2020-07-07 P&E Agenda - Item 3 - Attachment 1 - TNC Project Management Plan

11. Appendices

Appendix 1. Project Communications Plan

Purpose

The purpose of this Communications Plan is to establish agreed communications guidelines between all delivery
and funding partners for the Bring Back the Fish Project – The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Noosa Shire Council
(NSC) and Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS).
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About the project

This project proposes to establish an innovative and regionally significant Noosa River Partnership, between the
NSC and the global conservation organization, TNC. The partnership seeks to improve the health and resilience of
the Noosa River and the industries and local communities that rely on its long-term wellbeing.

The focus of the Partnership is to:

    •     Capitalize on the expertise of TNC’s global networks and experience (through knowledge brokering,
          mentoring, study tours and access to subject matter experts) to improve River management and
          strengthen the long-term social, environmental and economic health and resilience of the River;

    •     Demonstrate a leading example of a replicable, environmentally focused NGO-local government
          partnership that achieves superior outcomes for the environment and local communities compared to
          existing river management models; and,

    •     Increase government (State and Federal), private, industry and community support for restoration and
          conservation-focused activities that improve the long-term social, economic and environmental health
          and resilience of the River.

The Partnership is delivered through the Bring Back the Fish Project which prioritises the restoration of shellfish
ecosystems in the Noosa River estuary, in addition to supporting activities such as seagrass restoration and review
of commercial fishing identified in the draft Noosa River Plan.

The partnership commences July 2019 and continues for at least three years, with the outcomes of the first three
years of the partnership to be reviewed in July 2022. The total operating budget is $2.4M, inclusive of $1.2M from
The Nature Conservancy which includes a $200,000 gift from AMCS and $1.2M from Noosa Council, with the
expectation that further funding will be secured, from a variety of other sources, to support on ground
management activities. The majority of this funding is quarantined for shellfish ecosystem restoration.

Our vision is a clean and productive Noosa River estuary with a vibrant living oyster-dominated shellfish ecosystem
that provides abundant fish and rich biodiversity for the benefit of the Noosa community.

Notable media-friendly deliverables from the project include:

    •     Launch of the partnership/project
    •     Community forums, presentations
    •     Citizens involved in restoration actions
    •     Shell recycling
    •     Restoration substrate deployment
    •     Shellfish monitoring results
    •     Seagrass study
    •     Novel commercial fishing feasibility study



48 | Bring Back the Fish MER plan 2020 – 2022