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

                                                                Noosa Biosphere Reserve - Periodic Review 2018




7.7.6 Were there any factors and/or changes that impeded or helped with the implementation of
      the management/coordination plan/policy? (Reluctance of local people, conflicts between
      different levels of decision-making).

Although there are other planning provisions in place, such as the Noosa Planning scheme, Social
Strategy and Local Economic Plan 2016, one of the impediments to developing NBRF plans was not
having a shire-wide Environment Strategy in place. There is now an opportunity to align both planning
processes to ensure that the NSC and NBRF vision and objectives are complimentary.

7.7.7 If applicable, how is the biosphere integrated in regional/national strategies? Vice versa,
      how are the local/municipal plans integrated in the planning of the biosphere reserve?

(Please provide detailed information if there are any changes since the nomination form/last periodic
review report).

The biosphere principles and concepts are integrated into regional planning through consultation
between NSC and the Queensland State Government on the Noosa planning scheme and South-east
Qld Regional Plan.

Local plans such as the Transport Strategy, Social Strategy, Noosa Design Principles and Local
Economic Plan help inform the development of NBRF strategies and plans and identify strategic
priorities for both organisations.


8.    CRITERIA AND PROGRESS MADE

The following information confirms that the NBR has made sufficient progress and still meets the criteria
of article 4 of the Statutory Framework of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves:

8.1   Mosaic of ecological systems representative of major biogeographic region including a
      gradation of human interventions

The NBR is located within the SEQ Bioregion, one of Australia’s biodiversity hotspots. The BR
boundaries are the whole of the Noosa Shire, a small municipality located 143 kilometres north of
Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland. In geophysical terms, the area is located in the Macpherson-
Macleay Overlap, where tropical and temperate land zones overlap. Noosa lies at the intersection of the
Torresian and Bassian geographic bioregions, supporting endemism, speciation and biodiversity.

The NBR as part of the broader SEQ Bioregion has a mosaic of 61 representative regional ecosystems
as well as well as freshwater and marine systems. The landscape is comprised of rainforests, beaches,
woodlands, wetlands, lakes, rivers, forests, mountains and marine areas.

8.2   Significance for biological diversity conservation

The most recent report on the NBR’s biodiversity values reports the following:
•     Extensive coverage of remnant vegetation (55%)
•     Large number of regional ecosystems (61), a third of which are listed as Endangered in SEQ
•     Great diversity of wildlife and plants
•     Unique ecosystems, including wetlands, coastal lagoon systems, sand lakes and dune systems
•     large number of ecological communities, including the critically endangered lowland rainforest
      community
•     Key iconic fauna species - including Koala [Phascolarctos cinereus], Glossy-Black Cockatoo
      [Calyptorhynchus lathami ], Water Mouse [Xeromys myoides] , Ground Parrot [Pezoporus
      wallicus], Coxen’s Fig Parrot [Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni], Acid Frogs [Litoria sp.], Cooloola
      Blind Snake [Anilios silvia], Sea Turtles [Chelonioidea], Mary River Cod Cod [Maccullochella
      mariensis], Australian Lungfish [Neoceratodus forsteri], and migratory shore birds
•     Critical habitats for migratory birds, and important sea turtle nesting sites
•     Highly connected network of core habitat areas with diverse ecosystems
•     Very healthy river system rated (A-) two years running, and




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