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

ORGANISATIONAL GUIDELINE - Biodiversity Offsets


    •   A financial agreement, offset delivery plan and monitoring plan (with monitoring and
        reporting protocols and clear timelines) will be prepared for approval by the Director of
        Strategy and Environment, prior to any impact work occurring, to ensure that the offset
        achieves the required conservation outcome.
    •   The roles and responsibilities of offset delivery plan and monitoring plan are to be clarified
        and communicated to all parties across the project life.
    •   Whole-of-life costs for project deliverables (i.e. assessment, planning, implementation,
        project management, contingencies and stipulated establishment maintenance period) will
        be the responsibility of the entity undertaking the development or project.
    •   All financial agreements must include clauses for force majeure events to absolve liability to
        Council for offset delivery. A force majeure event, including fire, flood, cyclone, storm,
        drought or other natural disaster, or any other event beyond the reasonable control of the
        responsible party, may justify a reasonable extension of time or variation to implementation
        and maintenance obligations under an offset delivery plan or written agreement, to the extent
        the event materially delays or prevents performance.
    •   A minimum establishment maintenance period is required to achieve successful
        establishment, being the point at which the planting no longer requires active maintenance
        for survival. This minimum establishment maintenance period, where not specifically outlined
        in State of Federal approval conditions, is set to the satisfaction of the Director of Strategy
        and Environment.
    •   Council will ensure the proponent's financial contribution is quarantined within individual
        project accounts (budget codes) over the life of the offset project to ensure whole of life costs
        for projects can be funded, monitored, evaluated and reported. Allocation for Offset Project
        Management and contingencies will be an element of all funding agreements. Financial
        expenditure will be reported transparently, as required, in the relevant written agreements.
    •   When the offset has reached the growth stage of meeting the performance requirements as
        stipulated in the offset delivery plan, it will be re-mapped according to the relevant legislation
        (e.g. Category A vegetation under the State Regulated Vegetation Management Map or Core
        Koala habitat area). This applies where the offset is not otherwise protected through a
        Conservation Covenant, Nature Refuge, or other legally protected conservation area.
    •   Offsets delivered on private land will have an agreement in place that specifies roles,
        responsibilities, and funding arrangements between Council, the Third-party Agency (if
        applicable) and the Landholder.

    •   A Land-use Compensation Allocation relevant to the area of land made available for a Third-
        party Agency offset is to be sought from the proponent as part of the financial offset contract.
        Funds raised because of Land-use Compensation Allocations will be directed to future land
        acquisition activities in accordance with the Noosa Environment Levy Policy 2020.


Offset Register
An offset register (including a GIS based product) will be established by Council that details the
following:
    •   Impact site, size and proponent
    •   Impact date
    •   Offset site and area (linked to a corporate GIS layer)
    •   Date offset established
    •   Financial arrangements
    •   Details of contract works
    •   Audit procedures
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