Ecological, social and economic assessment of a mountain bike trail network in a sensitive ecological area 

Tyrolean Mountain Bike Trail Network Upgrade and Expansion – Statement of Environmental Effects, Constraints Summary and Biodiversity Development Assessment Report 

In 2021 TEF were engaged to work with Snowy Monaro Regional Council and Common Ground Trails (specialists in mountain bike trail design), to complete a Statement of Environmental Effects, Constraints Summary Report and Biodiversity Development Assessment Report (BDAR) examining potential environmental impacts relating to the upgrade and expansion of an extensive mountain bike trail network at East Jindabyne.  

Preliminary desktop investigations were undertaken to examine possible social and economic impacts of the proposal, as well as potential impacts upon both natural and built environments in the locality including heritage values, threatened biota or Threatened Ecological Communities. During the early phase of the project TEF played an active role in stakeholder consultation, holding local community liaison meetings in collaboration with Snowy Monaro Regional Council to ensure the local community and other relevant stakeholders were informed and able to contribute to the project. 

A team of TEF ecologists spent a week on site undertaking fieldwork that would inform constraints and habitat identification, collection of floristic data and vegetation community mapping, as well as conducting opportunistic surveys for threatened flora and fauna species. The Threatened Ecological Community Monaro Tableland Cool Temperate Grassy Woodland (listed as a critically endangered Threatened Ecological Community in NSW) was found to be widespread along the proposed trail length. Several threatened bird species were also recorded on the site. 

The identification of ecological constraints allowed TEF to help guide the design process in order to reduce potential impacts to these vulnerable species and habitats. 

The detailed BDAR included review of all relevant environmental legislation and thorough appraisal of potential ecological impacts associated with the trail upgrade and expansion, as well as calculation of biodiversity offsets required under the Biodiversity Assessment Method.