Ingrid says don't shuck away funds on oysters

Noosa Council funding debate goes to water

NEW HOPE: Preparing the new oyster reefs for the Noosa River trial. Picture: USC

TO MOST Noosa councillors, the chance to partner with a respected global research group to restore river oyster reefs is an opportunity too good to refuse, despite the $1.2million price tag.

But for Cr Ingrid Jackson, who was the sole vote against endorsing the recommendation to commit to The Nature Conservancy offer in general committee on Monday, this is an ad hoc decision not supported by satisfactory monitoring of a three-year trial.

Cr Brian Stockwell said the Noosa River was "one of the most natural assets we've got” and this proposal was "the sort of strategic collaborative project that we thought about when we changed the environment levy (guidelines) last year”.

"To me, historically the environment levy was to buy real estate, but the river's not for sale. We need to look at these ways to achieve conservation outcomes.”

Cr Stockwell said there was enough science around the world "to show that there would be a high likelihood of success”.

Mayor Tony Wellington said there was no doubt these artificial oyster reefs had great benefit to biodiversity.

He said the conservancy's Great Southern Seascapes project had already installed 24ha of reef in places like Port Phillip Bay and Albany.

"A single hectare of oyster reef could filter 2.7 billion litres of seawater in a given year, and remove 166 kilograms of nutrient pollution,” the mayor said.

Cr Wellington said The Nature Conservancy was the world's most trusted NGO, which could provide Noosa with "their massive level of expertise” and assist the council with other projects like implementing the Noosa River Plan.

"This is massive opportunity, this is an opportunity that is really too good to pass up,” he said.

Cr Jackson said there had been no assessment of the Bring Back the Fish project, which the oysters reefs are part of, that would make this project a council priority.

"In fact, the staff report considered by council says there are 'key areas where targets for success have not yet been achieved and that these would be better assessed after another year of monitoring',” she said.

"So the effectiveness of the oyster reef trial is not yet proven. For a variety of reasons, the oyster reefs have been in place for only one year, instead of the three-year trial.

"Deciding to proceed after a partially completed trial is inadequate. It is not like the river has no fish.

"This proposal does not address three core issues: whether we need the project; what an independent evaluation of it would reveal, and the opportunity cost of this money weighed against funding other priorities in the shire.”