2022-11-14 General Committee Meeting Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   14 NOVEMBER 2022




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GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                          14 NOVEMBER 2022

              Project background
              Naturally vegetated foreshores are widely recognised as having a vital role in protecting our
              coastlines from the impacts of climate change, both now and into the future. Unfortunately many
              naturally vegetated foreshores, including Council managed foreshore reserves at Noosa’s Eastern
              Beaches, are under pressure from demands for beach and foreshore access, weed infestation and
              vegetation damage for views and private infrastructure and gardens. The Eastern Beaches
              Foreshore Management Plan will help provide the rationale and program logic to enable increased
              and sustained rehabilitation of dunal vegetation in the Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves.
              Policy links
              This project is informed by a number of Council policy documents.
              The Noosa Bushland Reserves Strategic Fire Management Plan 2021-2026 guides the bushfire
              planning and management required for each type of reserve, based on their conservation and social
              values and risk profile. Where a reserve has multiple potential land uses, significant land use risks
              and potential for conflict (evidenced by the number of customer requests and recorded
              encroachment) a bushland reserve management plan should be developed.
              The draft Eastern Beaches Foreshore Management Plan also reflects the Noosa Environment
              Strategy 2019 which specifies the development of a coastal management plan. The Noosa
              Environment Strategy Implementation Plan more specifically identifies the need to ‘establish a
              framework for managing coastal resources including for erosion management, public use of beaches
              and coastal reserves, dune access and encroachments, bushland reserve management, beach
              cleaning, and channel control.

              The Noosa Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan 2021 identifies the management and rehabilitation of
              dunal vegetation as “a critical and immediate priority for Council and the community in helping to
              build climate resilience”. Other relevant aspects of increasing climate change community resilience
              discussed in the Draft CHAP include:
                 e   working with bushcare groups;
                 e   relocating or re-designing natural area public foreshore infrastructure to better preserve the
                     integrity of the dunes and with-stand expected worsening weather conditions;
                 e   minimising off-track foot traffic;
                 e   increasing community understanding of the values of dunes and dunal vegetation; and
                 e   the management and alignment of the lower reaches of some coastal creeks.

              The draft Eastern Beaches Foreshore Management Plan applies to 7 Eastern Beaches foreshore
              reserves and near or directly connected foreshore bushland. Management issues addressed
              include:
              °    Climate change and coastal hazards risks
              e    Ecological values and threats
              °    Social, cultural and scenic amenity
              °    Community partnerships with bushcare, turtle care and researchers
              °    Community education and encroachments
              e    Bushfire risk
              °    Marine incidences (marine debris, oil spills, marine strandings)
              °    Coastal creeks and stormwater management
              e    Beach access needs.

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