Experienced, efficient and cost-effective environmental consulting
Menu

Projects

A selection of the projects that we have managed, implemented and successfully delivered are provided below as an indicator of the breadth of services that we can provide.

HES has excellent mapping capability, and can operate within both ArcGIS (10) and MapInfo frameworks, and these skills are applied to all projects and outputs.

Flora and Fauna Assessment, Net Gain and Loss Reporting, and Vegetation Offset Management Planning (Victoria)

Victoria's 2017 Native Vegetation Removal Regulations provides guidelines for the management of vegetation on both private and public land, and details the Three Step Approach of avoid, minimise and offset to ensure that, if native vegetation must be removed or modified (a 'Net Loss'), offsets will result in a 'No Net Loss' in native vegetation cover and/or quality. The recent reforms by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning [DELWP - formerly DSE or DEPI]) have seen the nature of application for the removal of native vegetation change considerably, and HES are fully cognisant of these changes, and are now experienced in the nuances in the interpretation of these new regulations

Where native vegetation needs to be removed, Hamilton Environmental Services can negotiate with landholders and government agencies to ensure projects will be approved in a timely manner. Net Loss/Gain Assessment and reporting involves:
  • Desktop searches of planning matters, and past and current vegetation types, and a review of threatened flora and fauna within the vicinity of the clearance area
  • Field assessment to locate and quantify significant trees and patch vegetation within both the development site and the proposed offset site
  • Negotiation to avoid or minimise the impact of development on significant vegetation and habitat
  • Quantify the proposed native vegetation losses and to calculate offset targets
  • Develop mitigation strategies to minimise losses
  • Find suitable offsets either on-site (first party offsets), off-site, or with 3rd party brokers, to meet the calculated Net Gain target, and to develop a Vegetation Offset Management Plan (VOMP) to ensure protection and enhancement of the offset site, whether it be an existing remnant patch, and/or through revegetation plantings.
  • Steve is a Bush Broker accredited site assessor (DELWP), and can help you register your remnant native vegetation on the Victorian Native Vegetation Credit Register, enabling you to trade on the credit market.
Hamilton Environmental Services staff have successfully completed over 120 such projects including:
  • Quarry expansions and mining exploration (including the completion of Work Plans for new mining proposals)
  • Urban and agricultural developments
  • Road and bridge widening/realignments
  • Multi-use paths and levee development
  • Irrigation and waste water developments

Often these projects involve ground-truthing of vegetation types, the commensurate re-definition of the EVC map, and then the evaluation of habitat quality of each zone using the Habitat Hectares method. Such activity has usually been associated with larger development projects where some vegetation loss was certain, however, mapping and evaluation has allowed the development footprint to be minimised.

Native Vegetation Clearance in NSW

HES have been involved in many applications for native vegetation clearance in NSW. This involves preparation of specific Flora and Fauna Reporting or other reporting to support Development Applications (DAs) or Review of Environmental Factors (REFs) to satisfy the requirements of Local Government or agencies such as the Office for Environmental and Heritage (OEH) and/or one of the Local Land Services (LLSs). Identification of suitable offset areas to allow completion of a Property Vegetation Plan (PVP) should clearing be permitted is usually also required, and this does often involve significant liaison and negotiation with the appropriate LLS .

The NSW processes are very different to Victoria, and the critical pieces of legislation pertinent to native vegetation clearance in NSW are the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, Local Land Services Act 2013 and the Native Vegetation SEPP. HES remain informed of the changes that have been made to clearance and offset regulations in recent years and are well prepared to incorporate and advice clients accordingly. Steve is an accredited Biodiversity Assessment Method (BAM) accredited assessor with OEH.

Targeted Survey and Analysis

Steve has been involved in many projects that have involved the undertaking of surveys for targeted fauna (or flora) species in protected areas, and the analysis of census data using the industry standard DISTANCE fauna survey analysis software.

Recent targeted fauna surveys have been focussed on Superb Parrot, Golden Sun Moth, Pink Cockatoo (Major Mitchell Cockatoo) and Plains-wanderer, while Spiny Rice-flower (Pimelea spinsecens) and Red Swainson-pea (Swainsona plagiotropis) have been the target of a recent assessment.

Fauna surveys have been conducted for Parks Victoria in some NE reserves, and data has been analysed for these reserves and also for the Mallee Parks estate, on a regular basis. Outcomes of all reports have provided best estimates of animal numbers, and have informed management and policy decisions for the management of populations.

HES has appropriate licences to undertake fauna survey methods, including pitfall and Elliot trapping, in Victoria and NSW.

Plans of Management

HES has been engaged by the Shire of Campaspe, Moira Shire and the Greater Shepparton City Council to assist in the development of Roadside Weed and Pest Plans. In the case of all Councils, this involved extensive community consultation through mail survey of rural landholders and face-to-face and phone interviews of Landcare and other community groups stakeholders, in order to prepare Options Papers for all three Councils. These Papers also fully researched the legislative, regulatory and statutory framework which impacts on the management of roadside weeds and pests, and consultation with other LGAs that had implemented roadside weed and pest incentive schemes. Analysis of all community consultations were prepared for Councils aligned to a detailed financial and logistic analysis, which resulted in the presentation of the most cost-effective options for roadside weed and pest management.

As an example of the other types of planning developments we have been involved with, HES have assisted the Narrandera Shire with the implementation of a fauna survey for mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, and a full site flora inventory of the Narrandera Common and Lake Talbot Reserve, two large areas of diverse habitat adjacent to the township of Narrandera. Recommendations for biodiversity management to be included within the Plans of Management for the sites were also made.


HES has also recently assisted the Winton Wetland Committee of Management in updating their fire management plan, and is currently assisting the Shire of Campaspe in the development of a Roadside Weed and Pest Control Plan. Both projects required significant community consultation, involving all likely stakeholder groups.

Index of Wetland Condition (IWC) Assessments and other Condition Assessments

As well as having been involved in IWC assessments across the State in recent years, Steve has recently undertaken IWC assessments for the Winton Wetlands Committee of Management on all known wetlands in the Winton Wetlands complex. A total of 30 wetlands were evaluated using the standard IWC methodology, including 17 unnamed sites; 13 of these wetlands were 'discovered' by HES from aerial maps and ground-truthing, and added to the Estate. This is the first systematic evaluation of the wetlands that has been conducted. IWC data has been presented for recording by DSE/DEPI, and reporting has detailed the flora and ecological characteristics of each wetland. Steve is also experienced in the use of other condition monitoring methods, such as the Index of Stream Condition (ISC) and Works Monitoring Method (WMM).

Roadside Management Planning


HES has also been involved in the development of roadside management plans for Carathool and Hay Shires. In the case of Carathool Shire, this involved the mapping of roadside vegetation types across the Shire, with an evaluation of their quality, in order to design appropriate management protocols for roadside management for Council staff. For the Hay Shire, the project involved a detailed inventory of a section of roadside designated for sealing; threatened plant species were noted, and specific recommendations for these species were detail according to pertinent NSW (e.g. Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995) and Commonwealth legislation (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).

Mapping and inventory of biological assets

Hamilton Environmental Services staff have undertaken detailed flora and fauna assessment for the purposes of developing and updating a Biodiversity Asset Register of key properties within the North East Water estate. These evaluations have required a detailed floristic and fauna survey and habitat assessment at these selected properties on an annual basis. Recommendations made within reporting on each site has informed environmental decision-making by the organisation.

Roadside weed survey/mapping has recently been conducted for the Shire of Campaspe to support their Weed Mapping Database, and to inform the development of a Roadside Weed and Pest Management Plan, and currently, HES also completed the vegetation mapping of the roadsides of the Shire of Campaspe for conservation and habitat value, presence of threatened species, Ecological Vegetation Classes, and dominant introduced and indigenous species; a roadside frontage of over 7,000 km.

HES have also been involved in the collection of baseline floristic and soil data, and hemispherical canopy images for image analysis, for the Ecothinning Trial conducted by the Office of Environment and Heritage (NSW). Once baseline data had been collected, mechanical harvesting treatments will be applied, and the impact that these treatments have on flora and fauna and a range of forest attributes will be recorded. Our part in this large multidisciplinary project involved detailed species inventory and seedling and sapling counting and tagging in repeated sites across the Murray Valley and Barmah National Parks.

Education and Training Services

Prior to starting HES, Steve had a long period of service with the University of Melbourne at the Parkville and Dookie campuses, undertaking ecological research, and administering, co-ordinating, managing, teaching and designing an array of innovative environmental and agricultural-related courses at post-graduate, graduate and TAFE levels across the Dookie, Burnley, Creswick and Parkville campuses.



In a consulting sense, Steve has provided education and training for contract undertaken in Victoria in botany, general biology, ecology, soil science, revegetation and restoration, management planning and conservation management. Contract teaching into TAFE and Higher Education (such as NMIT and GOTAFE), and field days and short courses on appropriate topics with community groups such as GOTAFE, Greening Australia Victoria and DSE/DEPI/DELWP.

Targeted Survey and Analysis

Steve has been involved in many projects that have involved the undertaking of surveys for targeted fauna (or flora) species in protected areas, and the analysis of census data using the industry standard DISTANCE fauna survey analysis software.

Recent targeted fauna surveys have been focussed on Golden Sun Moth, Pink Cockatoo (Major Mitchell Cockatoo) and Plains-wanderer, while Red Swainson-pea (Swainsona plagiotropis) has been the target of a recent assessment.

Fauna surveys have been conducted for Parks Victoria in some NE reserves, and data has been analysed for these reserves and also for the Mallee Parks estate, on a regular basis. Outcomes of all reports have provided best estimates of animal numbers, and have informed management and policy decisions for the management of populations.

HES has appropriate licences to undertake fauna survey methods, including pitfall and Elliot trapping, in Victoria and NSW.

Natural Resource Management Planning and Whole Farm Planning

Steve facilitated student activities to gather the information and significant public and stakeholder consultation for an NRM Plan for the Rural Industries Campus Wangaratta for GOTAFE, and then edited the comprehensive document to be adopted by the GOTAFE Board. Following the development of the NRM Plan for the Campus, Steve was invited to undertake a detailed Whole Farm Plan for the new site, incorporating the vision of the GOTAFE Board, Campus Management and Farm Management staff, and community stakeholders.


Literature Review and Experimental Reports

Steve has written numerous literature reviews and experimental reports that have been associated with vegetation management issues and grazing animals within protected areas, such as Barmah and Reef Hills State Park. Reports produced have been used to inform both on-ground management actions and influence policy decision-making.