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

                                                                    Noosa Biosphere Reserve - Periodic Review 2018




EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report is the inaugural Periodic Review (PR) of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve (NBR) in
Queensland, Australia. It contains a description of the first 10 years of operation as a Biosphere
Reserve. The NBR was designated for inclusion in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves on 18
September 2007 under the Man and the Biosphere (MaB) program of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The NBR equals the area of the Noosa Shire local
government boundary plus a 3 nautical mile marine area. The amount of land protected for conservation
purposes is at 36.5% of the terrestrial cover.

The PR documents the significant changes in the NBR over the past 10 years including: an assessment
of its ecosystem services and biodiversity; a description of the main functions including conservation,
development and logistic support; and governance, management and coordination.

Many individuals and organisations have been involved in creating and maintaining the protected
environment and sustainable community of today's Noosa. A report like this simply cannot do justice to
the efforts of so many people, especially their collective imagination and determination to succeed in
realising a vision.

According to the MaB program, biosphere reserves harmonise conservation of biological and cultural
diversity, and economic and social development, through partnerships between people and nature.
They also contribute to the transition to green societies by experimenting with green development
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options such as sustainable tourism and training for eco-jobs .

For the local resident or visitor, Noosa in SEQ is simply an exceptional part of the world. It remains one
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of the top tourist destinations, ranked tenth in Australia in 2018 . This is largely due to a mild climate,
the township’s beautiful north-facing Main Beach, its rich hinterland and the wondrous Noosa National
Park headland with sub-tropical rainforest, rocky capes washed by perfectly-formed surfing waves, and
an abundance of native wildlife. The NBR is also home to species that are under threat such as the
Koala [Phascolarctos cinereus] and the Glossy-black Cockatoo [Calyptorhynchus lathami].

Noosa Shire Council (NSC) remains the principal manager of the NBR and is supported by the Noosa
Biosphere Reserve Foundation (NBRF) and the Noosa Community Biosphere Reserve Association
(NCBA). Over the past decade, two community management models for the NBR have been tried
providing differing levels of participation and engagement.

The report demonstrates that the NBR is a unique learning site for sustainable living. The factors that
have helped shape this site include its landscape, social history, cultural traditions, government and
regulatory systems, as well as its political, social and economic activities. Fundamentally, much of this
has been about people interacting with nature.

The most significant achievements of the NBR over the past 10 years are:

1. An increase in the amount of land protected for its natural values. Creating an extension of
   critical habitat for wildlife, including: an additional 6,936 hectares of land protected in National Park;
   an agreement developed for safeguarding and rehabilitating 2400ha of Ringtail-Yurol State Forest
   by the Queensland Government, NSC and the Noosa Parks Association (NPA); and the purchase
   of conservation land through the Council's Environment Levy to add to their bushland reserve
   network, now totalling 178 reserves. Currently, the proportion of Queensland’s terrestrial coverage
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   that is protected across the State stands at less than 8% . The United Nations Convention on
   Biological Diversity target is 17% terrestrial protected area coverage. The relevant figure for the
   Noosa Biosphere Reserve is 36.5%.




1
    Biosphere Reserves in Practice, http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-
sciences/biosphere-reserves/biosphere-reserves-in-practice/    (accessed 10/4/18)
2
    2018 Travellers’ Choice Awards, Top 10 Destinations – Australia,
https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/TravelersChoice-Destinations-cTop-g255055
3
    2017, Queensland Government, Draft Queensland Protected Area Strategy, p.3



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