2019-01-14 General Committee Agenda - Attachment 1 to Item 2 - Noosa River Partnership Proposal

The Nature Conservancy


The final construction design and material specifications will consider the tradeoffs
amongst the reef material, barge size, barge availably and timing of deployment (listed in
the above table) to optimize the efficient use of resources against the primary objective of
creating the maximum amount of oyster reef. This can only be completed once the full-
time Project Manager is in place, who will investigate opportunities to save costs through
local partnerships, donations and in kind support.


6.0.     FUNDING STRATEGY
The Nature Conservancy will endeavor to work with Noosa Council and other partners to
seek an additional $1.2M in investments through local and federal government and private
and philanthropic sources to fund the cost of Phase III construction. The Conservancy has
a track record of securing private and public funding for oyster reef restoration in Australia;
for instance in South Australia, The Nature Conservancy leveraged an initial $600,000 SA
State Government commitment into a $4.1M public-private partnership; and in Victoria, The
Nature Conservancy has leveraged the Victorian State Government’s $1M commitment into
a $2.5M public-private partnership.
The funding strategy and funding procurement will be led by The Nature Conservancy’s
Business Development Team.


7.0.     LOCAL CONTENT AND PROCUREMENT

The resources required to construct and monitor the reef will primarily be sourced from
local suppliers, including:

   •     Project Coordinator based locally in Noosa
   •     All rock/shells required to build the reef base sourced from nearby quarries
   •     Local trucking companies will be hired to move rock/shells from the quarry to wharf
   •     Queensland based research institutions (e.g. USC, JCU, UQ), commercial divers
         and engineering firms given priority for sub-contractor work
   •     Local oyster farmers in adjacent estuaries may be paid a fee if ongoing
         management of juvenile oysters is required
   •     All small vessels used for reef integrity checks/monitoring will be hired locally
   •     Interstate personnel to stay locally in Noosa, contributing to local economy
   •     Local plant equipment hire and maritime construction companies to be given priority
         over interstate companies if bids are otherwise similar
       The Nature Conservancy has a set of global Standard Operating Procedures which it
       must abide by for all procurement processes (provided on request). The Nature
       Conservancy will also seek to source goods and services locally where possible and
       align with the procurement policy of Noosa Council.




  Noosa River Partnership                                                              Page | 17