2016-10-11 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENT
including scenic landscapes, mountains and vistas           visitation (e.g. vehicle and boat strike, fishing,
contributes to the character of the Shire and               flying foxes, koalas).
contributes to the community’s sense of place. The
                                                        A range of planning scheme and non-planning
Traditional owners of the Noosa area, the Kabi Kabi




                                       T
                                                        scheme mechanisms can help to build resilient
(Gubbi Gubbi), also have a complex cultural and
                                                        ecosystems, maintain and enhance a network of
spiritual relationship with the landscape, seascapes




                                     F
                                                        protected areas, and engage the community on
and biodiversity.
                                                        environmental initiatives. While planning scheme




                                    A
                                                        mechanisms can help control unnecessary clearing

Looking Forward                                         and encourage corridor enhancement through




                                   R
                                                        replacement planting and offsets, non-planning
                                                        scheme mechanisms will also continue including
Noosa’s status as a Biosphere Reserve and




                                  D
extensively protected environmental areas will          council’s Environmental Land Acquisition Program,
ensure Noosa’s biodiversity values are well             Community Grant Partnerships and volunteer
protected in the future. However ongoing threats        programs such as Landcare, Land for Wildlife and
to biodiversity and the natural environment will        Voluntary Conservation Agreements. Council has
need to be monitored and managed as the potential       also funded Noosa Biosphere® Reserve Foundation
consequences are considerable and important. Key        Ltd to initiate some significant projects that will lead
threats include climate change and invasive plant       to improvements in understanding and health of our
and animal species. Other barriers to recovery and      local environment.
conservation outcomes of specific biodiversity values   The Noosa Shire Biodiversity Plan and Noosa Shire
include:                                                Climate Change Adaptation Plan under development
  vegetation clearing, habitat loss and
 	                                                     will develop strategies and actions to build the
  fragmentation;                                        adaptive capacity of the biodiversity values by –
  degrading processes such as erosion and
 	                                                        Increasing connectivity;
                                                          	
  sedimentation of waterways;                              Identifying areas where ecological communities
                                                          	
  development and infrastructure;
 	                                                        (e.g. seagrasses, mangroves) might retreat;
  invasive plant and animal species; and
 	                                                        Protecting these areas from development and
                                                          	
                                                           infrastructure; and
  human-wildlife conflicts, particularly in more
 	
  urbanised areas and areas of increasing                  Identifying areas that present barriers to retreat.
                                                          	

                                                                                                                   Discussion Paper 29