By Margaret Maccoll
A sub-committee of the board “that is independent of any links to likely applicants” will evaluate project applications to be funded by the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation (NBRF), according to its chairman Dick Barnes.
NBRF last Wednesday launched its next Big Ideas fund of $330,000 to be allocated to projects that deliver environmental and socio-economic outcomes for the NBRF.
Dick said big ideas did not necessarily imply big budgets.
“Big Ideas projects costing less than $20,000 may be approved directly from the Expressions of Interest. Projects over $20,000 will require full project documentation,” he said.
Dick said NBRF sought “transformational projects” in four priority areas of healthy waterways, catchment management, iconic species and sustainable and socio-economic development that brings prosperity and engages all sectors of the community.
Mayor Tony Wellington said there was no other mechanism within council’s grant funding methodology to achieve multi-year, longitudinal projects of the sort that NBRF have already invested in.
“Projects like Bring Back the Fish, Keep it in Kin Kin and the Mapping Koala Health initiative each provide excellent examples of the sorts of projects that NBRF can support, particularly as they are often bolstered by good science and significant input from tertiary institutions,” he said.
Noosa MP Glen Elmes said these types of projects were not what small communities did, “but it’s what we do and that’s what makes Noosa such a special place”.
Expressions of interest will close on 25 August.
For more information, visit www.noosabiosphere.org.au or email secretariat@noosabiosphere.org.au
