2021-06-08 Planning & Environment Committee Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                             8 JUNE 2021


2.    Results of the public consultation process
The Bushland Reserve Strategic Management Plan was placed on Your Say Noosa with the
Bushland Reserve Strategic Fire Management Plan. Consultation was open on 22 February 2021
and closed on 22 March 2021.
Across both plans there were 476 website visits with 322 ‘aware’ participants (visited more than one
page) and a further 142 ‘visitors’ (visited only one page). There were 214 downloads specifically of
the Draft Noosa Bushland Reserve Strategic Management Plan.
Overall 14 separate submissions were received on the two plans covering a wide range of topics.
Attachment 2 provides responses for each of the submission topics. In consideration of the
submissions, 6 amendments were made to the Draft Plan.
The following matters are considered common themes:
     Resource allocation
     Prioritisation Weighting- potential for successful management outcome
     Volunteer Assistance and External Investment opportunities
2.1   Resource allocation
For its small size and ratepayer base, Noosa Council has a large area of reserve land to manage.
The level of resourcing required to manage this land to the highest ecological standard is very high,
and it is necessary to prioritise where the resources are best allocated to achieve its objectives and
the outcomes of the Environment Strategy.
Comments were submitted with regards to concerns over allocating resources away from the coastal
reserves and redefining Council’s intent to manage reserves based on Climate Change (Coastal
Hazards). Council seeks to manage bushland reserves for their biodiversity and conservation
purposes. Bushland reserves play an important role in buffering the effects of climate change both
physically (temperature regulation, stability for ‘at-risk’ landscapes) and through carbon storage and
capture. They also provide refugia during adverse climatic events (such as riparian areas during a
prolonged drought), and as potential dispersal corridors for fauna (and flora propagules) as species
retreat or retract to less impacted areas. Whilst these provide the above benefits, compared with all
reserves across our network the feasibility for these reserves to be restored to an ecologically
resilient state is often quite low. With consideration of realistic operational resource availability, is a
particularly relevant consideration and has been weighted accordingly.
2.1.1 Prioritisation Weighting- potential for successful management outcome
The philosophy behind prioritising reserves to achieve the best biodiversity outcomes recognises
that the best shire-wide biodiversity outcomes can be achieved by allocating resources to manage
the more ecologically resilient reserves first.




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