2022-03-08 Planning & Environment Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                  8 MARCH 2022


mapping over-estimates the extent remaining as a per cent of pre-clearing by 10% (Queensland
Herbarium, unpublished data).
Secondly, land use has altered the landscape in some parts of Noosa Shire and the vegetation
mapping products have not been updated to reflect these changes. Regrowth has to be captured
over time as it matures into High Value Regrowth over a period of 15-20 years and eventually
into remnant vegetation over a period of approximately 30 to 40 years.
Given their ready availability and ease of use, Regional Ecosystem maps are increasingly being
relied on for planning by council, landholders and developers. Regional Ecosystem mapping
informs the Noosa Plan Biodiversity Overlay mapping for development assessment. It informs
local and regional threatened species conservation, foreshore management and is also relied
upon for the purpose of emergency and fire management.
LiDAR has been used to fine scale the mapping of vegetation cover to 1:25,000 which provides
greater accuracy within the overlay. Council’s Biodiversity Overlay covers national and state
environmental interests such as those listed under the Nature Conservation 1992 or the
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999. However, the
Biodiversity Overlay also extends to locally significant environmental matters, for example:
•    regrowth (apart from High Value regrowth already covered by State mapping)
•    riparian buffer zones
•    ecological linkages
•    under represented vegetation in Noosa Shire
•    locally significant vegetation types
2.   Vegetation assessment project
A vegetation assessment project was launched in July 2021 to review and update Regional
Ecosystem mapping, in consultation with the Queensland Herbarium. This will better inform:
•    Review of Environment Strategy biodiversity targets
•    Noosa Plan Biodiversity Overlay Mapping for development assessment
•    Koala Habitat Mapping as a requirement of the SEQ Koala Conservation Strategy
•    Qld Fire Hazard Mapping which is the basis of Council’s Bushland Reserve Fire
     Management Plan
•    Queensland Herbarium Version 13 Regional Ecosystem mapping which informs provisions
     of the Vegetation Management Act 1999
•    Representations to Australian Government on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
     Conservation Act 1999
The project employs a full-time project officer until March 2022 and is funded from Cat D Bushfire
Recovery Funding. Improved base vegetation mapping will better inform fire hazard mapping and
associated bushfire preparedness and response. The position has now been extended to 30
June 2022.
3.   Project update
A 1km square grid survey has been applied across the shire. The grid excludes waterbodies,
national parks and conservation reserves. This creates a total of 746 grids to be surveyed. As at
7 February 2022 approximately 120 higher priority grids have been surveyed on the ground by
the Environmental Officer-Vegetation Assessment (see map Figure 1).




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