lands under
the Forestry or Nature Conservation Act—where the clearing is undertaken
by or for the lessee, licensee or permittee
dedicated roads (including stock routes) where the clearing is undertaken by
or for the road manager; or by the holder of an authority to occupy or use the
road where that person has the road manager’s consent
o
o
o
trust lands (reserves and deeds of grant in trust under the Land Act
1994) where the clearing is undertaken by or for the trustee of the land; or by
a lessee or permittee where that person has the consent of the trustee.
non-tidal boundary watercourses where the clearing is undertaken by or with
the approval of the adjoining owner and in accordance with any required
permit or approval.
-3-
This code applies to areas where clearing is necessary to:
•
restore the ecological and environmental condition of land
•
prepare for the likelihood of a natural disaster
•
remove contaminants from land
and that will be re-vegetated or left in a condition that will regenerate.
It does not apply to vegetation clearing:
• that is necessary to divert an existing channel
• where the area will not be left in a condition in which it will naturally regenerate or will
not be re-vegetated. For example, vegetation clearing to remove contaminants from
the land where the site will be capped with cement could not be conducted under
this code
• in a Category A area.
Note: If you wish to conduct necessary environmental clearing in a Category C or Category
R area, you should refer to the Managing Category C regrowth vegetation self-assessable
vegetation clearing code or the Managing Category R regrowth vegetation self-assessable
vegetation clearing code, respectively.
Schedule 24 of the Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009 lists a number of clearing activities
that are not regulated under the Vegetation Management Act (known as exemptions). This
code does not have to be applied to a clearing activity that is exempt. The exemptions
include the clearing of vegetation:
•
in an area for which a disaster situation declaration has been made and the clearing
is necessary to prevent or minimize loss of life, property loss or damage or
environmental damage
• where it is necessary to remediate contaminated land recorded in the environmental
management register or contaminated land register.
To conduct necessary environmental clearing that is beyond the scope or practices of this
code, you may apply for a development approval under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 or
an area management plan under the Vegetation Management Act 1999.
Figure 2: Gully erosion
-4-
3. Notification and compliance
3.1 Notification
Practice
Landholders intending to clear vegetation under this code must notify the Department of
Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM) before clearing.
Guidance
Prior to conducting any clearing, you must notify DNRM. Refer to the DNRM website
(www.dnrm.qld.gov.au) for options and instructions on how to notify the department. There is
no notification fee.
You will need to specify the size and location of the area you intend to clear (in hectares).
DNRM will give you a receipt of the notification.
If the property is sold, the new landowner must notify DNRM if they wish to conduct
necessary environmental clearing area under this code.
3.2 Compliance
Practice
Landholders conducting necessary environmental clearing must comply with the practices in
this code.
Guidance
You are required to comply with the practices specified (shaded blue) in this code. Before
clearing, you should consult the DNRM website to ensure you are operating under the
current version of the code.
Compliance with this code does not exempt landholders from requirements under other
legislation (see Appendix 2 for a list of other relevant legislation).
You should keep a record of your clearing and revegetation activities. This could be a diary
note of clearing operations, supported by
before and after photographs from known
locations, which clearly illustrate what has
been cleared and when this was done.
You should also document your instructions
to operators and supervise any clearing
activity undertaken by contractors.
Contractors are advised to sight a copy of
the DNRM notification receipt before
commencing clearing, and then to operate
in accordance with code requirements.
DNRM uses satellite imagery to monitor
native vegetation clearing activities and
conducts on ground audits as both an
educational and compliance tool.
Figure 3: Satellite imagery showing areas that have been
cleared as coloured pixels
-5-
4. Necessary environmental works
4.1 General
Under this code necessary environmental clearing is clearing that must occur to:
•
restore the ecological and environmental condition of land
•
prepare for the likelihood of a natural disaster
•
remove contaminants from the land
and where the land will be re-vegetated with native species.
Necessary environmental clearing may result in a short term decrease in the natural floristic
composition of an area. However, over the long term there will be an improvement in the
natural floristic composition, biodiversity and ecosystem function of the site.
Note that practices 4.1 and 4.5 apply to all types of necessary environmental clearing.
Practices 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 relate respectively to: restoring the ecological and environmental
condition of land; preparing for the likelihood of a natural disaster; and removing
contaminants from the land.
Practice
Clearing of vegetation must:
•
be limited to restoring the ecological and environmental condition of land; preparing for
the likelihood of a natural disaster; or removing contaminants from the land
•
be limited to the extent necessary to:
o
allow the physical removal of a contaminant or the vegetation causing the
environmental issue
o
provide necessary access if there is no existing alternative track
o
stabilise a degraded area
o
prepare a site for rehabilitation
o
repair an area
o
employ measures to avoid soil degradation.
Figure 4: Stream bank instability
-6-
Guidance
You should take photographs of the site before, during and after you have completed the
works, to clearly demonstrate the condition of the site pre and post works.
Mechanical clearing of vegetation has potential to cause soil degradation, particularly soil
erosion and bank instability of watercourses.
Soil degradation includes any of the following:
•
soil erosion
•
the expression of salinity
•
mass movement by gravity of soil or rock
•
stream bank instability
•
a process that results in declining water quality.
Preventing soil degradation involves assessing the risk and taking necessary measures,
such as:
•
maintaining at least 50% ground cover (living vegetation or debris from clearing) over
any 50 by 50 metre area
•
not clearing in areas of sodic, dispersible or highly erodible soils (where erosion and
instability is evident); or apply effective soil erosion control measures
•
limit mechanical clearing to slopes less than 5%.
Depending on the purpose of your environmental clearing, some of the above measures may
not be appropriate—for example, if the purpose of your clearing is to remediate gully erosion,
you would need to use a machine where there are sodic, dispersible or highly erodible soils.
There are references on the internet that demonstrate other measures to avoid and prevent
soil degradation, such as the following website:
http://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/soil/erosion/management/.
Figure 5: Area with scald, rill and hillslope erosion, hard setting and
commencement of gully erosion – stabilization is required to prevent
further degradation occurring
-7-
4.2 Restoring the ecological and environmental condition of land
Restoring the ecological and environmental condition of the land may include:
•
rehabilitating scalded areas
•
rehabilitating or stabilizing areas of soil erosion or gullying
•
stabilizing the banks of watercourses or drainage lines
•
rehabilitating areas degraded by salinity or acid sulfate
•
using ecological burning to restore a regional ecosystem to a more natural state.
Clearing for these purposes must lead to an overall environmental benefit.
Practice
Clearing to rehabilitate a scalded area, is limited to the size of the scalded area and all
mature trees must be retained.
Clearing to restore a regional ecosystem using ecological burning, must be in accordance
with ecological burning guidelines applicable to the regional ecosystem.
Clearing to restore the ecological condition of the land (with the exception of rehabilitating a
scalded area or restoring a regional ecosystem using environmental burning):
•
must not exceed 0.5 hectares per treatment area, and not exceed a total maximum of
2 hectares in coastal areas and 10 hectares in non-coastal areas
•
in a watercourse that is subject to the Water Act 2000 or Fisheries Act 1994, must be
in accordance with necessary approvals
•
using a machine, must not occur in a watercourse with a stream order of 3 or more
•
must not occur in a wetland
•
be re-vegetated in accordance with section 4.5.
Access track/s constructed for the purpose of providing necessary access to restore the
ecological condition of the land:
•
must be no wider than 10 metres
•
that run parallel to a watercourse, must be more than 10 metres from the defining
bank and constructed in a manner in which watercourse bank erosion is minimised
•
to the bed or banks of a watercourse, must be at right angles to the water flow, no
wider than 10 metres and a minimum of 50 metres apart.
-8-
Figure 6: Scalded area – retain mature trees
Guidance
Works to restore the ecological and environmental condition of the land should be consistent
with recognized best practice as recommended by a government agency, a university,
industry best management practice, a natural resource management group or similar body.
Examples of works to restore the ecological and environmental condition of the land include:
•
establishment of a sediment dam to trap sediments and prevent or reduce the
amount of sediments entering a watercourse
•
establishment of a contour bank to reduce water erosion
•
creating indentations or horse-shoe shapes on the contour to reclaim a scalded area.
The indentations trap run-off, which ponds and eventually soaks into the soil.
A mature tree is a tree with a diameter at 1.3 metres above ground (if there are several
trunks, add the diameters of the two largest trunks together) of:
• 30 centimetres or more for Eucalyptus, Corymbia, Lophostemon and Angophora
species such as “gum” or “box” trees
• 20 centimetres or more for other tree species, such as Mulga.
Mature trees have an important role in soil nutrient cycling, providing terrestrial habitat,
regional ecosystem maintenance and ecosystem processes.
Ecological burning guidelines include any of the following:
•
fire guidelines contained in the Regional Ecosystem Description Database, available
at www.ehp.qld.gov.au
•
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services Planned Burn Guidelines, available at
http://qpws/fire-management/guidelines
•
Barratta Creek Guidelines, Cape York Fire Management Guidelines, Clark Connors
Range Guidelines, or Gulf Savannah Guidelines, available at
http://reefcatchments.com.au/fire.
The defining bank is the bank which confines the seasonal flows but may be inundated by
flooding from time to time. This can be either:
• the bank or terrace that confines the water before the point of flooding; or
• where there is no bank, the seasonal high waterline (the point of flooding).
-9-
Figure 7: Location and width of access tracks
Figure 8: Defining bank
A drainage line is a natural channel that conveys runoff during or for a short period after a
rainfall event. Drainage lines commonly do not have enough continuing flow to create a
characteristic riparian environment.
Under this code it is possible to use a machine in drainage lines and minor stream order
watercourses to stabilise the banks, and return the banks to a stable slope of 1 in 5 grade (1
vertical to 5 horizontal) or 20% slope. It is not possible to use a machine in the bed of a
watercourse with a stream order of 3 or more. In watercourses that have a stream order of 3
or more, vegetation should be hand felled.
Stream orders are shown on the vegetation management supporting map.
Many references are available to assist with preventing and managing soil erosion,
stabilising watercourse banks, and controlling sediments. The following website provides
such guidance and links to further information:
.
Figure 9: Area that has had an ecological burn
- 10 -
4.3 Clearing for natural disaster preparation
The Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009 lists a number of clearing activities that are not
regulated by the Vegetation Management Act (known as exemptions). This code does not
have to be applied to a clearing activity that is exempt. The list of exemptions includes the
clearing of vegetation where it is necessary to:
•
remove or reduce imminent risk of serious personal injury or damage to infrastructure
posed by the vegetation
•
establish or maintain a necessary fire break to protect infrastructure other than a
fence, road or vehicular track
•
establish a fire management line.
For further information and details on the clearing widths provided by the exemptions, refer to
www.legislation.qld.gov.au; or contact your DNRM office.
The self-assessable code Managing clearing for necessary property infrastructure also
provides practices and guidance for clearing vegetation for public safety and for maintaining
infrastructure.
If you wish to clear
vegetation to maintain
infrastructure such as a
fence beyond the widths
provided for by the
exemption or the
Managing clearing for
necessary property
infrastructure selfassessable code, you
may apply for a
development approval
under the Sustainable
Planning Act 2009.
In this Code, necessary
environmental clearing
for the purpose of
preparing for the
likelihood of a natural
disaster is limited to the
removal of vegetation
from a watercourse to
mitigate flooding.
Figure 10: Living tree in watercourse causing a build up of debris that
may destabilize the bank during a flood event
- 11 -
Practice
Clearing to prepare for the likelihood of a natural disaster:
•
is limited to tree/s located within a watercourse that in the event of a natural disaster,
would exacerbate flooding
•
in a watercourse subject to the Water Act 2000 or the Fisheries Act 1994, must be in
accordance with necessary approvals
•
in a watercourse not subject to the Water Act 2000 or the Fisheries Act 1994, must
only occur where the tree is hand felled and:
o
removal of the tree will reduce the accumulation of debris and silt which would
otherwise exacerbate flooding; or
o
the tree is causing diversion of water and is destabilizing adjacent banks; and
o
any access tracks that run parallel to the watercourse are more than 10
metres from the defining bank and no wider than 10 metres; and
o
any access tracks to the bed or banks of a watercourse are at right angles to
the water flow, no wider than 10 metres and a minimum of 50 metres apart
o
the watercourse bed armor is not disturbed
o
removal of the tree will not destablise the banks of the watercourse or
undercut the toe of the bank
o
machinery is located a minimum of 10 metres from the defining bank.
Guidance
Most permanent flowing streams are subject to the Water Act 2000 or the Fisheries Act
1994. To confirm whether the watercourse in which you intend to clear vegetation is subject
to the Water or Fisheries Act, contact the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
(refer to Appendix 2 for contact details).
Use chainsaw to
fell the tree.
Then use an excavator or
similar machine to remove the
pieces of felled tree without
pushing or causing damage
10m
Toe of the bank
Defining Bank
Figure 11: Removing a tree from a watercourse
When removing a tree from the channel of a watercourse, you should—fell the tree as close
to the stream bed as possible; cross cut the trunk; and remove the pieces using an excavator
grapple or another machine that can reach over and pick the material up from the stream bed
and transport it to the top of the bank without pushing into the watercourse.
- 12 -
A tree means a tree or tall shrub more than two metres in height.
Figure 8 provides guidance on the location and width of access tracks.
Armor is the pebbles, rocks or boulders associated with the watercourse bed, which are not
transportable by the watercourse.
4.4 Clearing to remove a contaminant
Land contamination can occur as a result of poor environmental management and waste
disposal practices, or accidental spills. In the past, land was sometimes contaminated by
activities that were not known to be harmful at the time, often using chemicals which have
since been banned or now are subject to much stricter controls.
Figure 12: Contaminated land
Schedule 24 of the Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009 lists a number of clearing activities
that are not regulated by the Vegetation Management Act 1999 (known as exemptions). This
code does not have to be applied to clearing activities that are exempt. The clearing of
vegetation that is necessary to remediate contaminated land recorded in the environmental
management register or contaminated land register is exempt.
This code applies where vegetation clearing cannot be undertaken in accordance with the
exemption—for example, clearing an access track to the site of the contaminant. If the
clearing you intend to undertake would not comply with the practice below, you may apply for
a development approval under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009.
If you intend to clear vegetation to remove a contaminant under this code, you should keep
records including photographs that clearly show:
• what the contaminant is and where it is located
• why clearing is required to clean up the contaminant.
- 13 -
Practice
Clearing to remove a contaminant from land must:
•
be limited to the extent necessary to allow removal of the contaminant
•
not exceed 0.5 hectares in coastal areas and 2 hectares in non-coastal areas
•
be re-vegetated in accordance with section 4.5
•
not occur in a wetland
•
not occur in a watercourse
•
not occur within 5 metres of the defining bank of a watercourse.
Guidance
A contaminant includes a gas, liquid, solid or energy source, including radioactivity and
electromagnetic radiation.
Disposal of the contaminated material must be in accordance with permits and approvals as
required under the Environmental Protection Act 1994.
Figure 13: Clearing cannot occur in a wetland for any purpose
under this code, even if the wetland is dry
- 14 -
4.5 Re-vegetation works
Areas cleared under this code will be re-vegetated or left in a condition that will naturally
regenerate.
Practice
Areas cleared under this code, including access tracks, must be:
•
stabilised in terms of soil degradation and soil erosion
•
covered with topsoil or left in a state that is conducive to the establishment of native
vegetation
•
re-vegetated with species listed in the description of the regional ecosystem, or where
natural regeneration is likely, allowed to naturally regenerate.
Guidance
Sites that have top soil (soil from the upper horizon), organic matter and a seed source are
more likely to naturally regenerate.
Ripping and well-timed seeding with native species (those listed in the description of the
regional ecosystem) generally would meet the requirements of this practice.
Areas that have had an ecological burn are likely to regenerate.
Your local Natural Resource Management group may be able to provide further information
and guidance on re-vegetation techniques in your area.
Figure 14: In some situations re-vegetation may require planting, fencing,
mulching and ongoing weed control.
- 15 -
Appendix 1: Summary of code practices
Page
Summary of code practices
Landholders intending to clear vegetation under this code must notify DNRM before clearing.
5
Landholders conducting necessary environmental clearing must comply with the practices in this code.
5
Clearing of vegetation must:
6
•
be limited to restoring the ecological and environmental condition of land; preparing for the likelihood of
a natural disaster; or removing contaminants from the land
•
be limited to the extent necessary to:
o allow the physical removal of a contaminant or the vegetation causing the environmental issue
o provide necessary access if there is no existing alternative track
o stabilise a degraded area
o prepare a site for rehabilitation
o repair an area
o employ measures to avoid soil degradation.
8
Clearing to rehabilitate a scalded area, is limited to the size of the scalded area and all mature trees must be
retained.
Clearing to restore a regional ecosystem using ecological burning, must be in accordance with ecological
burning guidelines applicable to the regional ecosystem.
Clearing to restore the ecological condition of the land (with the exception of rehabilitating a scalded area or
restoring a regional ecosystem using environmental burning):
•
must not exceed 0.5 hectares per treatment area, and not exceed a total maximum of 2 hectares in
coastal areas and 10 hectares in non coastal areas
•
in a watercourse that is subject to the Water Act 2000 or Fisheries Act 1994, must be in accordance
with necessary approvals
•
using a machine, must not occur in a watercourse with a stream order of 3 or more
•
must not occur in a wetland
•
be re-vegetated in accordance with section 4.5.
Access track/s constructed for the purpose of providing necessary access to restore the ecological condition of
the land:
•
must be no wider than 10 metres
•
that run parallel to a watercourse, must be more than 10 metres from the defining bank and constructed
in a manner in which watercourse bank erosion is minimised
•
to the bed or banks of a watercourse, must be at right angles to the water flow, no wider than 10 metres
and a minimum of 50 metres apart.
12
Clearing to prepare for the likelihood of a natural disaster:
•
is limited to tree/s located within a watercourse that in the event of a natural disaster, would exacerbate
flooding
•
in a watercourse subject to the Water Act 2000 or the Fisheries Act 1994, must be in accordance with
necessary approvals; and
•
in a watercourse not subject to the Water Act 2000 or the Fisheries Act 1994, must only occur where
the tree is hand felled and:
o removal of the tree will reduce the accumulation of debris and silt which would otherwise
exacerbate flooding; or
o the tree is causing diversion of water and is destabilizing adjacent banks; and
o any access tracks that run parallel to the watercourse are more than 10 metres from the
defining bank and no wider than 10 metres; and
o any access tracks to the bed or banks of a watercourse are at right angles to the water flow,
no wider than 10 metres and a minimum of 50 metres apart
o the watercourse bed armor is not disturbed
- 16 -
o
o
removal of the tree will not destablise the banks of the watercourse or undercut the toe of the
bank
machinery is located a minimum of 10 metres from the defining bank.
14
Clearing to remove a contaminant from land must:
•
be limited to the extent necessary to allow removal of the contaminant
•
not exceed 0.5 hectares in coastal areas and 2 hectares in non-coastal areas
•
be re-vegetated in accordance with section 4.5
•
not occur in a wetland
•
not occur in a watercourse
•
not occur within 5 metres of the defining bank of a watercourse.
15
Areas cleared under this code, including access tracks, must be:
•
stabilised in terms of soil degradation and soil erosion
•
covered with topsoil or left in a state that is conducive to the establishment of native vegetation
•
re-vegetated with species listed in the description of the regional ecosystem, or where natural
regeneration is likely, allowed to naturally regenerate.
- 17 -
Appendix 2: Other legislation
Other legislation, such as the Acts listed below may affect clearing activities. You should
contact the agencies below to determine if your intended clearing activity will be affected. Of
particular importance, note that:
•
all native plants in Queensland are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992,
and you must contact the nature conservation area of the Department of Environment
and Heritage Protection on 13 QGOV (13 74 68) before clearing vegetation
•
you must also contact the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 13 QGOV
(13 74 68) before clearing:
o
any sandalwood on State-owned land (including State leasehold land, reserves,
roads, etc).
more than 5 hectares on State-owned land (including State leasehold land,
reserves, roads, etc) that contains commercial timber species (hardwood species or
white cypress pine) as listed in Part 2 or 3 of Schedule 6 of the Vegetation
Management Regulation 2012 if you are within the local government area of any of
the following Councils: Banana Shire; Barcaldine Regional; Blackall Tambo
Regional; Bundaberg Regional; Central Highlands Regional; Charters Towers
Regional; Cook Shire; Fraser Coast Regional; Gladstone Regional; Goondiwindi
Regional; Isaac Regional; Mackay Regional; Maranoa Regional; Murweh Shire;
North Burnett Regional; Rockhampton Regional; Somerset Regional; South Burnett
Regional; Southern Downs Regional; Tablelands Regional; Toowoomba Regional;
Western Downs Regional or Whitsunday Regional.
Relevant legislation and agency contact details
o
Legislation
Agency
Contact details
Water Act 2000
Department of Natural Resources and Mines
(Queensland Government)
Ph: 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
www.dnrm.qld.gov.au
Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander and Multicultural Affairs (Queensland
Government)
Ph. 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
www.datsima.qld.gov.au
Department of Environment and Heritage
Protection (Queensland Government)
Ph: 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
www.ehp.qld.gov.au
Nature Conservation Act 1992
Department of Environment and Heritage
Protection (Queensland Government)
Ph: 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
www.ehp.qld.gov.au
Fisheries Act 1994
Forestry Act 1959
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Forestry (Queensland Government)
Ph: 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
www.daff.qld.gov.au
Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Department of the Environment, Water,
Heritage and the Arts—Australian Government
Ph: 1800 803 772
www.environment.gov.au
Sustainable Planning Act 2009
Department of State Development and
Infrastructure Planning (Queensland
Government)
Ph: 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
www.dsdip.qld.gov.au
Local Government Act 1993
Local government
Contact your nearest
local government office
Soil Conservation Act 1986
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act
2003
Torres Strait Islander Cultural
Heritage Act 2003
Environmental Protection Act 1994
Coastal Protection and
Management Act 1995
Queensland Heritage Act 1992
- 18 -
Glossary
Accelerated soil erosion is soil erosion that occurs as a result of human activity.
Armor is the pebbles, rocks or boulders associated with the watercourse bed, which are not
transportable by the watercourse.
Coastal areas are:
a. Brigalow Belt subregions 1 (Townsville Plains), 2 (Bogie River Hills) and 14
(Marlborough Plains)
b. Cape York Peninsula subregion 2 (Starke Coastal Lowlands)
c. Einasleigh Uplands subregion 3 (Hodgkinson Basin)
d. Central Queensland Coast bioregion
e. Southeast Queensland bioregion
f. Wet Tropics bioregion
Contaminant includes a gas, liquid, solid or energy source, including radioactivity and
electromagnetic radiation.
Defining bank is the bank which confines the seasonal flows but may be inundated by
flooding from time to time. This can be either:
• the bank or terrace that confines the water before the point of flooding; or
• where there is no bank the seasonal high waterline (the point of flooding).
Drainage line is the natural erosion channel that conveys runoff during or for a short period
after a rainfall event. Drainage lines commonly do not have enough continuing flow to create
a characteristic riparian environment; and have an active zone greater than 1 metre.
Ecological burning guidelines are any of the following:
•
fire guidelines contained in the Regional Ecosystem Description Database, available
at www.ehp.qld.gov.au
•
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services Planned Burn Guidelines, available at
http://qpws/fire-management/guidelines
•
Barratta Creek Guidelines, Cape York Fire Management Guidelines, Clark Connors
Range Guidelines, or Gulf Savannah Guidelines, available at
http://reefcatchments.com.au/fire.
Landholder includes a:
• freehold owner
• lessee, licensee or permittee under the Land Act
• holder of the title or tenure to the land
• sub-lessee of a lease under the Land Act, subject to the consent of the lessee to
make a notification
• lessee of freehold land, subject to the consent of the freehold owner to make a
notification.
Mature tree is a tree with a diameter at 1.3 metres above ground (if there are several trunks,
add the diameters of the two largest trunks together) of:
• 30 centimetres or more for Eucalyptus, Corymbia, Lophostemon and Angophora
species such as “gum” or “box” trees; and
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• 20 centimetres or more for other tree species, such as Mulga and wattles.
Mechanical clearing is the clearing of vegetation using machinery which disturbs the soil
surface or uproots woody vegetation.
Non-coastal areas are those other than coastal areas.
Owner of land generally means:
• for freehold land, the registered owner
• for a lease, license or permit under the Land Act 1994, the lessee, licensee or
permittee
• for Indigenous land, the holder of title to the land
• for any tenure under any other Act, the holder of the tenure.
Regional ecosystems are vegetation communities in a bioregion that are consistently
associated with a particular combination of geology, landform and soil.
Tree means a tree or a tall shrub more than two metres in height.
Watercourses are natural rivers, creeks or channels represented on the vegetation
management watercourse map. In the field, a watercourse may be comprised of multiple
channels or anabranches.
Wetland is an area of land that supports plants or is associated with plants that are adapted
to and dependent on living in wet conditions for at least part of their life cycle. Wetlands that
require protection under this code are shown on the vegetation management wetlands map.
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