If you have some big ideas on the future of Noosa and our Biosphere Reserve, the new Noosa Council wants to hear from you.
At a recent meeting, Noosa Council decided it wanted to take a fresh look at what the Biosphere Reserve status means for Noosa and how it should be managed to involve the community even more. Part of the review will involve community consultation, including the views of the current Noosa Biosphere Board and the Community Sector Boards. But Deputy Mayor Bob Abbot said the council working group doesn’t just want to hear from those currently involved. “We want to hear from people who have a big picture of the way we should be living and working in our environment, and then we want to hear some smart ideas about how all of that should be managed.” Councillor Abbot says the big challenge of managing the Noosa Biosphere Reserve is finding ways to involve the community more at all levels, and in helping everyone understand that “the Biosphere isn’t just about the environment, it’s about how we live, work and function within it.” “We need to agree on the vision first and then we’ll look at the structure that can help get us there.” Noosa was awarded UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status in 2007, and is run by a council-owned company, Noosa Biosphere Limited, with a governing board and a number of community sector boards. People or groups who want to make a submission should do so in writing to the council’s Chief Executive Officer by Monday, February 24.
