Meeting papers

1. Executive Summary
Noosa’s natural amenity is one of the greatest contributors to its liveability, and the Eastern
Beaches Foreshore Reserves are an iconic part of Noosa’s coastal landscapes. These foreshore
reserves are also central to Noosa’s coastal neighbourhoods - most of our seaside residents and
communities live alongside them. They are central to the Noosa resident and visitor experience,
with many people walking through the Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves to access Noosa’s
beaches, enjoying the beautiful views the area has to offer.

Noosa’s dune foreshores are significant environmental places too – the ecosystems are unique to
open coastal environments, and they provide a critical link between the ocean and westward
natural areas. Some species, such as the Endangered loggerhead turtle and Vulnerable green
turtle 1, rely on healthy dunes and beaches to reproduce. As climate change continues, the
buffering functions of Noosa’s naturally vegetated foreshores and dunes will play a critical role in
our community’s resilience during storm events.

The specialness of Noosa’s Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves is well recognised by Noosa
people, past and present. For millennia Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) people have lived and worked on
the Eastern Beaches, caring for Country through spiritual and environmental stewardship and
practices. Noosa Shire was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2007. This designation highlights
how important environmental and cultural protection is globally, and how it contributes to Noosa’s
livability and success. More locally, when the Noosa community was asked what people valued
most about the Noosa Shire, 77% of the 1655 respondents to the Noosa Shire Liveability Survey
2021 rated ‘Elements of the natural environment (natural features, views, vegetation, topography,
water, wildlife)’ as most important 2.

The Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves Management Plan provides a clear plan for the
management of the Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves for ecosystem health, coastal
resilience, recreation and public access. The plan is in response to the implementation action in
the Noosa Environment Strategy 2019 to implement an Eastern Beaches coastal rehabilitation
program to improve the condition, species diversity and stability of dune ecosystems and enhance
resilience to climate change. The plan also responds to the Noosa Coastal Hazards Adaptation
Plan preferred management approach to “pursue dune management and revegetation in high risk
erosion areas as a critical and immediate priority for Council and the community in helping to build
coastal resilience and management of erosion risk.




1 Recovery Plan for Marine Turtles in Australia, Commonwealth of Australia 2017’.
2 Noosa Shire Liveability Survey, Noosa Council 2021

Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves Management Plan 2023                                       Page 3


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