2019-02-18 GC Agenda Att 1 to Item 8 - Draft Environment Strategy

Waterways, Wetlands and Coasts
Goal: By 2030, our waterways, wetlands and coasts are healthy, resilient to change and
valued by the community.

Noosa Shire consists of the Noosa River catchment (63%) and Mary River catchment (36%).
There is also a small area (1%) of the north Maroochy River catchment in Noosa Shire. The Noosa
and Mary Rivers and their catchments offer a range of ecosystem services to residents and visitors
including fisheries, water resources, flood regulation, recreational use and cultural learnings.

The Noosa River is south-east Queensland’s healthiest waterway. It has listed wetlands of national
significance and contains the largest riverine seagrass in SEQ. The upper catchment of the Mary
River stems from the railway towns such as Pomona, Cooroy and Cooran but is largely a rural
catchment area with a primary land use of cattle, small crops and hobby farms. Rural land use in
this catchment greatly influences the survival of downstream species such as the endangered
Mary River Cod (Maccullochella mariensis) and the Mary River Turtle (Elusor macrurus).

In the coastal areas, Noosa Shire consists of long sandy beaches interrupted only by the rocky
headlands of Noosa National Park. Protected by the predominant south-easterly winds, Granite
Bay, Little Cove and Noosa Main Beach are a very popular destinations for beachgoers and
surfers. Teewah Beach is also in great demand for fishing, camping and 4WDs, particularly during
holidays and weekends.

3 core strategies are identified in this theme;
     Maintain & improve the health of waterways, wetlands & catchments
     Protect and enhance coastal environments and vegetated buffers to coastal foreshores
     Waterways and coasts are managed to protect environmental values while enabling
       sustainable public access, recreation and commercial use




Photo: Wetlands are habitat for many plant and animal species and play a significant role in maintaining
water quality


Noosa Shire Environment Strategy                                                                     Page 19