Flora and Fauna Assessment
A flora and fauna assessment reports on the plants and animals on a site, for developments that don't trigger the Biodiversity Offset Scheme. Council can still ask for one to understand what's on site before granting consent. It's less rigorous than a Biodiversity Development Assessment Report (BDAR), scoped to what your council actually needs.
Why would I need this instead of a BDAR?
If your project doesn't meet the Biodiversity Offset Scheme threshold, then a full BDAR isn't required. However, council can still ask for a Flora & Fauna assessment to understand what's on the site before granting consent. It’s less involved than a full BDAR and it doesn't carry an offset obligation. If a preliminary assessment hasn't confirmed which side of that line your project sits on yet, that's the step to run first.
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Site-based recording of vegetation communities and habitat quality across the development footprint.
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Species observed during the site visit, feeding directly into the impact assessment.
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Scoped to what that specific council needs to grant consent, not a fixed template applied regardless of project size.
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Since the project doesn't trigger the Biodiversity Offset Scheme, this usually doesn't need the full Biodiversity Assessment Method (BAM) calculation a BDAR requires. Whether an accredited assessor is still needed depends on what council specifically asks for.
What's included in a Flora & Fauna Assessment?
There's no single fixed format. What council actually needs determines how detailed the assessment is, from a light-touch review through to something close to a full BDAR in scope, without the offset credit calculation.
Scoped to what's needed, not what's easiest
We scope to what your specific council actually requires, so you're not paying for survey work you don’t need, and not wasting time because the first version fell short.
Frequently Asked Questions
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It comes down to whether your project triggers the Biodiversity Offset Scheme, either a state-mapped area of high biodiversity value or clearing above the minimum lot size threshold. A preliminary assessment confirms which applies. If neither does, a flora and fauna assessment is usually what council asks for instead.
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Not always. A BDAR must be completed by an assessor accredited under the Biodiversity Assessment Method (BAM), because it calculates offset credits. A flora and fauna assessment usually doesn't involve that calculation, so whether accreditation is required depends on what council specifically asks for.
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There's no single format that works everywhere, since councils vary in what they ask for. The scope gets matched to what your specific council requires before the work starts, not applied the same way regardless of project.
Not sure which report type you need?
Send us your site details and we'll tell you whether you're looking at a flora and fauna assessment or a full BDAR.