2018-06-27 Special Meeting Agenda

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA                                                                              27 JUNE 2018


REPORTS
1                        YUROL & RINGTAIL STATE FORESTS - CONSERVATION PROJECT
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION




Author                              Chief Executive Officer, Brett de Chastel
                                    CEO’s Office

Index                               ECM/ Subject / Land Conservation/Regeneration
                                    ECM/ Project and Contract/YRFP – 01 Yurol and Ringtail Forest Proposal

Attachments                         1.    MOU between the State of Queensland, HQP Plantations, Noosa
                                          Council and Noosa Parks Association
                                    2.    Deed of Funding between the State of Queensland, Noosa Council
                                          and Noosa Parks Association (Note: At the request of the State this
                                          attachment is marked Confidential – Not for Public Release and will be
                                          distributed separately to Councillors) CONFIDENTIALITY REMOVED 19/9/18
                                    3.    Deed of Funding between Noosa Council and Noosa Parks
                                          Association
                                    4.    Project Risk Register



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report proposes that Council agree to formally proceed with the Yurol & Ringtail Forests
Conservation Project for which approval in principle was given by Council at a Special Meeting
held on 13 October, 2017. The project will provide regional scale environmental protection to
lands within Yurol and Ringtail State Forests by conversion of state forest land tenure to
protected conservation land tenure to occur over 10 years.

The project is ground breaking as it is the first of its type in Queensland where a commercial
timber plantation company, the State government, a local government and a not for profit
community organisation are all working together to achieve mutually supported environmental
outcomes.

It will result in an additional 2,400 ha (approx.) of current state forest land being added to the
protected tenure conservation estate within Noosa Shire providing strategic environmental
connectivity between Council and state lands within the Ringtail and Yurol/Pomona area. It not
only ensures protection of existing environmentally important land but will also add to the
environmental land bank by including land that is to be rehabilitated following years of use as a
pine forestry. It will result in wide ranging environmental outcomes and make a significant
contribution to efforts to support the long term health of our local koala population.

The approval in principle decision of 13 October, 2017 also authorised various actions including:

1.                       Authorise the CEO to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding generally in accordance
                         with the terms of the draft MOU contained in Attachment 1 to the further report to achieve
                         the overall project objectives;
2.                       Authorise the CEO to work with the other parties to develop the required transactional
                         documents and to report back to a future Council meeting with those transactional
                         documents for Council’s consideration;
3.                       Authorise the CEO to remove the confidentiality associated with the two reports to the
                         Special Council meeting regarding this project once the project has been publically
                         announced by the Minister for the Environment.


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