2021-02-09 P&E Agenda - Item 6 - Attachment 1 - Draft Noosa Bushland Reserve Strategic Plan 2021-2026

Community Tree Planting Day at Kin Kin Entrance Bushland Reserve 2017, a component of a larger external grant
acquired by Noosa Landcare for reserves in the Kin Kin area.


7. Noosa Reserve Management Framework
   2021-2026
Council will follow best practice management principles throughout its Natural Areas Program.

Best practice bushland management principles are detailed in the SE Qld Ecological Restoration
Framework Guideline and Manual (Chenoweth 2012) and are focused on developing ecosystem
resilience. This is defined as the ability of an ecosystem to recover its structure and function
following a disturbance event.

The five key principles are:
    Restored ecosystems incorporate assemblages of species reflecting those in reference
       ecosystems and have the potential to recruit further species by natural means;
    Restored ecosystems support the same structure and function as reference ecosystems;
    Restored ecosystems consist of indigenous species of local provenance to the greatest
       extent practicable;
    Restored ecosystems are self-sustaining to the same degree as a reference ecosystem,
       such that they are resilient to normal periodic stress; and,
    Restored ecosystems interact with the surrounding landscape and contribute to ecosystem
       services.

Of the four approaches to ecosystem restoration outlined in the manual, Council has adopted
natural regeneration and assisted natural regeneration as priority approaches. This works best
where evidence of ecosystem resilience is apparent within the reserve as determined by a
Bushland Operational Assessment.

Where evidence indicates that ecosystem resilience is absent from a reserve or sections of a
reserve, ecosystem reconstruction (revegetation/ direct seeding) may be necessary. However it
can be an expensive option in relation to establishment and ongoing maintenance costs.

In most cases, assisted natural regeneration through targeted actions, such as controlling invasive
species, is appropriate for Council’s bushland reserve network. The intent within a reserve is to
improve the resilience rating of all sites within the reserve over time, with a priority on working on


Noosa Bushland Reserves Strategic Plan 2021 – 2026                                                        Page 25