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

Strategy 3: Manage the natural environment in a way that improves
resilience to climate change
Target: Ecosystem health of wetlands and riparian areas is improved.

The ecological resilience and capacity of the natural environment to evolve and adapt to the
predicted impacts of climate change is best supported though the maintenance of healthy, well-
functioning ecosystems. Healthy vegetated riparian areas provide for riverbank stability, improved
water quality, and diversity and movement of species, amongst other benefits.

Vegetation clearing within the headwater areas and sloping land of the Noosa Shire has resulted in
erosion of soil slipping into riparian areas. This has impacted both riparian function and water
quality of the various catchments. It will also impact on the ability of these ecosystems to deal with
changes in water level, storm surge and climate.

Climate change will see changes in ecosystems and plant and animal distributions, exacerbating
threats such as weeds and increasing impacts on threatened species and ecological communities.

Building ecosystem resilience requires a multi-pronged approach shared amongst Council,
community groups, research agencies and other government and organisations. For Council this
includes:
     helping to maintain and enhance important refugia areas and landscape connectivity
     managing land use change and vegetation clearing through the planning scheme and other
        regulations
     encouraging community partnerships with private landholders and community groups
     acquiring key properties for conservation
     continuing to protect riparian buffer areas from vegetation clearing and development
        impacts through the planning scheme
     prioritising those critical biodiversity areas that are likely to persist into the future as the
        climate changes, including native vegetation along waterways.




Noosa Shire Environment Strategy                                                              Page 39