2021-06-17 OM Agenda - Item 2 - Attachment 1 - Draft Noosa Bushland Reserve Strategic Management Plan 2021-2026

   Monitor Program
    Aims to observe and check the trajectory and quality of vegetation condition of a reserve over a
    period of time. Annual Reserve Inspections occur, in accordance with a Bushland Reserve
    Management Plan if one is necessary for the site due to conflicting management issues.

    Reserves within each category may be allocated one or more of the following reserve planning
    mechanisms based on the reserve issues and restoration requirements are:

    a) Reserve Management Plans (RMP)
       Reserve Management Plans documents the values within the reserve, statement of
       management intent, threats (mapped condition assessment via a BOA), recovery potential,
       community uses, built assets construction and maintenance, and prescribes a broad five
       year schedule of on-ground works to address management issues. Further, the plans
       incorporate a Fire Management Plan.

    b) Ecological Restoration Plans (ERP)
       Ecological restoration plans guide the rehabilitation effort for subject reserves. The plans
       will provide a clear ecological restoration approach and targets through a Bushland
       Operational Assessment (BOA) process. Ecological Restoration Plans require review at 5
       year intervals and provide discrete targets for monitoring overall achievement of the key
       objectives of the Reserve Management Plan.

    c) Bushland Operational Assessments (BOA’s)
       BOA’s provide detailed data on both the discrete landscape management units at the
       reserve level in addition to assigned condition/resilience scores and specific management
       actions for each management unit. BOA’s follow a ridged structure allowing for the process
       to be repeated at 5 yearly intervals and provide comparable data on reserve condition
       improvement or decline over time.

4) Annual Reserve Inspection Reports
   Reserve Inspections will be undertaken yearly for all reserves to inform Council of both
   proactive and reactive actions necessary for annual resource allocation and Work Orders.



7.2    Reserve Prioritisation Method
For its small size and ratepayer base, Noosa Council has a large area of reserve land to manage.
This area is being constantly increased from Environment levy land acquisitions and developer
contributions. 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 the objectives indicated in Section 2.

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. Implicit in this philosophy is the reality that some of the
smaller, highly-degraded reserves, while still possessing biodiversity, waterway and social values,
may never be able to be restored to an ecologically resilient condition without significant further
resources.

Much study has occurred regarding the best method of prioritisation of individual assets for natural
resources management purposes. Prior reserve prioritisation methods undertaken by Council
have primarily utilised criterion focussed on value and threats. This approach however does not
evaluate the technical feasibility of addressing known threats and nor does it attempt to understand
the amount of resources required to effectively manage them.




Noosa Bushland Reserves Strategic Management Plan 2021 – 2026                                     Page 29