JIM FAGAN
Last month Noosa Council decided it wanted to encourage greater community participation in Noosa Biosphere Ltd (NBL) and local people and groups were invited to write down their thoughts and ideas and send them to Council CEO Brett de Chastel. Closing date is this Monday.
As Deputy Mayor Bob Abbot said, “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.”
At Noosa Today we thought the council’s call had a lot of merit so we decided to do a survey of people in the street asking if they knew what the Biosphere Reserve was all about and if they had any ideas for the council. We did interviews at Peregian, Sunshine Beach, Noosa Junction, Tewantin and Cooroy and it came as a bit of a shock to learn few could answer our questions in any detail, one man even asking if a biosphere was a weather balloon. We believe the existence of the Biosphere Reserve status is an integral part of Noosa’s core values that benefits us all. To help our readers understand it more, and how important it is, we asked NBL Chair, Dr Sue Davis, communications director, Carolyn Beaton, and Cath Withyman, author of NBL’s recent Sustainable Tourism Industry Project, to put together this practical guide for those who live here and those who come to visit.
WHAT IS A BIOSPHERE RESERVE? UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status, like World Heritage status, recognises places around the world that have outstanding natural environments but Biosphere Reserves also include communities working towards living sustainably.
HOW AND WHEN DID NOOSA GET INVOLVED? The application for Biosphere Reserve status was championed and prepared by Noosa Council and in September 2007 Noosa was afforded Biosphere Reserve status by UNESCO. The following year Noosa Biosphere Limited (NBL) was established.
HOW MANY IN QUEENSLAND AND THE WORLD? There are two Biosphere Reserves in Queensland – the other is the Great Sandy Biosphere Reserve, 14 in Australia and, globally, 610 Biosphere Reserves in 117 countries.
ARE THEY ALL RUN BY VOLUNTEERS LIKE THAT OF NOOSA? Biosphere Reserves are often managed by professionals who are employed by Government in natural resource management roles. Noosa is an exception. We have 60 volunteers across the various community sector boards supported by a professional secretariat funded by Council. Occasionally we use professional contractors.
And now some tips on getting involved
FOR LOCALS
Learn about your locale: Get to know about the place, the people, nature, what’s going on and get involved. Support local markets and shops: Noosa Biosphere Reserve boasts a fantastic network of local art, craft and farmers’ markets. Each village within the region holds a local market on a regular basis with fresh produce, and unique, locally made art, clothing and craft items. Support local traders. Your money will then stay in the community
Reduce your daily energy needs: Appliances left on standby are not off. Even in standby or sleep mode, appliances can still be operating at up to 40 per cent of full running power. You can also make a difference by turning down the air-conditioning by just one degree. 25 is considered optimal energy saving temperature in Queensland. Always remember to switch off lights and appliances when you go out.
Green volunteering: Give back to our local community, consider volunteering. You could spend an afternoon planting trees for koala habitat, help to rehabilitate our coastal and dunes, monitor the Noosa River sea grass health or clean up our natural environment.
Recycle & reduce use of plastics: In 2012 Noosa Waste Facility received 69,443 tonnes of waste and 22 per cent of this waste was diverted from landfill and recycled. Also reuse shopping bags, use cloth or hessian bags and reuse your own water bottle to reduce plastic use.
Help conserve our wildlife: The Noosa Biosphere Reserve is rich in biodiversity and is home to many endangered and vulnerable species. The koala and Richmond Birdwing butterfly are notable amongst them. We need to exercise particular caution when driving through wildlife habitat. We also need to take care around our waterways. Reduce the amount of fishing line litter, which can cause serious injury and death to our many seabirds if entangled or ingested. Keep a copy of wildlife rescue emergency numbers in your wallet or glove box.
Be inspired – by art and others: Enjoy art inspired by the environment or art as it occurs in the environment. The Noosa Biosphere Reserve is home to the Biennial Floating Land Festival, the annual Noosa Biosphere Art prize and many other local art events. It is also home to a large number of community groups
Compost: Recycling your organic and green waste gives you your own 100 per cent organic fertiliser, which will improve your garden soil, its water retention and the vigour of your plants. Live Smart: Every person in every household has the ability to make simple, effective and lasting changes towards sustainable living. The Living Smart Homes program originated in Noosa and is now throughout the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay regions with an online learning program that helps households to reduce their energy, water, waste and transport and learn more about sustainable food, wellbeing, biodiversity and neighbourhoods.
Work Smart: Certification of businesses is one way for businesses to verify and promote their sustainability achievements. Last year in Noosa four businesses achieved ECO certification with 10 products and 21 individual businesses have achieved ecoBiz Partnership status.
FOR VISITORS
Use your own steam: Most of Noosa Heads, Noosa Junction, Noosaville and Tewantin can easily be explored without a car. Instead walk, ride or paddle – there are many great walking and cycling tracks in the Noosa area or hire a kayak or stand-up paddleboard to explore our magnificent waterways.
Car hire – choose hybrid: If you choose to hire a car to explore the diverse Noosa Biosphere hinterland region, then choose a hybrid car. Not only will you be sending a positive message to the car industry, you will use less fuel, saving you money.
Reduce your laundry: Laundry consumes a large percentage of hotels’ energy for hot water. Be willing to use your towels and sheets for more than one day and help hotels to reduce their energy use.
Recycle your guide books and brochures or use an App: If you collect information brochures and guidebooks, return them at the end of your stay or leave them in your room for the next guest to enjoy. Also, check out some of the local apps available to help you navigate, plan and enjoy your time in the Noosa Biosphere Reserve. Try www.thenoosaapp.com.au or Tourism Noosa’s ‘By Noosa’ app, which is free to download from iTunes.
