I am completing a modification of a Biodiversity Assessment Report in accordance with Section 6.14 of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. Can I re-open the submitted version within the Biodiversity Offsets and Agreement Management System or do I need to create a new version under the parent case?
Before submitting a Biodiversity Assessment Report (BAR) to the decision maker as part of a development application, an accredited assessor must change the status of a case in the BAM-C to finalised, and the parent case to submitted in the Biodiversity Offsets and Agreement Management System (BOAMS). BOAMS will not allow an assessor to directly re-open an assessment after the parent case has been submitted.
If the consent authority requests a modification to the BAR and consequential changes are required in the BAM-C, the assessor must submit a request to re-open the case via the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme Support Form.
Do I need to complete a species polygon for a dual credit species if breeding habitat is not present on the site?
A species polygon is only required for the species credit component of a dual credit species. When the species credit component is related to breeding, potential breeding habitat must be present and evidence of breeding must be recorded as per relevant published Survey Guides or the 'General Notes' section of the Threatened Biodiversity Data Collection (TBDC), to generate species credits. Potential breeding habitat is usually described as a habitat constraint. The foraging habitat for a dual credit species is captured through the ecosystem credit component.
How do I access BioNet data using Excel with Power Query?
The Department has developed a BioNet Quick Guide for how to extract data from the BioNet Web Service using Windows Excel with Power Query plugin version 2.24.
The data made available through the web service is the same data that is currently available through the threatened biodiversity data collection.
Can I still access biodiversity data used in the BioBanking program and the Framework for Biodiversity Assessment?
Yes, visit Archived BioMetric and Threatened Species Profiles datasets to access this data.
However, we are no longer updating this data and supporting information. It is likely that the archived data will differ from current information provided in the BioNet threatened biodiversity data collection which is subject to an ongoing review and update program.
How has the threatened species data been generated?
Most of the data used in the Biodiversity Assessment Method calculator (BAM-C) has been derived using a consensus-based process involving the Department and external species experts. We are currently reviewing a subset of entities, mostly threatened plants.
For questions about threatened species data visit Biodiversity Offsets Scheme support.
What are the transitional arrangements when new data is uploaded from BioNet into the BAM Calculator?
When reviewing a species in BioNet, you may notice that the data differs slightly from the BAM Calculator (BAM-C). This occurs when data is updated in BioNet (based on new information) but is not automatically updated in the BAM-C. The BAM-C data is updated periodically throughout the year and you will be notified about any updates.
At all times, the data in the BAM-C is to be used in an assessment and is considered correct. However, you still need to refer to BioNet because BioNet contains information that is not included in the BAM-C and could provide more up to date data/information.
Can I remove species from the list of candidate species credit species generated by the BAM Calculator?
The BAM Calculator (BAM-C) automatically generates a list of the candidate threatened species that meet the habitat suitability criteria and are therefore required to be assessed for the proposal.
You must then determine whether the geographic limitations of a species are met (read the Biodiversity Assessment Method Calculator: User guide). Geographic limitations usually relate to altitude (e.g. a frog species that only occurs above an altitudinal limit) or topographic features (e.g. named permanent waterbodies). Different geographic limitations can be described for different IBRA subregions across a species distribution.
If the subject land is not within the geographic limitation described, the assessor can select ‘no’ in the BAM-C and the species will be removed from the candidate list of threatened species.
Can I add species to the list of candidate species credit species generated by the BAM Calculator?
Yes, you can add a species to the list. The BAM Operations Manual – Stage 1 provides more information, particularly if the assessor records that the species occurs on the development or stewardship site.
Reasons for adding a species must be outlined in the biodiversity assessment report.
Is it possible to change Plant Community Types or vegetation zones in the Biodiversity Assessment Method Calculator without losing all plot data and needing to re-enter all that data?
Yes, you can delete a Plant Community Type (PCT) and replace it with a new PCT/vegetation zone without losing all the plot data. When you delete a PCT associated with a vegetation zone, the 'PCT Code' field for the vegetation zone becomes blank but all other data is retained. Once you add a new PCT to your case, click on the drop-down arrow in the 'PCT Code' field and select the new PCT Code.
Note that if you are deleting the PCT due to an 'Invalid PCT' alert in the Biodiversity Assessment Method Calculator (BAM-C), please check the Vegetation Classification (Veg-C) database before deleting. Search for and open the PCT in Veg-C. If the PCT is invalid, the 'PCT Definition Status' field will display 'Decommissioned' and the 'Tool Ready' field will display 'No'. If the 'PCT Definition Status' field displays 'Approved' and the 'Tool Ready' field displays 'Yes', please contact the BAM Support mailbox for advice before deleting the PCT.
What is the difference between accredited assessor and non-accredited access in the Biodiversity Offsets and Agreement Management System?
The difference between accredited assessor and access to the Biodiversity Offsets and Agreement Management System (BOAMS) for other types of roles in the BOS is that only an assessor can create and edit cases in the Biodiversity Assessment Method Calculator (BAM-C).
Assessors and some other types of roles (such as a decision maker reviewer role) can view and print the biodiversity credit reports generated through the BAM-C in BOAMS. As an accredited assessor, you can add decision maker reviewers as case parties.
If the case party is not already registered in BOAMS, they will need to be added to BOAMS by a BAM support administrator. Once added to BOAMS, they will receive a link via email to register and access a read-only version of BOAMS and the BAM-C.
Please note that the public version of the BAM-C can be accessed and edited by anyone. However, users can't save their assessment or generate biodiversity credit reports.
What happens to an existing version of a Biodiversity Assessment Method Calculator assessment when you save as a new version? How do you navigate to the original or previous assessment?
When you save an existing Biodiversity Assessment Method Calculator (BAM-C) assessment as a new version, the previous version can still be edited by selecting 'open' and clicking on the previous assessment. Each new version of a proposal you create is numbered from '0' upwards (i.e. 0, 1, 2, 3 etc.) so you can easily see different versions of the same BAM-C assessment. It is also useful to change the 'Proposal name' on Tab 1 'Assessment details' each time you create/save a new version to help navigate between different versions. Please note that only one version of a BAM-C assessment can be finalised and submitted to the decision maker for approval.
I am completing a modification of a Biodiversity Assessment Report in accordance with Section 6.14 of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. Can I re-open the submitted version within the Biodiversity Offsets and Agreement Management System or do I need to create a new version under the parent case?
Before submitting a Biodiversity Assessment Report (BAR) to the decision maker as part of a development application, an accredited assessor must change the status of a case in the BAM-C to finalised and the parent case to submitted in the Biodiversity Offsets and Agreement Management System (BOAMS). BOAMS will not allow an assessor to directly re-open an assessment after the parent case has been submitted.
If the decision maker requests a modification to the BAR and consequential changes are required in the BAM-C, the assessor must submit a request to re-open the case using the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme Enquiry Form.
Do I need to complete a species polygon for a dual credit species if breeding habitat is not present on the site?
A species polygon is only required for the species credit component of a dual credit species. Where the species credit component is related to breeding, potential breeding habitat must be present and evidence of breeding must be recorded as per relevant published Survey Guides or the 'General Notes' section of the Threatened Biodiversity Data Collection (TBDC), to generate species credits. Potential breeding habitat is usually described as a habitat constraint. The foraging habitat for a dual credit species is captured through the ecosystem credit component.