President’s Message      Newsletter June/July 2008

There is a continuing need for Noosa Parks Association to act as a strong and vocal watchdog that fights for all that is special about Noosa. With the Noosa Shire having ceased to exist, the Noosa Biosphere Reserve is now the only legal entity that represents so much of what we hold dear. It becomes vital that the Noosa community, including Noosa Parks Association, has ongoing involvement in managing our biosphere.  It is imperative that the biosphere is managed inclusively by all key interest groups in the biosphere reserve. We are extremely concerned that the new Sunshine Coast Regional Council's proposed governance model for the biosphere reserve fails to include NPA at the heart of the governance model. This is despite NPA’s front line contribution over a period of 45 years to protect Noosa, to the point that it became worthy of biosphere reserve recognition. In recognising Noosa as a biosphere reserve, UNESCO was attracted to council undertakings that the biosphere would be managed by the community, in partnership with local and state government.  Only a few weeks ago, a SCRC meeting was held, during which it looked into the biosphere.  The former Noosa Council had tabled a list of people who they wished to acknowledge publicly for their outstanding efforts in having biosphere status afforded to this region.  Neither the Noosa Parks Association as an organisation, nor the Harrolds, Huxleys, Fearnleys, Michael Gloster nor Noel Playford received any mention.  To say this is disrespectful of NPA’s contribution is an understatement.  NPA is hopeful that the new SCRC will come to realise that it is on the brink of continuing an injustice to NPA that it has inherited from the former Noosa Council. 

On a brighter note, we hope that the optimism surrounding the recent election of several candidates with strong environmental credentials to the new council will not prove to be a false dawn.  NPA is excited by the promise given by Bob Abbot for the Sunshine Coast to become the national leader in sustainability. We are similarly encouraged by his commitment to limiting population growth in our region.  We hope that soon he will announce measurable targets and detail how his council intends to achieve them. 

Noosa Parks Association remains committed to offering a strong independent voice on local environmental matters.  We also remain committed to our wide array of special interest groups, including botany, bushwalking, birding and environmental education forums. Our gratitude goes to the hardworking core of members who ensure these run so efficiently. 

Ian Seels