2014-03-31 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING REPORT                                                 31 MARCH 2014



2.     Outcomes from initial consultation phase

Details of the consultation process undertaken to date can be found in the External Consultation
section at the end of this report.

Some common themes raised during the review process included:

    The vision needs to align with the UNESCO principles for the Man in the Biosphere
     Reserves, essentially around environment , sustainable development and learning;
    The desired outcomes need to be driven by the community;
    More on the ground results are needed to show that community aspirations are being
     achieved and to increase community awareness;
    The brand needs to be powerful, to be grown and managed;
    The focus should be on a smart economy in a great environment;
    While a “centralised governance” type approach is not supported, there is a need for some
     co-ordinating entity and dedicated resources and funding to support community driven
     projects/initiatives; and
    While the desire is that the management not be Council “controlled”, there is a need for some
     reserve powers to ensure the intended direction is not lost in the future;
    Whether there should be a “Friends of the Biosphere” Program and if so, how could that be
     best advanced? This is a matter that the Working Group would like to seek further feedback
     on as part of the second round of consultation; and
    It has been suggested that this ongoing initiative to progress the vision for Noosa be called
     the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Project.


3.     Proposed Vision

A number of consistent messages emerged through the consultation process in relation to a
vision for the future of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve. The most common revolved around
improving conservation outcomes and developing wealth through a smarter local economy.

This type of approach is consistent with UNESCO’s statement that “Biosphere Reserves are
sites….to promote biodiversity, conservation and sustainable development based on local
community efforts and sound science”.

As such, the Working Group has identified that one possible vision for the Noosa Biosphere
Reserve could be:

“Delivering one of the smartest economies in one of the best environments in the world”

The Working Group recognises that many people are passionate about what specific words
should be in a vision statement. As such, it is proposed that feedback be sought at the next
community engagement meeting on 15 April as to whether there is a better way of expressing the
vision statement.




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