Comments on Sunshine Coast Regional Council DRAFT Biodiversity Strategy 2009 Noosa Biosphere Sector Boards working group, December 2009.

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1 Comments on Sunshine Coast Regional Council DRAFT Biodiversity Strategy 2009 Noosa Biosphere Sector Boards working group, December The following comments are relevant to the Draft Biodiversity Strategy for the Sunshine Coast region; regional biodiversity management includes the Noosa Biosphere. Although the Noosa Biosphere Boards focus is on land designated within the biosphere, the protection and management of biodiversity within the Noosa Biosphere is affected by biodiversity conservation in surrounding areas hence the regional context is relevant. The comments herewith consider the general concepts of the SCRC biodiversity strategy as well as issues pertinent to the Noosa Biosphere. The working group supports the approach taken in formulating the draft strategy. The biodiversity strategy covers a wide range of relevant themes and offers a number of sound strategies to address biodiversity management in the region. Main issues that arise from our review of the draft strategy are discussed in more detail below, key issues are; 1. The population increases assigned by the State government to the Sunshine Coast Region are not based on research into land management issues and sustainable land use in the region. 2. The Biodiversity Strategy and supporting documentation are comprehensive documents and, while covering a breath of issues and material, leave the reader searching for priorities and timeframes for proposed strategies as well as reference to specific research to date. 3. The use of new and innovative tools for biodiversity management is applauded, however we caution on the use of offsetting and advise that it be applied judiciously and never used to facilitate clearing of remnant vegetation. The Biosphere working group identifies several projects and areas of interest that are relevant to the draft biodiversity strategy. We are keen to work with the council in developing programs and community strategies that assist in both organisations working towards positive biodiversity outcomes. 1 Pressures of population growth The documentation issued by council is prefaced by a discussion on carrying capacity. We fully support this as an underpinning paradigm on which to base sustainable regional development. The South East Queensland (SEQ) Regional Plan identifies a growth of the Sunshine Coast population that does have a clear link to carrying capacity. We support the SCRC approach that more detailed planning assessment is required to determine the appropriate residential growth capacity and rate Noosa Biosphere Working Group Comments on SCRC Draft Biodiversity Strategy Page 1

2 including consideration of issues such as carrying capacity, character, biophysical constraints and the provision of infrastructure. The State government also needs to accept the human carrying capacity limits and that the protection of natural environmental values needs to be given equal merit to economical and social factors when determining population limits of the region. We acknowledge the recognition of temporary visitors to the region, and their impacts on natural resources and that these need to be factored into human impact on our natural resources. Regardless of population capacity, new development needs to adopt best practice to minimise direct impacts on the local environment and the associated impacts of infrastructure such as roads, powerlines, industrial development and other services. 2 Further detail required We would like to see some reference to the research to date a term used frequently within the document. Council has prepared a draft Sunshine Coast Biodiversity Strategy to guide investment in key environmental programs, provide the platform for major landscape protection and restoration initiatives, and inform the development of a Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme. We seek some indication of the priorities, timeframes and resources for current and proposed projects. Similarly, there are no estimates of current and proposed programs and funding allocation/sources for these. An action plan is required o demonstrate priorities and timeframes for implementing the Biodiversity Strategy. This needs to be part of the strategy, not an addendum. 3 Vegetation offsets as a planning tool Applaud council taking initiative to use these tools The difference between vegetation offsets and carbon offsets needs to be clear (maybe in the glossary) vegetation offsets are areas of vegetation offsetting areas that have been cleared or degraded, while carbon offsets aim to sequester carbon to offset emissions which may be local or elsewhere on the globe. We caution against the widespread use of vegetation offsets in allowing development to proceed. Such a measure needs to be the very last resort and that the offset area must be ecologically equivalent and account for the loss of natural areas appropriately. Offsets need to lie within the same landscape elements as the original vegetation and support similar vegetation (i.e. same Noosa Biosphere Working Group Comments on SCRC Draft Biodiversity Strategy Page 2

3 Regional Ecosystem). Vegetation restoration in an offset needs to develop an ecosystem that is able to function naturally. All remnant vegetation should be protected. Clearing of regrowth vegetation should be offset with larger areas of similar aged or older regrowth vegetation, preferably in strategic locations to maximise linkages across the landscape. Vegetation offsets should not be used to justify vegetation clearing of remnant vegetation because another area may have greater connectivity or biodiversity potential. 4 Potential partnerships and relationships A major focus of this document is to foster ongoing partnerships with community stakeholders to promote and implement biodiversity conservation initiatives that meet the environmental, social and economic needs of our region. The Biosphere Reserve shares the objective of Building our knowledge in relation to conservation of natural biodiversity and sustainable living. A key project addressing this is the Benchmarking the Biosphere project that is championed by the Environment Sector board. The project will identify performance indicators and benchmarks for successful biosphere management. The Benchmarking project will seek to build on existing community capacity to contribute to the data collection. In the Benchmarking the Biosphere project we look utilise existing and potential indicators of the biosphere community sustainability and biodiversity conservation. The Sunshine Coast Biodiversity Report Card has the potential to inform our project. We support the report card as it will be integral in informing the community, council and others of the successes of the council s biodiversity programs. Within the various Biosphere sector boards there are projects (proposed or commenced) that parallel council initiatives identified in the draft Biodiversity Strategy. Examples of this include; Provide information that encourages and empowers the community to make informed decisions about issues such as climate change, liveability and biodiversity. This is one of the key tenants under which Noosa Biosphere operates. Investigate innovative multimedia tools to assist in educating the community and other stakeholders. Innovative ideas have been suggested within the sector boards and we would like to partner council in the development and implementation of such tools Develop a consistent monitoring and reporting framework. The Environment Sector Board Benchmarking project seeks to establish Noosa Biosphere Working Group Comments on SCRC Draft Biodiversity Strategy Page 3

4 such a framework for the biosphere. Consistency between the regional systems is important. Develop a regional database of significant flora and fauna. The also parallels the benchmarking project which recognises there are existing databases and is cognisant of not duplicating resources but rather expanding the use of existing data sources. Access to the often quality data collected within the Development Application process can provide important baseline information for conservation management decisions. We would be keen to discuss with the SCRC ways of working together with other organisations to develop biodiversity data management framework. Directions for education and information relating to climate change adaptation and resilience need to be explored we are keen to be kept informed of development is in this area. The Noosa Biosphere Reserve Our Sector Boards contain extensive human resources, we are happy to assist council in identifying what has worked in the Biosphere Reserve and our future challenges. The Noosa Biosphere is considered by UNESCO as a living laboratory in which to develop and showcase humans living sustainably and conserving biodiversity in the face of climate change and pressures of population growth. The boundaries of the reserve were determined by Noosa Council borders at the time and, in places, some realignment may occur in the future. Review of the boundaries is part of the 5-yearly review process at which time a case will need to be built for new areas to be included in the biosphere. Remembering that the biosphere is about humans living sustainably with the natural environment, any expansion of boundaries would be expected to reflect sustainable living practices and not just natural areas such as the national parks. Noosa Biosphere is seeking to organise an event to celebrate the biosphere (in March 2010) and to promote biodiversity conservation. It is important that we complement council s and others efforts in sending appropriate messages to the community regarding sustainability and biodiversity. Noosa Biosphere will be keen to participate in the proposed SCRC event and conversely would seek SCRC participation on Noosa Biosphere Day. Innovative and engaging approaches will be required to encourage community empowerment, participation and trust.. Council will consult with key stakeholder in finalising this document and its long term implementation. Noosa Biosphere is keen to participate as a stakeholder in further development of the Biodiversity Strategy. We also seek to establish mechanisms that maintain delivery of sustainable environmental outcomes in the long term regardless of /despite political and administrative change at the various levels of government. Noosa Biosphere Working Group Comments on SCRC Draft Biodiversity Strategy Page 4

5 5 General comments The threats of climate change are a point of contention in some aspects of the community. It is possible to over emphasise the impacts, particularly where there is a lack of hard evidence presented. We recognise council s responsibility in presenting the possibility of dire consequences of climate change and the need for the community to be prepared. We caution against building a picture that is so dire that the public decides it is not worth doing anything well if it s that bad, nothing I can do will make any difference, The term Iconic areas of interest is used in Figure 4 to identify areas of biodiversity significance. The term iconic introduces a whole lot of assumptions and potential misunderstandings its application as a whole needs to be examined as it appears to be being overused generally. We are not sure of the role of this section it is a list of examples; do these areas warrant conservation priorities, or are they just examples of the regions diversity? We support the Principles proposed in Section 5.2 and many of these are mirrored in the Environment Sector Board s Charter which include Promote conservation and preservation of natural areas, connectivity and wildlife corridors Ensure a comprehensive environmental evaluation of strategies, policies, practices and programs of the Noosa Biosphere to ensure they do not conflict with ecologically sustainable practices and conduct regular reviews Increase knowledge of ecological functions of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve including continual development of flora & fauna databases Foster partnerships and communication in the community to increase environmental education. Green infrastructure needs to be defined in the glossary. Green infrastructure encompasses a wide variety of natural and restored native ecosystems and landscape features (Benedict & McMahon, 2006, Linking landscapes and communities). What are the ecological goals of green infrastructure in the SCRC context? These need to be defined in the strategy. Greenways are discussed in the Open Space discussion paper; what is the relationship between greenway concepts and proposed green infrastructure? We support measures that maximise areas of natural vegetation and landscape-scale connectivity and point out that the connectivity needs to be functional and diverse. Landscape connectivity is greatly enhanced if overall land use seeks to create connections within an urban or rural mosaic comprised of networks of natural habitat. Noosa Biosphere Working Group Comments on SCRC Draft Biodiversity Strategy Page 5

6 6 Specific points in the Draft Biodiversity Strategy Biodiversity and healthy functioning ecosystems are fundamental to all life, providing a range of essential ecosystem services such as oxygen production, water purification, pollination, soil formation and nutrient recycling. We support the concept of valuing ecosystem services is the basis of the strategy and recognises the important role much of the natural things that are taken for granted have in our everyday lives. A challenge for planning is assigning a value ($) to often intangible ecosystem services. How does SCRC intent to progress in the valuing of ecosystem services? Section2.2 Green infrastructure is the physical environment within and between our cities, towns and villages. Should the definition say green infrastructure is part of the physical environment? The subheadings in Section 2.2 are somewhat disjoint and the relationship between them is not clear they are all factors of relevance to the strategy, perhaps the direct links need to be elucidated at the start of the section. Page 7 last paragraph Queensland Acts preserve the State s biodiversity and State-level protection is the primary focus therefore it is at a broader scale than required for regional initiatives. We commend the strategies to undertake assessment of the natural resources at a scale appropriate for regional-scale biodiversity planning. Section 3.1, Page 13 The Commonwealth Government has declared two listings for wetlands of national importance across 12,805 hectares of the Noosa River system. The Noosa River lakes and adjacent wetlands are one of only a few wetland complexes on the entire Eastern Australian seaboard. Forming part of the Great Sandy Region, they have World Heritage values. This paragraph and the following one are unclear regarding the two wetland listings referred to. Section 4.2, Page 21 The challenge for the Sunshine Coast is to accommodate growth while preserving, and ultimately enhancing, the natural environment. Population growth and development pose a number of serious threats to the region s biodiversity, specifically: _ Vegetation clearing _ Habitat loss and fragmentation _ Introduction of pest species _ Pollution and stormwater run-off Add that - In the face of climate change the consequences of these losses are likely to have a greater impact on our native flora and fauna, and the ecosystems services they provide in the future. Noosa Biosphere Working Group Comments on SCRC Draft Biodiversity Strategy Page 6

7 Section 4.4 There appears to be limited work to date on how the local flora and fauna will respond to climate change the effect will vary with species and their adaptability, resilience and mobility. Key species need to be identified that will act as indicators of species response to climate change and sustainable management. To give the local native fauna the best chance of surviving we recommend the following strategies; Conserving as large areas of habitat as possible and not allowing existing large areas to be compromised or fragmented, Establish ecologically functional connectivity between all habitat where roads and development inhibit connectivity, retrofitting green infrastructure to provide wildlife corridors/connections is required, Monitoring of indicator and threatened populations is required to detect early signs of population decline and mitigate losses where possible, Section 4.5 Weeds and pests Weeds and pests increase with human population density and are predicted to further increase with climate change. We are likely to have new species of plants move into the area and establish as pests over time. Regional weed and pest management priorities need to go beyond species identified as state level priorities. The potential threats will vary with habitat and other factors across the region and there are certain habitats that are prone to particular weeds or pests. We support the need for research into weed and pest management and community education. This may include providing information to the landscaping and nursery industries on topics such as prevention of weed dispersal via machinery and other vectors, identifying potential pest plants, and encouraging the planting of native alternatives to exotic species. Section 4.6 Land management practices Land management practices are not necessarily always a threat to biodiversity the section should be headed poor or inappropriate land management practices (or similar). Section 5 The term biodiversity values is used throughout this section; it is not defined in the glossary and is unclear exactly what is meant here. A definition at the start of the section or in the glossary is required or is it better expressed simply as biodiversity and related values which can include ecosystem services. 5.2 Principles We particularly support principles that seek to establish resilience to climate change within the community and the use of innovative management practices. Noosa Biosphere Working Group Comments on SCRC Draft Biodiversity Strategy Page 7

8 Ensure sustainable use of areas of biodiversity value as a key component of Ecologically Sustainable Development. How will the limits of sustainable use be identified and monitored will there be a feedback or similar? Protect and enhance native vegetation communities and habitat areas through innovative management practices We support the use of innovative management but would like to see some examples of these. Ensure that Council is responsive and flexible in its application of existing and new biodiversity tools to achieve multiple benefits again give some examples what are biodiversity tools? 5.4 Overarching themes The seven themes proposed comprehensively cover most aspects of biodiversity conservation. Legal mechanisms, p.31 Separate first strategy/action into 2 actions: Develop biodiversity and habitat mapping... Develop policies and codes to inform... planning scheme... For consistency, (start each action with a verb) second action should read: Integrate consideration of biodiversity into the corporate governance framework Strategies The Biodiversity Strategy needs to identify Timelines and Targets, and have an Action Plan. These can be identified against relevant overarching themes / activities. The draft strategy notes some actions are underway; an indication of current and proposed actions would be useful and assist the community to identify council s priorities. Investigate developing a targeted regional statutory covenants program with effective compliance and monitoring programs. What does this mean? Biodiversity Partnerships and Community Engagement Develop an urban partnership program, possibly in partnership with the development industry and branded as an Urban Corridors program. We support this as developing important linkages through the urban landscape use these links or networks to compliment the riparian links; this needs to fit with the open space and waterways management strategies. Environmental grants and incentives focussed on key corridors and coordinated to deliver landscape scale outcomes. Continue to offer flexibility in how these are applied. We welcome this and acknowledge focussing on Noosa Biosphere Working Group Comments on SCRC Draft Biodiversity Strategy Page 8

9 key linkages is important the emphasis on where resources are placed needs to be balanced to avoid all the eggs in one basket. Development of a Biodiversity Interpretive Trail Network that provides community and visitor access to the region s natural assets in a range of settings such as canoe trails, wetland boardwalks, viewing platforms, rainforest, waterways and coastal trails and cultural heritage walks. Trails already exist in the Noosa area and there have been projects recently proposed to facilitate walking trails and interpretive material within the sustainable tourism sector. This is a concept with existing community support. Biodiversity Protection and Rehabilitation Support a Regional Acquisition Strategy as long as it is based on sound investigation of landscape corridor and network function. We have some concern that the protection and investment will focus on the iconic areas identified to the detriment of other areas. P35 Add action about resilience to climate change, such as Identify ecosystems and geographical areas threatened by climate change and prioritise/direct revegetation programs towards combating the identified threats. Investigate the range of options for long term protection of significant and iconic areas such as the greater Glass House Mountains and Ninderry. Need to investigate and implement. Investigate the potential for declaring further Ramsar sites to provide greater protection for wetlands and migratory bird habitat. This should aim to prepare submissions for declaration of all sites that qualify for Ramsar site status on the sunshine coast. The Noosa River is one example of an area with attributes worthy of Ramsar listing. Develop revegetation guidelines and priorities for the Sunshine Coast to guide restoration and rehabilitation initiatives. This will include mapping areas, to focus revegetation efforts, where natural resilience is viable. These guidelines and priorities will help ensure that quality biodiversity outcomes are achieved from carbon sequestration plantings. We support this and propose that landscape and open space plantings should also follow these guidelines which include the use of native plants. Additionally council should seek to engaging the nursery industry in developing and implementing these initiatives. Pest management Good to use climate change predications to inform potential threats, community education and engagement are important. Council needs to set the example by appropriately managing weeds on council land. The use of appropriate landscaping to minimise weed invasion and spread should be demonstrated by council. Noosa Biosphere Working Group Comments on SCRC Draft Biodiversity Strategy Page 9

10 Support Integrated Catchment management Ensure riparian areas are included in revegetation priorities. And land management i.e. fencing etc. New and emerging tools We applaud council taking intuitive to use these tools Noosa Biosphere Working Group Comments on SCRC Draft Biodiversity Strategy Page 10