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

Strategy 2: Increase community resilience and capacity to adapt to
climate change
Target: By 2030, community awareness, planning and preparedness for natural hazards and
climate change is increased.

Being a coastal shire, Noosa is particularly exposed to a number of natural hazards associated
with climate change. We can expect our built and natural environments to be increasingly affected
over time. Impacts may include:
     more intense and more frequent storms and flooding impacting households, business and
        tourism
     increased damage to buildings and infrastructure from flooding, storm tides and coastal
        erosion
     prolonged heat waves and more days over 35 degrees impacting human heath
     increased bushfire risk
     changes in the diversity and distribution of plants and animals
     changes to agricultural productivity and crop suitability due to altered patterns of rainfall and
        temperature
     increased impact on biodiversity and agricultural land from invasive animal and plants.

Sea level rise will cause additional low-lying areas to be permanently inundated at high tide,
including areas around the Noosa River at Cooroibah, Tewantin, Noosaville and North Shore. A
projected sea level rise of 0.8m by year 2100 (based on 1990 levels) is factored into long-term land
use planning, infrastructure design and asset management. This places about 1600 existing
dwellings in what will become storm tide hazard areas, and around 200 dwellings located within
coastal erosion hazard areas.

Through early adaptation planning, decision-making in Noosa will continue to be proactive and
well-informed, and responsive to new information as it becomes available. Our focus will be on
minimising the impacts of climate change, adapting to changes over time, and increasing our ability
to recover quickly in disaster events to minimise disruptions to our community and our economy.

In terms of bushfire hazards, Council carries out bushland reserve fire management to safeguard
people and property in a way that also maintains and enhances biodiversity. Existing conservation
and bushland management programs are being reviewed in response to climate changes.

Council’s Flood Management Plan sets out management actions for managing catchment flooding,
relating to planning and policy, disaster management and providing up-to-date flood information
and records.

Council has prepared an overarching Climate Change Response Policy and is also developing a
Noosa Shire Climate Change Adaptation Plan. The adaptation plan will focus on risk identification
and short, medium and long term responses for coastal erosion, tidal inundation, human health,
agriculture, business, built environment, emergency management and biodiversity.

For coastal hazards, a hierarchy of coastal management responses has been established for areas
vulnerable to coastal erosion and tidal inundation:

   (1)   AVOID – Avoid further risk in the first instance

Noosa Shire Environment Strategy                                                               Page 37