2015-01-12 General Committee Agenda Attachment 1 to Item 7 Pest Management Plan 2015-2019

10.    Environmentally Significant Areas

The designation of Environmentally Significant Areas (ESA) under the Land Protection Act
provides an added protection against weeds and pest animals for areas of ecological
importance.
The owner of land where a class 3 pest is causing (or likely to cause) adverse economic,
environmental or social impacts on an adjacent ESA (or on the owner’s land if it is within or
adjacent to an ESA) may be issued with a pest control notice requiring them to take action
against the pest. The notice may also be extended to apply to a species that is not a
declared pest if it is considered to threaten the survival of native wildlife in the area or if it
affects the area’s capacity to sustain natural processes.
In practice, the issue of a pest control notice would usually only be considered as a last
resort. A preferable outcome would be the establishment of a local partnership of land
managers that would work together to control pests.
The term ‘adjacent’ is not defined in the Land Protection Act. When determining adjacency
for this purpose, consideration needs to be given to the biological characteristics of the pest
species in question. For highly mobile or dispersible pest species, ‘adjacent’ might be taken
to include a greater area than for less mobile or dispersible pest species.
Declared Environmentally Significant Areas

Section 78(7) of the Land Protection Act defines an ESA as any of the following:
   (a) a protected area;
   (b) land dedicated as a reserve for environmental purposes under the Land Act, section
       31;
   (c) a world heritage area listed under the World Heritage Convention;
   (d) an area supporting a critically endangered or endangered ecological community in
       the list established under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation
       Act 1999 (Cwlth), section 181;
   (e) a declared Ramsar wetland under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
       Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth);
   (f) an area of high nature conservation value under the Vegetation Management Act
       1999;
   (g) an area, other than State-controlled land, identified in a local government's pest
       management plan as an area that has special environmental significance for native
       wildlife; or
   (h) a wild river area.


Part (g) of this definition provides for the inclusion of areas of local ecological significance as
designated ESAs.
Additional ESAs identified by this plan under section 78(7)(g) of the Land Protection Act
include all land owned by the Noosa Council that is managed for conservation purposes (this
includes any land added to the NSC conservation estate after this Plan takes effect).
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