2017-03-07 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                       7 MARCH 2017


7                        NOOSA BIOSPHERE RESERVE FOUNDATION BOARD - 6 MONTHLY REPORT
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION




Author                           Chief Executive Officer, Brett de Chastel
                                 CEO’s Office
Index                            ECM/ Subject/ Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation - Management

Attachments                      1.   Six Monthly Progress Report from Noosa Biosphere Reserve
                                      Foundation Board


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Not applicable.

RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Chief Executive Officer to the Planning & Environment
Committee Meeting dated 7 March 2017 and note the progress report to Council by the Noosa
Biosphere Reserve Foundation for the six-month period to 31 December 2016 provided at
Attachment 1 to the report.


REPORT
As Council is aware, the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation (NBRF) was established by
Council in 2015.

Council has two roles with the NBRF Board. Firstly, it has the right to appoint one Director of the
Board with Mayor Wellington being the current appointee. Secondly, the Council provides
funding under a Funding Agreement entered into on 1 June 2015. Under that funding
agreement, NBRF is required to provide a number of reports and information to Council.

Council has now received the six monthly report from the NBRF Board pursuant to section 5.2 (b)
of the Funding Deed which is attached to this report for the information of Council.

The Funding Agreement between the Council and NBRF includes a number of reporting and
other requirements in clauses 4 and 5 of that Deed. The current status of some of those key
requirements are set out below:

 Clause 4.2 – requirement for NBRF to seek Council’s approval before NBRF commits to any
   purchase, contract, undertaking or activity that has financial commitments beyond the period
   of approved funding where Council funding is required. NBRF has complied with this
   requirement by seeking Council’s approval (resolution in December 2015) for its multi-year
   projects.

 Clause 5.1 (a) – a requirement to develop a management plan for the Noosa Biosphere
   Reserve in accordance with the management principles set out in Schedule 7 of the
   Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulation 2000. Subsequent to
   entering into the Funding agreement with NBRF, we became aware that this requirement only
   applies to Biosphere Reserves that were managed by the Commonwealth e.g. Uluru. That
   legislative requirement does not apply to non-Commonwealth administered Biospheres. As
   such, this requirement is not needed for the Noosa Biosphere Reserve.

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