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

8.2.2       Offset Area Designation & Management Funding
Under Council’s Tree Management on Public Land Policy, any trees removed during Council works
operations are required to be offset at a local suitable receiving site. Ideally these offset receiving
sites should be contained within Council-managed bushland reserves.

A large number of reserves have small areas of cleared land that may be suitable as receiving
sites for a range of scales of offsets. These sites should be identified and earmarked as future
offset receiving sites.

Bushland reserves with potential for medium to larger-sized offsets (> 1ha) include:
 Girraween Nature Refuge
 Kings St Bushland Reserve
 Edington Drive Environmental Reserve
 Black Mountain Bushland Reserve
 Boronia Bushland Reserve
 Bagnall’s Bushland Reserve
 Ashgrove Bushland Reserve

Small offset receiving sites are best examined on a case by case basis and aligned with highest
priority actions of local reserves where possible.


8.2.3       Regrowth Carbon Offset Investigation
A number of Council bushland reserves contain sizable stands of regrowth vegetation in various
conditions, including Girraween Nature Refuge, Cooloothin Creek Nature Refuge and the
Cooroibah Environmental Reserve and Conservation Park.

Council will investigate a formal Carbon Offset for a grouped multi-reserve consortium application
for managed regrowth under the Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Energy’s
Emissions Reduction Fund or other possible voluntary carbon arrangements.

Investigations will need to consider costs for the Offset management, in particular auditing costs,
however the funds received through the arrangement may increase financial resources available
within the program.


8.3     Community Education and Engagement Activities
8.3.1       Community Education & Awareness
Council will proactively undertake community awareness raising via developing an informative
website, brochures, factsheets, guided walks, landholder engagement programs such as Land for
Wildlife, urban biodiversity programs, and interpretive and regulatory signage.

The intent is to raise the community’s awareness and appreciation about the area they live in to
facilitate behavioural change. This can encourage residents to grow local native species, not
feeding wildlife, contain domestic animals and, reduce instances of illegal dumping, encroachment,
vegetation removal, and vandalism.




Noosa Bushland Reserves Strategic Management Plan 2021 – 2026                                  Page 39