BioBanking assessment methodology: Overview
What will the methodology be used for?
When finalised, the BioBanking assessment methodology will provide a transparent and consistent approach for determining the number and type of biodiversity credits that a development site will require in order to offset its impacts. It will also be used to determine the number and type of credits that a biobank site could create and sell to protect and manage biodiversity values.
How will it work?
The methodology will assess all terrestrial biodiversity values, as defined in the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.
It will assess the impact of development or management actions on biodiversity values by measuring the values currently at the site, and then comparing these with predicted future conditions.
At a development site, these predicted future conditions will depend on the proposed impacts of the development on each of the vegetation types and threatened species identified at the site. At a biobank site, the predicted future biodiversity values will be estimated, based on the expected response of current values to prescribed management actions.
A biobanking credit calculator will provide a software interface enabling users to enter data and calculate credits. Following public consultation on the methodology, the credit calculator will be available on the internet.
Collecting site information on biodiversity values
At each site, the assessment methodology will prescribe a number of plot surveys within each vegetation type to collect data on defined vegetation characteristics. Each plot survey will require data on prescribed vegetation attributes, including species richness, over-storey cover, exotic species cover, hollow-bearing trees, fallen logs, etc.
The presence of some threatened flora and fauna species will be predicted using habitat surrogates from the plot surveys, along with the responses to a series of geographic and site-specific questions.
Additional surveys may also be needed to determine the presence and abundance of other threatened species not able to be predicted through habitat surrogates.
The assessment will also include landscape-level measures to determine the number of credits required. These include the size of vegetation patches and the amount of vegetation cover that surrounds the development or biobank site.