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

                                                 Noosa Biodiversity Plan – Biodiversity Assessment Report




    •   Critical habitats, including internationally recognised migratory bird habitats of conservation
        importance and sea turtle nesting sites. More than half of habitat available within Noosa Shire
        supports species of conservation value.
    •   A highly connected network of core habitat areas from a diverse cross-section of ecosystem
        types and altitudinal ranges.
    •   A very healthy river system, with the Noosa River rated as A- for the last two years in the SEQ
        Healthy Waterways Report card process.
    •   A network of diverse wetlands, which are in good ecological condition and encompass over
        16,000 ha. Many are recognised as being of national or state significance.
    •   An extensive protected reserve system that plays a critical role in conservation management
        across the SEQ region. Over one third of the shire is covered by protected reserves, the largest
        being the Cooloola Section of the Great Sandy National Park.

Current threats to Noosa’s biodiversity values

Noosa Shire demonstrates a balanced relationship between humans and the environment. The area has
been able to retain significant environmental values whilst other areas across the SEQ region have
undergone significant development. However, Noosa’s biodiversity values are under pressure from a
variety of threatening processes. Due to the significance of some of these biodiversity values, the
potential consequence of these threatening processes are considerable and important. The key relevant
threats identified within the Noosa Shire include:

    •   Climate change. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has identified SEQ as a
        climate change vulnerability hotspot, and as a low-lying coastal area within this region, Noosa
        Shire has high exposure and sensitivity to many of the predicted impacts of climate change.
    •   Weed and invasive species. These have been identified as one of the most significant threats
        to biodiversity across the shire. Weeds and pests negatively impact not only native biodiversity
        but also agricultural productivity and tourist enjoyment.
    •   Vegetation clearing. Dating back to the mid-1800s, clearing has been focused around urban
        and tourist developments along with timber and agricultural industries. To date ~40,000 ha (or
        ~50%) of Noosa’s native vegetation has been cleared. The main contributor of ongoing
        vegetation loss in the shire to date is the clearing of regrowth vegetation across hinterland
        areas.
    •   Habitat fragmentation and development. Development of settlements, roads, powerlines and
        rail lines has been an integral component of the Noosa Shire’s development but combined with
        broader-scale land clearing, has led to fragmentation effects across the area. The resultant
        loss of connectivity, barriers to movement and edge effects have an on-going detrimental effect
        on both terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity such as local extinction of species populations,
        genetic isolation and inbreeding depression.
    •   Degrading processes. Urban and agricultural development along with increasing residential
        and visitor populations increase processes such as erosion and sedimentation of waterways,
        increasing production of waste and declines in soil health.
    •   Altered fire regimes. Changes to the natural frequency and intensity of fires can destroy
        ecological communities, alter recruitment patterns and increase susceptibility to weeds. Within
        Noosa, fire sensitive species or specific vegetation communities are at risk and include
        rainforest and dry vine thickets, wet sclerophyll forests, heathlands and Melaleuca wetlands.
    •   Conflicts between humans and wildlife. Conflicts are most common in the more urbanised
        areas of the shire and as a result of recreational use. Key issues include vehicle and boat
        strikes to fauna; habitat disturbance activities (including development) in close proximity to



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