2016-06-07 - P&E Agenda - Item 5, Attachment 1 - Agriculture and Agricultural Land Study

8. Competing Values
Rural lands are valued by local residents, visitors, community groups, investors and government
agencies for many various reasons. At times these competing values and interests create friction
within the community; at times they are even helpful.


8.1      Biodiversity & Nature Conservation
Noosa Council has a policy of protecting environmentally significant lands and Strategic
Biodiversity Corridors13 are being identified where broad tracts of both public and private land can
contribute to biodiversity and habitat protection. Within these corridors it is preferred that
previously cleared lands not committed to agricultural pursuits be revegetated rather than left in an
unproductive state, although existing agricultural pursuits would be protected.

The State Planning Policy (SPP) has identified matters of state environmental significance and
mapped these. It is a requirement of the SPP that the planning scheme gives protection to these
natural values. There are extensive areas where parcels are mapped as both ALC Class A and
Class B and as being regulated vegetation and wildlife habitat of State significance (Refer back to
Map 3).

In some instances there is overlap with formerly protected lands. Instances include the
Dangerbridge Nature Refuge at Cootharaba; the Penda Scrub and Alyxia Nature Refuges, also at
Cootharaba; the Bellbird Stud Nature Refuge at Ridgewood; The Burrawingee and Haven Nature
Reserves at Federal; The Yurol and Symplocus Nature Refuges both near Pomona and Whipbird
and Golden Gully Nature Refuges, both near Kin Kin.

Nature refuges and farming are not necessarily mutually exclusive and property owners may use
fences or other means of delineating different purposes for their land. If privately owned nature
refuges are only partly vegetated and still partly farmed such as is the case with the Dangerbridge
Nature Refuge, retention of the agricultural land protection may be valid on the cleared portion.

Closely aligned to the remnant vegetation and the waterways is the Planning Scheme’s
Biodiversity Overlay. The use of agriculture becomes assessable development subject to code
assessment within the Biodiversity Overlay where clearing or interfering with vegetation. Portions
of the site already cleared or with non-remnant regrowth could be farmed but clearing of remnant
vegetation would not be allowed and stock proof fencing would be required to keep livestock away
from waterways and riparian buffers.

There would seem to be little benefit in identifying land for agricultural purposes if the land is
covered by protected vegetation and clearing for agriculture would not be supported. It potentially
confuses prospective investors and the community.


8.2      Water Supply Catchment
While now the responsibility of SEQwater, the Noosa Council has had a long history of protecting
the catchment of Lake Macdonald (the local drinking water supply). The 1996 Impact of Land Use
on the Surface Runoff Quality in the Lake Macdonald Catchment found that agricultural use of land
(including dairying, small crops and tree plantations) within the Lake Macdonald catchment was
having the greatest level of impact on water quality within the lake and it led to amendments to the
planning whereby planning approval was necessary for agriculture and animal husbandry in the
catchment.

13
  These are being identified through the Biodiversity Plan concurrently underway and anticipated by the 3rd
quarter of 2016.
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