2016-12-12 General Committee - Attachment 1 to Item 9 - NBRF Annual Report

QUARTERLY REPORT TO COUNCIL – Q1 FY 2017




   1. Chairman’s Introduction
   I am pleased to present to the Noosa Council and the community the NBRF Directors’
   Report for the three months ended 30 September 2016 and for the year ended 30 June
   2016. The NBRF was established in February 2015 and commenced operations in July of
   that year. While quarterly reports have previously been provided, this is the first all –
   encompassing financial and descriptive account of our activities during 2015/2016– as
   such, it is a notable Foundation milestone.

   Noosa has a 50-year history as a leader in environmental conservation, and the community
   continues to be the driver for the Noosa Biosphere Reserve’s evolution. The Foundation
   facilitates this process by providing supporting funds for significant programs. At present,
   five projects are being supported, the result of the Foundation’s first call for ‘big ideas’ from
   the community. The Foundation has committed approximately $600,000 to these programs,
   with an additional $1.4 million contributed in cash and in –kind by other private and public
   institutions.

   The Board is currently evaluating a number of emerging programs. We are aiming to
   maintain the high ratio of private / public funding set in the first round, particularly as private
   supporters come to understand the benefits of the Foundation’s status as an ATO-
   registered Direct Gift Recipient.

   This report also notes a community-initiative to encourage the academic chronicling,
   assessment and understanding of Noosa’s path to achieving a balance between
   biodiversity and sustainable living. This will be important in defining ‘Noosa’s soft footprint’,
   potentially leading to Noosa’s recognition as a global leader in modern environmentally
   sustainable living.

   As we approach 2017, a decade further on since Noosa first became a participant in the
   UNESCO Man and the Biosphere program, these considerations will be integral to our
   “story” to be submitted with our application to continue in the UNESCO program.

   The report also notes that the Foundation has recently entered the world of policy debate
   and advocacy – registering its views on proposals contained in the State Government’s
   Green Paper on Fisheries policy, and, in collaboration with the University of the Sunshine
   Coast (USC), submitting responses to an expert panel convened by the State Government
   Department of Environment seeking views on Koala conservation.

   I congratulate the Noosa community on its continued far-sightedness in moving towards
   environmentally sustainable living. It is an honour for me and my fellow directors to be
   involved in these endeavours which we believe will continue to transform our community
   and the way in which we live. We also wish to pay tribute to the many people and
   supporting organisations who have been involved with the UNESCO program since its
   inception. It is their building blocks which makes the Foundation what it is today – we hope
   to build on their success.

   I am pleased to present the following report of NBRF activities.

   Campbell Corfe
   Chairman
                                                    1