Bengalla Mining Company Pty Limited

1 Bengalla Mining Company Pty Limited Biodiversity Management Plan Revision Date Description Author Reviewer Approved 1 18/05/15 Draft Biodiversity Management Plan Liam Hogg/ David Robertson Dianne Munro Hansen Bailey Craig White BMC 2 29/05/15 Updated Biodiversity Management Plan for Regulatory Consultation Liam Hogg/ David Robertson Dianne Munro Hansen Bailey Craig White BMC 3 10/06/15 Updated Biodiversity Management Plan following OEH Review Liam Hogg/ David Robertson Dianne Munro Hansen Bailey Craig White BMC 4 18/06/15 & 30/6/15 Updated Biodiversity Management Plan following DoE Review Liam Hogg/ David Robertson Dianne Munro Hansen Bailey Craig White BMC 5 23/07/15 Submission to DP&E Liam Hogg/ David Robertson Dianne Munro Hansen Bailey Craig White BMC Bengalla Mine Biodiversity Management Plan 2015 Ref: 150911 Bengalla Biodiversity Management Page ii TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.

2 1 Background .. 1 History of Operations .. 1 Objectives .. 3 Environmental Management .. 7 Document Structure .. 8 STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION .. 9 Regulatory Consultation .. 9 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT AND Bengalla MINE IMPACTS .. 10 Ecological Setting .. 10 Impact Description .. 10 Threatened Flora and Fauna .. 13 Dry Creek Impacts .. 17 Biodiversity Offset Strategy .. 17 MANAGEMENT ACTIONS .. 19 Ground Disturbance Permit .. 19 Pre clearance and Clearance Procedure .. 19 Weed Management .. 28 Feral Animal Management Plan .. 32 Other Management Strategies .. 35 ECOLOGICAL MONITORING PROGRAM .. 27 Introduction .. 27 Purpose .. 27 Weed 27 Feral Animal Monitoring .. 29 Plant Pathogen Monitoring .. 32 REPORTING, REVIEW AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.

3 34 Continual Improvement .. 34 Contingency Plan .. 34 Bengalla Mine Biodiversity Management Plan 2015 Ref: 150911 Bengalla Biodiversity Management Page iii Management Plan Revision .. 34 Annual Review .. 34 Auditing .. 35 SUMMARY OF ACTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES .. 36 REFERENCES .. 38 ABBREVIATIONS .. 40 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Biodiversity Requirements and Where Addressed .. 5 Table 2 Impacted Vegetation at Bengalla Mine .. 13 Table 3 Threatened Species Clearance Avoidance Periods .. 21 Table 4 Veterinary Clinics close to Bengalla .. 24 Table 5 Selection Criteria for Salvage Material .. 26 Table 6 Selection Criteria & Techniques for Seed Collection .. 27 Table 7 Weeds of National Significance and Noxious Weeds Present in Bengalla Mine .. 30 Table 8 Completion Criteria and Measurable Indicators for Weeds and Feral Animals.

4 30 Table 9 Summary of BMP Actions and Responsibilities .. 36 Bengalla Mine Biodiversity Management Plan 2015 Ref: 150911 Bengalla Biodiversity Management Page iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Regional Locality .. 2 Figure 2 Approved Operations .. 4 Figure 3 Farmland and Remnant Vegetation .. 11 Figure 4 Vegetation Communities .. 12 Figure 5 Approved Final Landform and General Rehabilitation .. 18 Figure 6 Clearance Procedure .. 22 Figure 7 Weed Control Areas .. 29 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A Regulatory Correspondence Appendix B Threatened Species Reference Photographs Appendix C Selection of Revegetation Stock and Seed Collection Techniques Table C1 Indicative Seed Collection Times for Flora Species Relevant to Bengalla Appendix D Weed Management Techniques Table D1 Recommended Application Times for Herbicides Appendix E Ground Disturbance Permit Procedure Appendix F Ecological Risk Assessment Figure F1 Risk Matrix Table F1 Ecological Risk Assessment Bengalla Mine Biodiversity Management Plan 2015 Ref.

5 150911 Bengalla Biodiversity Management Page 1 INTRODUCTION Background Bengalla Mining Company (BMC) operates the Bengalla Mine ( Bengalla ) which is located approximately 4 km west of Muswellbrook in the Upper Hunter Valley, NSW. Bengalla is bound by Wybong Road to the north, Overton Road to the east and the Muswellbrook Ulan Rail line to the south and Roxburgh Ridge to the west (see Figure 1). BMC was granted Development Consent for State Significant Development (SSD) 5170 on 3 March 2015 by the Secretary of Department of Planning and the Environment (DP&E) for the Continuation of Bengalla Mine. SSD 5170 enables BMC to continue open cut coal Mining up to 15 Million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of Run of Mine (ROM) coal until 2039. On 27 May 2015 BMC was granted Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) Approval 2012/6378 from the Department of the Environment (DoE).

6 This Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) has been developed in accordance with the requirements of SSD 5170 Schedule 3 Condition 29 (part) and EPBC Act Approval 2012/6378 Condition 2 to provide a framework for the Environmental Management, reporting and auditing of ecological issues across all BMC owned land within the Project Boundary. A separate Biodiversity Offset Management Plan (BOMP) is being prepared for the management of BMC s offset properties, all of which are remote from Bengalla and subject to a different management regime. Both documents combined meet the requirements of Schedule 5, Condition 29 of SSD 5170 and Condition 2 and 3 of EPBC Approval 2012/6378. History of Operations BMC was originally granted development consent DA 211/93 in 1996, to construct and operate an open cut coal mine and associated activities in accordance with the supporting document Bengalla Mine Environmental Impact Statement ( Bengalla EIS).

7 Mining operations at Bengalla commenced in 1998 and have progressed according to DA 211/93 which was scheduled to ex pire in 2017. In September 2013, the Continuation of Bengalla Mine Environmental Impact Statement ( Bengalla EIS) (Hansen Bailey, 2013) was prepared to support an Application for Development to enable continued Mining operations at Bengalla . Subsequently, on 3 March 2015 the Secretary of DP&E granted SSD 5170 which permits the following activities at Bengalla : Open cut Mining towards the west at a rate of up to 15 Mtpa ROM coal until 2039; Continued use of the existing dragline, truck fleet and excavator; HunterCreekDryRiverMuswellbrook Regional LGAS ingleton Regional LGAD enmanRoadRoxburghRoadMitchellDriveRoadNe wHighwayEnglandRoadThomasWybongWybongBen gallaMount Pleasant ProjectMuswellbrook Coal MineMuswellbrookMt Arthur CoalDrayton MineDartbrook MineWest Muswellbrook ProjectSpur Hill ProjectDrayton South Coal ProjectMangoolaDenmanGolden ScaleDATUM: GDA 94 Zone : 56 Regional LocalityFIGURE 1DA BoundaryLegendNHB1428 Bengalla BOMP - F01 Regional Locality (5/05/2015)LGA BoundaryRail lineMajor RoadsDrainage Bengalla Mine Biodiversity Management Plan 2015 Ref: 150911 Bengalla Biodiversity Management Page 3 An out of pit Overburden Emplacement Area (OEA) to the west of Dry Creek which may be utilised for excess spoil material until it is intercepted by Mining .

8 Various upgrades, relocations or additional new infrastructure to support the Project; Processing, handling and transportation of coal via the (upgraded) Coal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP) and rail loop for export and domestic sale; Continued rejects and tailings co disposal in the Main OEA and temporary in pit reject emplacement; Relocation of a 6 km section of Bengalla Link Road at approximately Year 15 near the existing mine access road to facilitate coal extraction; The diversion of Dry Creek via dams and pipe work with a later permanent alignment of Dry Creek through rehabilitation areas when emplacement areas are suitably advanced; Relocation of water storage infrastructure as Mining progresses through existing dams (including the Staged Discharge Dam and raw water dam); and A workforce of approximately 900 full time equivalent personnel (plus contractors) at peak production.

9 The approved operations layout is presented in Figure 2. Objectives This BMP sets out the procedures for the biodiversity management, reporting and auditing of ecological issues within the Project Boundary (see Figure 2). The objective of this BMP is to provide for the management of biodiversity within the Project Boundary that makes provisions for: Minimising human disturbance to native flora and fauna; Minimising vegetation disturbance or clearing including a description of the clearance procedure; Minimising impacts to threatened species and communities; Controlling threats to remnant native vegetation in the locality to Bengalla ; Managing the impacts of feral animals and weeds; and Monitoring responses to management actions to assist in adaptive management of remaining flora and fauna.

10 This BMP and has been developed in accordance with the requirements of relevant statutory approvals. HunterRiverDry CreekRoxburghRoadDenman RoadBengallaLinkOverton RoadLogues LaneWybongRoadRoadMuswellbrook - Ulan Rail LineWybongRoadBengOldallaRoadDryCreekApp roved OperationsFIGURE 201kmHorizontal ScaleDATUM: GDA 94 Zone : 56 NProject BoundaryLegendDisturbance BoundaryHB1375 091 Bengalla - Approved Operations (23/03/2015) Bengalla Mine Biodiversity Management Plan 2015 Ref: 150911 Bengalla Biodiversity Management Page 5 Table 1 lists all biodiversity related conditions from SSD 5170 and EPBC Approval 2012/6378. It indicates which and where each requirement is addressed in this BMP or as relevant to the BOMP (in prep.). Commitments in relation to its supporting document including the Ecological Impact Assessment (Cumberland Ecology, 2013) have also been incorporated into this BMP.