2021-12-07 Planning & Environment Committee Meeting Agenda - Updated

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                 7 DECEMBER 2021


Currently the program supports more than 250 volunteers who are spread between 18 groups that
between them have 57 projects sites.
In terms of outputs, the volunteers contributed 4771 hours labour in the 2020/2021 financial year.
This figure does not include the many unrecorded hours that group leaders contribute in
preparation and planning. The current value placed on an un-skilled volunteer by the Australian
Bureau of Statistics is $45.10 per hour which equates to $215,172 worth of labour in the 2020/2021
financial year.
Since 2016, Bushcare volunteers have planted 11,206 trees and removed 1248 cubic meters of
invasive environmental weeds. A number of Community Bushland Care groups have successfully
gained external grant funding to the value of $300,798 that was used to deliver ecological
restoration works, endangered species recovery (Eucalyptus conglomerate) and iconic species
management (Pandanus tectorius) throughout the Shire’s environmental estate. The program also
facilitates a wildlife fodder farm at Cooran where registered wildlife carers are able to harvest feed
for sick or injured wildlife.
Volunteers also contribute to the greater Noosa community and the local environment with
numerous weed management studies on Bushcare sites designed to find new, more efficient ways
to manage difficult environmental weeds, and through school hosted education and corporate
events.
Officers currently receive 1 to 3 general enquiries per week about how to get involved and have
received 4 applications for new groups in the 2021 calendar year. Of the 4 applicants, only 2 new
groups (Cooroy and Castaways Beach) have been accommodated due to resource constraints.
The sites that have been deferred are Shields Street and Cooran.
Historically, in 2016 the program was allocated a dedicated 0.5 FTE officer. This service level was
again increased in the 2017/2018 financial year and the program was allocated 1.5 FTE officers to
coordinate and facilitate the groups and their projects. The increased level of service was very well
received by the volunteers at that time and at this point the level of volunteer satisfaction was
higher than it had been in many years.




                       Volunteers from the new Kauri Park Bushcare group.
                               Land for Wildlife and VCA programs




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