2023-03-07 - P&E Agenda - Item 4 - Attachment 1 - Environmental Services - Threatened Fauna Recovery Road Map

3.       Desktop Review of Supporting Information
To identify future threatened fauna for management priorities, a comprehensive Desktop Review of the
supporting information was undertaken. As summarised earlier, the Noosa Biodiversity Assessment Report (NBA)
and the Noosa Shire Priority Species Assessment (NPSA) are the two (2) key supporting resources to this Road
Map. The review process identified the key habitats, fauna species of conservation significance and threatening
processes to biodiversity values across the Noosa LGA. For context, the backgrounds, objectives and outcomes of
the assessment reports are summarised below.


3.1      Noosa Biodiversity Assessment Report
The NBA was prepared by Eco Logical in 2017, to guide planning and decision-making in the development of the
Noosa Environment Strategy. This assessment details the scientific understanding of biodiversity values across the
Noosa LGA, to assist in determining the key issues for conservation management within the Noosa Shire (Eco
Logical 2016). The report identifies regional biodiversity values through detailing the broad vegetation groups
(BVGs), regional ecosystems, ecological communities and threatened fauna species found within the Noosa Shire.

From one hundred and eight-five (185) identified fauna species of national, state or regional environmental
significance, six (6) key and iconic fauna species were nominated as consideration for management priorities.
Threats to biodiversity values, such as climate change were also presented and discussed at a habitat, ecological
and species level.


3.2      Noosa Shire Priority Species Assessment
The NSPSA was prepared by Noosa & District Landcare in 2019 to complement biodiversity goals (Strategies 1.1,
1.2 & 1.3) of the Noosa Environment Strategy. Council identified there had been several independent studies
which have contributed to threatened species knowledge in the area, but an overview of practical conservation
action relevant at Council level had previously not been undertaken (Noosa & District Landcare 2019). Thus, the
assessment was commissioned to consolidate a list of conservation significance fauna and flora known to occur
within the Noosa LGA.

Through a comprehensive stakeholder engagement program, a total of forty-five (45) priority fauna species were
identified as consideration for management priorities. The paper also succinctly identified nine (9) threatening
processes to the region’s biodiversity values, along with recommended management actions.


3.3      Validation of findings
To ensure information presented within this Road Map is reflective of shifting species conservation advice and
evolving threats to biodiversity, information extracted from the above papers was cross-checked against the
following resources;
     • Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act ‘Protected Matters Search’
     • The Nature Conservation Act ‘Request a Species List’
     • Qld Department of Environment and Science – ‘Threatened Species Back on Track Status’