2019-06-11 P&E Agenda - Item 7 - Attachment 1 - Environment Strategy

Strategy 2.2: Protect and enhance coastal environments
		            and vegetated buffers to coastal foreshores
Target                                                         The condition of coastal waters is very much influenced
                                                               by nearby rivers. The Noosa River feeds into Laguna
By 2030, maintain the extent of vegetated buffers and          Bay and affects offshore marine areas. The Great
improve diversity of coastal ecosystems.                       Sandy Marine Park and the Great Barrier Reef are
                                                               also influenced by outflows from the Mary River. Urban
Noosa’s coastal environments, including sand dunes,            stormwater discharge is the primary source of litter
beaches, marine areas and coastal wetlands, provide            pollution entering rivers and the ocean, directly impacting
a variety of habitats for native plants and animals, and       on birds, marine mammals and turtles.
also provide for recreation uses, tourism and our coastal
lifestyle.                                                     Coastal foreshores are dynamic, changing over time
                                                               in response to weather, tides, waves, ocean currents,
The marine areas of Noosa, like other SEQ coastal              sand deposition and erosion. During severe weather
waters, are a transitional area for temperate and tropical     events, coastal hazards such as erosion and storm tide
species, and therefore include a broad diversity of            inundation can threaten built assets, communities and
ecosystems and species. Rocky headlands provide                natural environments. These coastal hazards will be
habitat for molluscs, soft corals, crustaceans and algae       exacerbated by climate change due to more extreme
while deeper rocky shelves are home to soft and hard           weather conditions and sea level rise.
corals and seaweeds, providing food and protection to
fish and turtles.                                              Human activities including development, infrastructure,
                                                               and vegetation clearing need to be minimised and
Coastal creeks from Peregian Beach to Noosa Heads              carefully managed within coastal areas to allow natural
feed directly into the ocean. Some of these creeks             coastal processes of erosion and accretion to continue,
are habitat for important freshwater fish such as the          and to protect existing coastal resources. Protection
vulnerable Honey Blue-Eye (Pseudomugil mellis) and             of the important buffering function of vegetated dune
the endangered Oxleyan Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca                 systems and foreshore areas is critical to improving
oxleyana). Wallum ecosystems at the headwaters of              resilience to coastal hazards.
coastal creeks are highly acidic and support the Wallum
Froglet (Crinia tinnula) and Wallum Sedgefrog (Litoria         Recreation and visitor numbers continue to increase the
olongburensis), both listed as vulnerable species.             demand on coastal resources through public access and
                                                               a variety of tourism and recreational activities. Proactive
The Noosa Shire has 41kms of open beach which                  coastal management of sensitive areas requires clear
provides habitat for intertidal invertebrate species,          and consistent regulation, well managed access of public
and birds such as Pied Oystercatchers (Haematopus              areas, active dune revegetation, and education and
longirostris) that feed on them. Endangered Loggerhead         information sharing with the community.
Turtles (Caretta caretta) and Vulnerable Green Turtles
(Chelonia mydas) nest on open beaches between                  Across the coastal zone the State Government manages
November and March each year, and young turtles hatch          tidal waters and Council manages public land within and
6-12 weeks later. The Noosa River estuary is a resting         above the intertidal zone. The Noosa Planning Scheme
and feeding ground for migratory birds. Some of these          regulates development across all land tenures within
birds travel from as far as the Arctic to avoid the northern   the Shire. Integrated coastal management is required to
hemisphere winter.                                             address the range and complexity of issues within the
                                                               coastal zone and Council works with State agencies,
                                                               environment groups and landholders to cooperatively
                                                               manage a range of issues.




                                                                                                                             25