A detailed response to recent Letters to the Noosa News from Noel Bird of Boreen Point.

Noel Bird is a valued contributor to the Noosa Biosphere Reserve through his services and support of the biosphere values and principles.  Noel and his wife worked hard as volunteers on Noosa Biosphere Day in Noosa Woods on 19th September 2010. This effort was acknowledged by presentation to Noel by a Certificate of Appreciation which he willingly accepted at a function at the Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa, our sponsor.

I admire Noel for his ability to on one hand contribute alongside those he criticises while expressing his contrary views of the management of the biosphere always in the media.  What’s wrong with talking to us?

We know that Noel is a conduit for inside information back to Noosa Biosphere Assoc and associated other organisations that wish to gain control of the biosphere organisation as part of de-amalgamation.  The Noosa Biosphere board has written to representatives of these parties expressing the view that the biosphere will and should work with the duly elected government of the day.  

As, when and if local government changes so might the biosphere structure.  Until then the efforts of others to skew the truth to paint a less than complementary picture of the current biosphere board and volunteers is nothing more than a smear campaign.  Politics played against average people.

That raises a point to consider.  If, what we see in the jibes and stabs that are used to attack volunteers is an example of the methods and intent of the people who would be King, then do we want them as our local government representatives?

None of us wanted amalgamation.  Some of us work within it to try to do good things.  The future may well change but the contribution of the people who have brought the biosphere to life should not be diminished.

Of course, the victor often rewrites history and that has been the habit in Noosa.  But it is no reason not to do what is broadly acknowledged to be good work.  Change will always arrive sooner or later.  Doing good deeds between change is what is often hard to accomplish but so very worthwhile.  

Pulling down honest and hard-working people seems to have become a game and too regularly applied in Noosa.  I suggest it is counter to the stated Noosa Biosphere Vision:

• sustaining an inclusive, participative and cohesive culture which celebrates diversity, and which is democratic, equitable and accessible to all;
• respecting the natural environment by accepting responsibility for the conservation of nature, sustaining biodiversity and openly sharing research and learning;
• maintaining a network of village communities nestled in a network of productive and natural landscapes.
• recognition of the importance of a sustainable economy.

This last point also goes to the heart of Noel’s claim that tourism is being used negatively in some way to dominate the Noosa Biosphere.   What the biosphere seeks is a partnership with tourism, our biggest industry, to protect, explain and offer experiences in what has been achieved over decades by people in Noosa – a new style UNESCO biosphere.  After all, we get 1.7 million visitors a year.  Providing ways in which they can contribute to the support of the Noosa Biosphere is a reasonable ask. 

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation, this year, released a paper recognising that tourism is a way of educating global travellers, funding conservation and sustaining biodiversity on a World scale.  Noosa can lead in this honourable pursuit.  It has a mature tourism industry.

Sponsorship of the Noosa Biosphere leads the way with one of the most recognised brands Sheraton, an outstanding EcoBiz Winner, engaging with Noosa Biosphere as an exemplar of what tourism can do.  Business, inc. tourism can be a source of strong support to achieve three complementary functions:

• Conservation – to contribute to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation
• Sustainable Development – to foster economic and human development that is socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable, and therefore compatible with the first function
• Logistic support – to support demonstration projects, environmental education and training, research and monitoring related to local, regional, national and global issues, in support of the first two functions.  This function can be summarised as “learning”.

To Noel’s last point that recent turnover of volunteers is indicative of internal problems.   Like any community organisation, no different to the organisations backing him as our critic, there is ‘churn’ in contributors and membership.  After two years of huge workload, stunning outcomes and high energy contribution, I suggest that roll-over is anticipated.  Some have simply moved away.  Others find that their views are not shared and depart also.  We are dynamic, fluid and resilient.

We expect and get a wonderful contribution from our volunteers.  Not all find a place, relationships or projects that ‘fit’.  Not much different to life actually.  We are not a perfect organisation and to claim such would be plain silly.  But we learn, adapt, improve and produce outcomes.  We also celebrate contributions and achievements.

I thank those volunteers most sincerely and push back against unwarranted criticism of these good people.

Michael Donovan

p.s.  Point of correction re Great Sandy Biosphere Reserve.  That biosphere is owned by an industry trading corporation the Burnett Mary Regional Group.  The Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management Inc (BMRG) is one of 14 Regional Bodies in Queensland and one of 56 nationally. The BMRG represents the combined interests of the community, industry and government.  Not much different to Noosa Biosphere Ltd except we are totally voluntary and the other have salaried staff.