May 2009 Breaking the Barriers: Engineering Solutions to Ecological Problems Symposium

6, 7 & 8 May 2009

Brisbane

This important Symposium was borne from a growing realisation that while addressing the obvious ecological impact of transport infrastructure was clearly ‘on the agenda’, just how this was to be done was far from clear. The prominence of issues such as road-kill and habitat fragmentation within community and political environments confronted the reality that very little was known with certainty. Road authorities, state and local governments, as well as engineers and consultants, are increasingly being faced with the challenge of attempting to meet heightened environmental standards but without access to proven methods or approaches.

Although attempts to mitigate the ecological impacts of roads and other forms of linear infrastructure have been applied in many locations overseas, especially in Europe and North America, such approaches have only recently commenced in Australia. Moreover, the many environmental, societal and jurisdictional differences between countries often mean that such approaches cannot simply be applied or copied here. The frustration often expressed by planners and engineers about the lack of information and design applicable to local conditions was sincere and understandable.

Nonetheless, extraordinary advances have been made in this country in recent years. New designs and approaches have been trialled and assessed. Mistakes have been made, yet critical lessons have been learned. Meanwhile, the demand for effective environmental standards continues to rise. It is in this context that the Breaking the Barriers: Engineering Solutions to Ecological Problems Symposium was presented.

We are of the strong opinion that this symposium is timely and potentially may be of great influence: there is much to learn from one another. We also hope that the event will be constructively critical, where failures can be discussed as freely as successes. In such an atmosphere, understanding and knowledge can be increased and shared, with the real potential for considerable long-term influence.

Darryl Jones
On behalf of the Symposium Steering Committee, Brisbane.

Download the Conference Handbook

Click here to download the Conference Handbook, with speaker briefs and bios, poster abstracts and more.

Download the Presentations

To download PDF's of the Presentations from our event, please click on the underlined links below. You may also visit our Ecology website to download video's of the presentations.

Program
Wednesday 6 May 2009
8.30	Introduction	David Francis Associate, Chenoweth Environmental Planning and Landscape Architecture, Queensland
9.00	Wildlife crossing structures: The road to success (international speaker)	Dr Edgar van der Grift Senior Ecologist, Department of Landscape Ecology and ALTERRA Research Institute, Wageningen University, Netherlands
10.25	Why do we need mitigation measures?	Dr Rodney van der Ree (presentation not available) Senior Ecologist, Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
10.55 11.25	The law and planning: What currently dictates mitigation measures?	Dr Darryl Low Choy Associate Professor, Griffith University and Research Member, Centre for Urban Research, Queensland Sylvana Maas Approvals and Wildlife Division, Commonwealth and Territories Section, Environment Assessment Branch, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Canberra
11.40	Decision-making in road ecology: Developing the framework (international speaker)	Professor John A. Bissonette Research Scientist, United States Geological Survey and Leader, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, College of Natural Resources, Utah State University, United States of America
1.30	Wildlife mitigation measures: Concept planning	Kevin Roberts Senior Environmental Specialist (Biodiversity), New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority
2.00	Current best practice techniques for designing barrier mitigation	Dr Sarah Robinson-Wolrath Senior Environmental Officer (Standards), Environment and Heritage, Design, Environment and Stewardship, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads.
3.00	Case Study One RTA Upgrading Road Infrastructure: Feedback from the ground.	Greg Collins Regional Environmental Advisor, New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority
3.20	Case Study Two Mountain Pygmy Possum: 20 years of research.	Dr Ian Mansergh Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment
3.40	Case Study Three Localised wildlife extinctions and impacts on the regional population: Lessons from the Koala Coast	Dr Harriet Preece Koala Conservation Unit, Threatened Species Branch, Sustainable Communities Division, Dept of Environment and Resource Management
4.00	What can be learnt from case studies?	Dr Rodney van der Ree (presentation not available) Senior Ecologist, Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

Program
Thursday 7 May 2009
8.30	Wildlife signage and other traffic calming devices	Nick Mooney Wildlife Management Branch & Fox Eradication Branch, Tasmania
9.00	A 'how to' guide to engineering barrier mitigation measures	David Southwell Design Project Manager, City Design, Brisbane City Council, Queensland
9.30	Mending the mistakes of the past: Retrofitting, the challenges and costs	Richard Collins Advisory, Biodiversity Planning, Redland City Council
10.30	Are structures practical and economical to maintain?	Mahendra Mistry Principal Engineer (Maintenance Management), Maintenance Management, Road and Delivery Performance, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads
10.50	Design for both mitigation and traffic safety	Alan Chenoweth Director, Chenoweth Environmental Planning and Landscape Architecture
11.10	Retrofit or new - It's amazing what a fishway can do	Ross Kapitzke Environmental Engineer, James Cook University, Queensland
11.30	One size does not fit all: How to manage frogs and other semi aquatic wildlife?	Dr Andrew Hamer PostDoctoral Fellow, Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
1.00	What can we learn from Roadkill?	Erin Roger PhD candidate, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, University of New South Wales
1.20	The importance of monitoring ground-dwelling animals and birds to inform planning and evaluate success	Associate Professor Darryl Jones Centre for Innovative Conservation Strategies, Griffith University, Queensland
1.50	The challenges of monitoring gliders	Dr Ross Goldingay Senior Lecturer, School of Environmental Science and Management, Southern Cross University, New South Wales
2.10	Habitat quality on Landbridges: it's the little things that matter	Dr Tracey Churchill (Presentation not available) Environmental Scientist, EcoSpider Consulting, Queensland
3.00	The Queensland Wet Tropics: A case study in best practice planning through interdisciplinary collaboration	Dr Miriam Goosem Senior Research fellow, James Cook University, Queensland Nigel Tucker Director/Senior Environmental Scientist , Biotropica Australia P/L, Queensland David Rivett Principal, Environment North P/L, Queensland Bruce Jennison Principal Conservation Officer, Wet Tropics Management Authority, Queensland
4.00 - 5.30	Symposium Workshop: The future of breaking the barriers	Introduction by Amelia Selles - Program Officer Flora and Fauna, Planning Section, Natural Environment and Sustainability Branch, City Planning and Sustainability Division, Brisbane City Council. Outcomes from Workshop Outcomes from Symposium

Posters

To download the PDF of a poster presented at the conference, click on the underlined titled below. For more information on the posters, download the conference handbook for the poster abstracts.

Road Impacts on Wildlife: Statistics from the Australian Wildlife Hospital and the need for continuing investigation into the impact of roads on herpetofauna and further development of mitigation strategies.

Speed signs to prevent road kill: Lessons from the Koala Coast speedzone trial

Genetic approaches: essential tools for best-practice assessment, monitoring and mitigation of organismal responses to human transportation networks

Enough about the birds (and mammals), what about the bees and the flowers and the trees?

Fauna Connectivity and the Frankston Bypass (Peninsula Link) project, Melbourne, Victoria.

Avoiding, remedying, mitigating – a case study of flora and fauna management for a transmission line project in south-east Queensland

Power to the birds

Life on the Edge: the effects of road proximity on the spatial distribution and density of lizards.

Linear infrastructure impacts, investigation and mitigation efforts in a high voltage electricity transmission line context.

Effects of linear infrastructure, in particular the Pacific Highway Upgrade in NSW, on wildlife.

Threatened species encounters

Providing fauna crossing solutions on the Darra to Springfield Transport Corridor

The effects of a major road on population processes of a small marsupial, Yellow-footed Antechinus Antechinus flavipes: evidence from genotypic analyses

Wildlife Movement Solutions: Pinch-point Identification in Areas of Biodiversity Significance in Brisbane

Roadkill lessons for wildlife management

Squirrel Glider review for Morisset Structure Plan area, Lake Macquarie City Council

Embracing Partnerships to Protect & Enhance Significant Remnant Vegetation

Investigations for an urban development of a site in south-east Queensland

The importance of ecological staff collecting robust terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna data

Bandicoots use underpasses at a new highwasy in Perth

Koala Conservation Partnership Project: Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Practice in the Moreton Bay Region

Roads are barriers to birds too: Avian use of a fauna-friendly overpass in Brisbane

Breaking the road barrier at a multi-species level: An update of Compton Road

Wongaling corridors fauna crossing study: a case example in developing crossing options in a priority biodiversity area

Pipeline Construction & Wildlife Conservation

Techniques for avoidance of long-term impacts on nationally significant grasslands during pipeline construction

Hume Highway Duplication Project

Fins not Fur: Why Fish Need Friends Too: Aquatic Aspects of Assessing and Managing Impacts Associated with Linear Development.

Barbed-wire as a wildlife hazard across our landscape.

Death by electrocution – old electrical wiring at what cost?

Mitigation measures implemented along the Pakenham Bypass for the nationally significant growling grass frog.

Investigation of the impact of roads on Koalas

From vehicle underpass to fauna crossing: A study of fauna usage of an existing vehicle underpass and recommendations for conversion to a fauna crossing

Trade Displays

The following organisations had trade displays at our event. For more information, their details are below.

Brisbane City Council GPO Box 1434 Brisbane Q 4000 Ph: 07 3403 8888 www.brisbane.qld.gov.au	Chenoweth Environmental Planning and Landscape Architects Level 20, 344 Queen Street Brisbane Q 4000 Ph: 07 3831 8582 Email: mail@chenoweth.com.au Web: www.chenoweth.com.au	Conics 743 Ann Street Fortitude Valley Q 4006 Ph: 07 3237 8899 Web: www.conics.com.au
Faunatech Australia 1055 Bullumwaal Road Mount Taylor VIC 3875 Ph: 03 5157 9001 Email: goodgear@faunatech.com.au Web: www.faunatech.com.au	SEQ Catchments Level 2, 183 North Quay Brisbane Q 4000 Ph: 3211 4404 Email: admin@seqcatchments.com.au Web: www.seqcatchments.com.au	Sinclair Knight Merz 32 Cordelia Street South Brisbane Q 4101 Ph: 07 3026 7100 Email: BrisbaneOffice@skm.com.au Web: www.skm.com.au
	SMEC Australia Pty Ltd Level 2, 60 Leichhardt Street Spring Hill Q 4000 Ph: 3230 3600 Web: www.smec.com

Our Partners

The EIANZ-SEQ would like to thank their event partners. Without their assistance, this event would not have been possible.

Committee

The EIANZ-SEQ would like to thank the following members of the Breaking the Barrier Committee for their dedication and hard working in bringing this event to you.

David Francis - Chenoweth Environmental Planning Landscape Architects

Darryl Jones - Griffith University

Darren McPherson - SEQ Catchments

Amelia Selles - Brisbane City Council

Sarah Robinson - Wolrath - Dept of Transport and Main Roads

Rodney van der Ree - Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

Nigel Weston - Natural Resource Management Board (NT)

Alan Chenoweth (376Kb)
Andrew Hamer (1.52Mb)
Avoiding, Remedying, Mitigating - a case study of flora and fauna management (1.69Mb)
Bandicoots and Foxes Use Underpasses Installed in Perth (223Kb)
Barbed wire as a wildlife hazard across our landscape (235Kb)
Bruce Jennison (1.64Mb)
Conference Handbook (2.41Mb)
Darryl Jones (727Kb)
David Rivett (1.68Mb)
David Southwell (406Kb)
Death by Electrocution - old electrical wiring at what cost? (220Kb)
Dr Harriet Preece (1.95Mb)
Dr Ian Mansergh (999Kb)
Dr Sarah Robinson-Wolrath (480Kb)
Enough about the birds (and mammals), what about the bees and the flowers and the trees? (846Kb)
Erin Roger (457Kb)
Fauna Connectivity and the Frankston Bypass (2.07Mb)
Fins not Fur: why fish need friends too (872Kb)
From vehicle underpass to fauna crossing (1.93Mb)
Genetic approaches: essential tools for best practice assessment (229Kb)
Greg Collins (1.07Mb)
Hume Highway Duplication Project (538Kb)
Investigation of the Impact of Roads on Koalas (7.4Mb)
Kevin Roberts (491Kb)
Life on the Edge: The effects of road proximity on lizards (3.68Mb)
Linear Infrastructure Impacts (1.17Mb)
Mahendra Mistry (570Kb)
Miriam Goosem (905Kb)
Nick Mooney (1.25Mb)
Nigel Tucker (691Kb)
Outcomes from the Symposium (51Kb)
Outcomes from the Workshop (73Kb)
Power to the Birds (432Kb)
Pro John Bissonette (1.38Mb)
Prof Darryl Low Choy (7.25Mb)
Richard Collins (830Kb)
Ross Goldingay (764Kb)
Ross Kapitzke (1.47Mb)
Sylvana Maas (170Kb)
Techniques for Avoidance of Long Term Impacts on Grasslands (293Kb)
The effects of a major road on population processes of a small marsupial (1.18Mb)
the Importance of Ecological Staff Collecting Data (2.2Mb)
Wongaling Corridors Fauna Crossing Study (1.37Mb)