History of the Noosa Biosphere
WHAT IS A BIOSPHERE RESERVE?
Biosphere Reserves are established under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme. A Biosphere Reserve is a voluntary covenant using a “bottom up” approach to creating sustainable land and water use.
UNESCO explains the concept thus:
“Biosphere Reserves are sites established by countries working with the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, based on local community efforts and sound science.
As places which seek to reconcile economic development, social development and environmental protection, through partnerships between people and nature, they are ideal to test and demonstrate approaches to sustainable development at a regional scale.”
A biosphere reserve is a unique concept which includes one or more protected areas and surrounding lands that are managed to combine both conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
* Each biosphere reserve conserves examples of characteristic ecosystems of one of the world's natural regions, managed for their protection and study.
* It is a land and/or coastal/marine area in which people are an integral component, and which is managed for objectives ranging from complete protection to intensive yet sustainable production.
* It is a regional centre for monitoring, research, education and training on natural and managed ecosystems.
* It is a place where government decision makers, scientists, managers and local people cooperate in developing a model programme for managing land and water to meet human needs while conserving natural processes and biological resources.
* Finally, each biosphere reserve is a symbol of voluntary cooperation to conserve and use resources for the well being of people everywhere.
Noosa Biosphere Reserve is the only Biosphere Reserve in Queensland, and one of 425 which have been established worldwide across 95 countries.
Under the Madrid Action Plan 2008-2013, Biosphere Reserves will focus on responding to the three challenges of:
* Accelerated climate change with consequences for societies and ecosystems.
* Accelerated loss of biological diversity and cultural diversity with unexpected consequences that impact the ability of ecosystems to provide services critical for human wellbeing.
* Rapid urbanisation as a driver of environmental change.
(image of Weyba Creek © Tony Wellington)