Well, a busy weekend what with the Audi Noosa Food and Wine Festival and a surprise visit to Noosa Biosphere Reserve by the first woman to hold the post of Director-General of UNESCO.  Madame Bokova came to Noosa at 24hrs notice during her trip to Australia.  The MaB, Man and the Biosphere, program comes under her aegis through the MaB Office in Paris.

A lunch with the D-G, a number of her staff, regional UNESCO representatives, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Premier’s Department personnel was held at Ricky’s in Quamby Place (reinvesting in the local economy).  Local produce featured to the delight and impressed palates of our guests.

To appreciate the Noosa Biosphere Reserve we took the delegation up to Laguna Lookout for a spectacular afternoon viewing of the coastal and Noosa part of the biosphere reserve.  An invitation to visit a private property on Cooroy Mountain for a sunset viewing of the hinterland biosphere was too good an opportunity not to offer the global head of one of the great environmental organisations, UNESCO.  Thanks to Philip Harding for use of his deck and a guided visual tour of the landscape.

Mayor Abbot and Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, Glen Elmes accompanied the group so as to inform from the local to state perspectives.

Madame Bokova was impressed with the physical environment that is the Noosa Biosphere Reserve as well as organisational structure and achievements to date. We are exceeding expectations and the Noosa ‘experiment’ is viewed keenly as a development and learning location among the 500+ world biospheres. Our continued assistance to Cambodia is encouraged.

In keeping with our partnership efforts with other Australian biospheres, the new Chair of Great Sandy Biosphere Reserve, Dr Evelyne Meier was invited to join discussions with the Director-General. Dr Meier and I will meet again soon to progress the relationship between our two adjacent biospheres and Fraser Island World Heritage area for combined environmental, economic and nature-based tourism sustainable opportunities.