2017-02-13 General Committee Meeting Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   13 FEBRUARY 2017




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GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                                          13 FEBRUARY 2017

      Greater private participation in protected areas                Local government contributions to conservation
      Since 2005, the Queensland Government program,                  Many local government authorities (LGAs) in Queensland
       NatureAssist, has been the primary grants-based incentives    own and manage areas of high conservation value. The
      scheme for the Nature Refuges Program and has played           Queensland Government would like to work more closely
      an important role in increasing the size and quality of        with local government to ensure appropriate land is protected
      the protected area system. To date, incentives have been        under the Nature Conservation Act and included in the
      directed to recruiting new nature refuges or extensions to      National Reserve System.
      existing nature refuges; not to their ongoing management.      Several LGAs are interested in formally delivering protected
      While the NatureAssist program is highly efficient at recruiting area outcomes on private land utilising nature refuges. The
       nature refuges, the current range of incentives could be      Queensland Government has trialled a co-delivery model
      expanded to attract greater participation from private         for nature refuges with some LGAs. This model has the
       landholders in protected areas and to better support those    capacity to be expanded to other local government areas.
      already managing their land for conservation outcomes.         Consideration could also be given to ways in which LGAs
      The current support offered to nature refuge landholders,      could be given the capacity to more directly deliver nature
       in the form of periodic contact and visits by Nature Refuges   refuges. This could be a potentially cheaper and more
       Program staff, is not considered adequate by many nature      effective alternative to Land Act covenants that are ;
       refuge landholders. A greater level of assistance, either     commonly used to deliver local Voluntary Conservation
       monetary or in another form, would assist landholders         Agreement programs.
      with the ongoing management of their nature refuges.           As part of the strategy development, targeted consultation
      This assistance would also act as an incentive for other       will take place with the Local Government Association
       landholders to participate in private protected areas.        of Queensland and interested LGAs to discuss mutually
      Offering or facilitating access to alternative income streams   beneficial private protected area opportunities.
       may also encourage landholders to refrain from adverse
       management decisions. Alternative income streams could           ACTION PROPOSED
       be realised via, for example, environmental stewardship                           .     .
                    .         :          .                              A12. Explore options with local government for
       programs (which recognise the public benefits from                            ing their significant      tion reserv
      sustainable land management); carbon abatement programs;               protecting t er signincant conservation reserves
             oe   .                                                           in Queensland’s protected area system
      or biodiversity offsets schemes.
      The Queensland Government is proposing to explore
      options for reducing government taxes and charges and
      other disincentives for private landholders to participate in
      conservation.

         ACTIONS PROPOSED
         A9.   Consider alternative and innovative ways to
               deliver the NatureAssist incentives scheme to
               encourage the establishment, and assist in the
               ongoing management, of private protected areas
         A10. Explore and facilitate uptake of alternative income
               streams such as carbon schemes, stewardship
               approaches and offsets schemes on private
               protected areas
         Ai1. Investigate options to reduce government
               charges and other disincentives for private
               protected area owners

         WHAT DO YOU THINK?                                                                                             ?
         Q6.   Can you suggest what additional support would assist landholders to meet their operational                 e
               and maintenance costs of nature refuges?
         Q7.   What incentives would encourage you to become a nature refuge landholder (if your property had
               the appropriate conservation values)?
         Q8.   Are there any factors that you think discourage uptake of private protected areas?

                                                                                         Draft Queensland Protected Area Strategy | 13

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