Strategic Offset Policy and Biodiversity Offset Guidelines · Attachment 2 - Noosa Biodiversity Offset Guideline Final

ORGANISATIONAL GUIDELINE - Biodiversity Offsets


All Council representatives must act in accordance with the requirements of the Strategic Offset
Policy and this Biodiversity Offset Guideline when undertaking activities that may result in, require,
or contribute to the delivery of biodiversity offsets.
Additional elements of this framework may be developed to guide the Noosa Council offset process,
including procedure documents and templates for assessment, financial governance, due diligence
and implementation of offset projects.
This guideline does not remove the need for complying with state or federal offset requirements
for Matter of State Environmental Significance (MSES) and Matters of National Environmental
Significance (MNES) impacts.

REVIEW
This guideline will be reviewed every four years, or as required.


DEFINITIONS
Term                 Meaning
Additionality        A requirement that a project or activity results in biodiversity
                     outcomes unlikely to occur in the ordinary course of events in the
                     absence of the project or activity, including due to any existing
                     commitment or target publicly agreed by the entity responsible for
                     issuing the units.
Advanced Offsets     Areas of land that have been identified and restored for the potential
                     future use as an offset area for a significant residual impact on one
                     or more prescribed environmental matters.
Advanced Offset      Application to the state government to have an area of land identified
Application          and registered as an advanced offset
Biodiversity         The variety of life in all its forms, including the diversity of genes,
                     species, ecosystems, and the ecological processes that support
                     them.
Biodiversity         Activities undertaken to protect, restore, enhance or manage
Conservation Actions biodiversity values, including habitat restoration, revegetation,
                     weed control, pest animal management and conservation land
                     management.
Biodiversity Offset  Measures undertaken to compensate for the residual adverse
                     impacts on biodiversity arising from development or other
                     activities, after all reasonable actions to avoid, minimise and
                     rehabilitate those impacts have been implemented
Biodiversity Values  The ecological characteristics, functions and attributes of an area
                     that contribute to biodiversity, including native species, habitats,
                     ecosystems, ecological processes, connectivity and ecosystem
                     resilience
Broad Vegetation     A classification of vegetation communities based on shared
Group                structural and floristic characteristics that groups multiple regional
                     ecosystems into broader vegetation categories
Carbon Offsets       Verified actions that avoid, reduce, remove, or sequester
                     greenhouse gas emissions to compensate for emissions
                     generated elsewhere. Carbon offsets may include activities such
                     as reforestation, ecosystem restoration, renewable energy
                     projects, or other recognised carbon abatement initiatives
Combination Offsets Combination of proponent-driven offset and part financial
                     settlement offset
Conservation         A legally binding agreement registered on land title that secures
Covenant             the long-term protection and management of biodiversity values
                     on a property.

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