2016-12-12 General Committee - Attachment 1 to Item 6 - Biodiversity Assessment Report

                                                Noosa Biodiversity Plan – Biodiversity Assessment Report




    •   Freshwater and tidal waterways and lakes
    •   Mangroves
    •   Subtidal soft substrates
    •   Riverine soft substrates
    •   Pelagic environments.

These freshwater, riverine and marine environments in Noosa form a highly connected network of unique
aquatic ecosystems across the landscape, which flow from the Cooloola and mass and hinterland areas
of the shire through to the estuarine river system and sea.

Biodiversity as the variety of all habitat types, ecological communities and ecological processes is also
fundamental to the production of ecosystem services that human populations rely on. Ecosystem services
are the benefits provided to humans through the transformations of resources (or environmental assets,
including land, water, vegetation and atmosphere) into a flow of essential goods and services e.g. clean
air, water, and food (Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and Arts (DEWA), 2009a).

The diversity of organisms is the direct source of many services, such as food and fibre, and underpins
others including clean water and air, through the role of organisms in energy and material cycles. Changes
in and the loss of biodiversity directly influences the capacity of an ecosystem to produce and supply
essential services, and can affect the long term ability of ecological, economic and social systems to adapt
and respond to global pressures (DEWA, 2009a). The degree of biodiversity richness that is necessary
to maintain production of ecosystem services is not clear. However, what is known is that ecosystem
services are generated by more than one ecosystem type.

Ecosystem services produced by Noosa’s diversity of ecosystem types include:

    •   Climate control
    •   Carbon sequestration
    •   Soil formation and maintenance of soil fertility
    •   Water filtration
    •   Purification of air
    •   Pollination
    •   Erosion control
    •   Decomposition and recycling of wastes
    •   Provision of products such as food, water, raw materials, minerals, etc.
    •   Recreational tourism and cultural services.

The value the Noosa shire residents and visitors place on ecosystem services, particularly in regards to
recreational tourism and cultural services is significant. This is an important element in considering the
overall value of biodiversity in this area.




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