BIOSPHERE MEETING REPORT 4th October 2008 at Mt Mee Hall
The D’Aguilar Biosphere meeting’s guest speaker, Dominic Hyde, was involved from the project’s inception as President of MEPA (Mt Glorious Environmental Protection Assoc.).
He explained how it started out as an idea to develop working relationships with agencies and non-Governmental organisations (NGO’s) to address the problem of weed management. These partnerships provided resources to manage the effects of these agencies and NGO’s work i.e. where soil disturbances lead to a proliferation of weeds.
He explained how it started out as an idea to develop working relationships with agencies and non-Governmental organisations (NGO’s) to address the problem of weed management. These partnerships provided resources to manage the effects of these agencies and NGO’s work i.e. where soil disturbances lead to a proliferation of weeds.
It was then seen that there were opportunities for this partnership approach to be applied across a broader area.
The decision to apply for UNESCO Biosphere status was on the basis of it being a “smart approach to landscape management” – not a “LOCK-UP” as per the EPA (Environmental Protection Authority). The idea is to have a good appreciation of existing communities and to adopt a “from the bottom, up” approach, as opposed to the “Top – Down” approach applied by Governmental authorities.
The UNESCO ‘badging’ has benefits for marketing; is managed by the communities (both rural and urban); provides a ‘high profile’ label which could attract resources such as Corporate and International funding; is purely voluntary; does not restrict or dictate; and is NOT about “locking up nature” or “hugging trees”.
The proximity of the proposed D’Aguilar Biosphere area to Brisbane, including some of its dams, highlights the social and economic importance of this area to greater Brisbane.
The upshot of the meeting was to form a committee to keep our communities better informed and provide a local reference point. Ian Wells proposed that the committee be comprised of Kevin Austin, Martin Crouch, Doreen Spillman and Edith Fogg – subsequently Ian Wells’ name was added to this list and others have been suggested since that day. They will be meeting later this month with the Chairman of the Biosphere Project, then formulating a plan of action.
The general feeling seems to be that the idea has merit, but there is also a cautionary note, because of a perceived risk of the project being hi-jacked by an extreme self-interest group which may attempt to force change on rural landowners. Even though the proposal document clearly states that participation is voluntary, and that Government won’t be using this for legislative purposes, there is still a concern that a hi-jacked project could be a tool for a powerful lobby group to bring about changes in legislation through approaches to Government authorities. How do we ensure that assertions from any level of Government to the contrary remain valid beyond the term of the currently elected representatives?
For detailed information about the BIOSPHERE project:
www.gloriousnebo.org.au/biosphere
Dominic Hyde may be contacted either by phoning 3365 2578 or via email to: d.hyde@uq.edu.au
The decision to apply for UNESCO Biosphere status was on the basis of it being a “smart approach to landscape management” – not a “LOCK-UP” as per the EPA (Environmental Protection Authority). The idea is to have a good appreciation of existing communities and to adopt a “from the bottom, up” approach, as opposed to the “Top – Down” approach applied by Governmental authorities.
The UNESCO ‘badging’ has benefits for marketing; is managed by the communities (both rural and urban); provides a ‘high profile’ label which could attract resources such as Corporate and International funding; is purely voluntary; does not restrict or dictate; and is NOT about “locking up nature” or “hugging trees”.
The proximity of the proposed D’Aguilar Biosphere area to Brisbane, including some of its dams, highlights the social and economic importance of this area to greater Brisbane.
The upshot of the meeting was to form a committee to keep our communities better informed and provide a local reference point. Ian Wells proposed that the committee be comprised of Kevin Austin, Martin Crouch, Doreen Spillman and Edith Fogg – subsequently Ian Wells’ name was added to this list and others have been suggested since that day. They will be meeting later this month with the Chairman of the Biosphere Project, then formulating a plan of action.
The general feeling seems to be that the idea has merit, but there is also a cautionary note, because of a perceived risk of the project being hi-jacked by an extreme self-interest group which may attempt to force change on rural landowners. Even though the proposal document clearly states that participation is voluntary, and that Government won’t be using this for legislative purposes, there is still a concern that a hi-jacked project could be a tool for a powerful lobby group to bring about changes in legislation through approaches to Government authorities. How do we ensure that assertions from any level of Government to the contrary remain valid beyond the term of the currently elected representatives?
For detailed information about the BIOSPHERE project:
www.gloriousnebo.org.au/biosphere
Dominic Hyde may be contacted either by phoning 3365 2578 or via email to: d.hyde@uq.edu.au
Go to the above website to view this map full size.
Doreen Spillman
