History of the Noosa Biosphere
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NOOSA BIOSPHERE RESERVE
The original proposal to garner Commonwealth Government support for a Noosa Biosphere Reserve was a cooperative one between Noosa Council and various community groups including Noosa Parks Association, Noosa Landcare, Noosa Residents and Ratepayers Association, the Sunshine Coast Environment Council, Tourism Noosa, Noosa Integrated Catchment Association and Noosa Chamber of Commerce amongst others. They were all represented on Council's International Recognition Working Group.
Noosa Parks Association produced the first concept paper for a Noosa Biosphere and this was adopted as the working model by the Working Group. (click here to read this Foundation Document)
Bruce Davidson and Ben McMullen of Noosa Council, with Michael Gloster of Noosa Parks Association, travelled to Canberra to meet with senior public servants and the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Federal Minister for Environment and Heritage. A key message from the Noosa delegation was that the Noosa Biosphere proposal was about ongoing community effort: all sectors of the Noosa community would be engaged to perpetuate the sustainability initiatives for which Noosa was renowned.
The meeting in Greg Hunt's Canberra office.
From l to r: Ben McMullen, Greg Hunt MP,
Alex Somlay MLA, Michael Gloster & Bruce Davidson
Parliamentary Secretary Hunt evidenced great enthusiasm to see a successful example of a Biosphere in action: one that involved community organisations and individuals all working together. He was so motivated by Noosa's proposal that he fast-tracked the Noosa pitch ahead of other Biosphere proposals.
Greg Hunt travelled to Noosa to sign a formal agreement to develop and lodge the application with UNESCO. The other signatories to that document were Noosa Council, Noosa Parks Association and a nascent Noosa Biosphere Association, which had been formed by the Working Group and was at that time unincorporated.
At the signing of the agreement between the Commonwealth Government, Noosa Shire Council, Noosa Parks Association and Noosa Biosphere Association. November 2006.
Pictured: Michael Gloster, Greg Hunt MP & Alex Somlay MLA.
Senior officials of the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency were opposed to the Biosphere concept, believing it would complicate their management of the core areas of the Reserve that are National Park. Accordingly, the Queensland State Government initially demonstrated indifference to the proposal. Without their support, UNESCO would not approve the Biosphere. Once again, Noosa Parks Association members met with various Government representatives, eventually gaining the support of the State Government for the proposal.
In mid-2007, the Queensland Labor Government announced moves to forcibly amalgamate Noosa Council with neighbouring Shires Maroochy and Caloundra. This would take effect as of the March 2008 elections. The Biosphere nomination represented the Noosa Shire alone. It was defined by the Shire boundaries (plus an extension out to sea), and did not include the greater Cooloola National Park to Noosa's north nor any of Maroochy or Caloundra Shires.
Having obtained the necessary Commonwealth and State imprimatur, Noosa Council began to take command of the Biosphere initiative, leveraging community out of the process.
In September 2007, Noosa Mayor Bob Abbot and Council officers Bruce Davidson and Ben McMullen journeyed to Paris to present Noosa's Biosphere application to UNESCO. The trip was not essential to the success of the nomination, but it did provide a blaze of publicity, not to mention a ratepayer funded junket. The impression generated was that Noosa Council was alone responsible for securing the Biosphere accreditation.
As soon as the UNESCO decision was made, Noosa Council established an Interim Committee to prepare a forward strategy on the “management and operation” of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve. The Working Group was bypassed, and there was no community consultation in the process. The Interim Committee consisted of 5 sitting councillors, one private consultant and unnamed council staff. This group recommended that the Biosphere Reserve be governed through the formation of a company limited by guarantee, owned by the soon to be created Sunshine Coast Regional Council. (See "Why set up a Biosphere Association?" under About Us.)
In response to these actions by Council, the Noosa Biosphere Association Inc. began to mobilise in February 2008. The Association aims to retain a high degree of Noosa community involvement in all aspects of the governance and management of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve.