2020-02-11 P&E Agenda - Item 5 - Attachment 2 - Draft Noosa Biosecurity Plan 2020

1. Executive Summary
Biosecurity is defined as efforts to prevent, respond to, and recover from, pests and diseases that
threaten the economy and the environment. Under the Biosecurity Act 2014 all public and private
landowners have a general biosecurity obligation to control invasive plants and animals on their land.
The Act also requires local governments to have a Biosecurity Plan for their local government area.
Reducing the threat of biosecurity risks is a key action under the Noosa Environment Strategy 2019.
Invasive animals and plants can be a threat to biodiversity, agriculture and human health. Prevention
and eradication at early stages can save a significant amount of financial resources in the long term.
The purpose of the Plan is to identify priority actions for local government, other government
agencies and private landowners on biosecurity matters within Noosa Shire.
It is also acknowledged that some introduced plants are now naturalised and perform an ecosystem
function stabilising soil, providing habitat for fauna and absorbing nutrients in wetland areas. Extreme
control measures without natural regenerative approaches can cause environmental harm. This Plan
takes a risk management approach with pest plants and animals and prioritises geographic areas
for targeted inspections and management actions.




                                Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)
                       Photo: Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries




Noosa Biosecurity Plan 2020                                                                      Page 3