2018-08-07 P&E Agenda - Attachment 1 to Item 3 - Noosa Biosphere Reserve 10 Year Periodic Review

                                                                        Noosa Biosphere Reserve - Periodic Review 2018




j)       Human population of the NBR

Table 2: Total population, NBR
     ZONATION COMPONENT                                 POPULATION                        POPULATION
                                                           2007                              2017
     Core Area (s) (permanent & seasonally)         0                        0
     Buffer Zone (s) (permanent & seasonally)       500                      500 (est.)
     Transition Area (s) (permanent & seasonally)   50,000                   53,533 (permanent)
                                                                                                              6
                                                                             2.032M per annum (visitors 2016)
     TOTAL                                          50,500 (est. from        54,033 (2016 Census)
                                                    2001 Census)

k)       Budget for the NBR

There has been millions of dollars in funding that flow from the various environmental and other
programs of Commonwealth and State Governments, NSC, university research, philanthropists and the
NBRF towards enhancing and protecting the NBR. Total funding amounts are difficult to quantify as
these activities are not always reported in a way that relates directly to BR activities.

The NBRF management, administration and grants program is funded by NSC, with operational costs
funded from general rates revenue and the grants program funded from an Environment Levy charged
to rateable properties. NBRF funds that have been expended to date on research projects have
managed to leverage funds from other sources on an approximate 1:3 basis. The figures provided in
Table 3 below only refer to funds that have been provided to NBRF and represent a small portion of the
monies that have been spent to benefit the NBR.

Table 3: Annual Budget, NBR
     BUDGET 2006-07                                       BUDGET 2017-18

     An expected annual budget for management of          The annual budget provided by NSC for the NBRF totalled
     the NBR was not included in the Nomination           $390,000 (comprised of $250,000 from Council’s
     report.                                              Environment Levy, and $140,000 for operational
                                                          expenses).


l)       International, regional, multilateral and bilateral framework of cooperation
The NBR is an important component in the implementation of a number of international, regional,
multilateral and bilateral cooperative frameworks aimed at the protection of natural environments and/or
ecological species, and to the promotion of sensitive, sustainable development within urbanised coastal
areas.

International
Noosa is the northern extent of a critical priority Endemic Bird Area identified by Birdlife International,
which extends along Australia’s eastern coast. There are over 2,500 species of bird that are restricted
                                      2
to an area smaller than 50,000 km. Endemic Bird Areas are globally recognised areas that provide
                                   7
habitat for these endemic species . The NBR serves as an important habitat for migratory birds that visit
coastal shores and wetland areas to rest and breed. The Noosa Shire hosts some 35 species of birds
listed in the Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) and the China-Australia Migratory Bird
Agreement (CAMBA).

National
The NBR contains two Threatened Ecological Communities that are recognised and protected at the
Commonwealth Government level. These are:
• Critically Endangered Lowland Rainforest of Subtropical Australia (“Lowland rainforest”)
• Vulnerable Subtropical and Temperate Salt Marsh (“Saltmarsh”).

6
      Source Tourism Research Australia – Noosa Local Government Area Profile 2016
7
      Birdlife International, 2010.



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