In the year 2000, Johnstone Shire Council had a number of conservation initiatives in place to conserve the valuable resources of the Shire, some of which have been recognised through receipt of government awards. Another innovation by the Council has been the combination of all licensed environmentally relevant activities into an Integrated Environmental Management System (IEMS).
Voluntary Conservation Agreements/Covenants - In 1997 Council received Natural Heritage Trust funding to assist with the provision of discounts on the general property rate for landholders who enter into a legal agreement with council to protect the habitat on their land. Discounts offered ranged between 40 and 60% of the general rate for that portion of the property dedicated to conservation with the opportunity to increase this discount to between 60 and 100% in cases of exceptional habitat quality.
In the three years since the project began Council has successfully established 43 conservation agreements covering 1294 hectares (ha) and has received acclaim from both interstate and overseas for its achievements in this area. The current costs of these agreements are $13,305.25 per rating period. The number of agreements in particular habitat areas is listed in the table below.
Bonus Development Rights - A significant initiative of the Johnstone Planning Scheme is providing for additional bonus development rights on land in the rural conservation zone. These rights allow appropriate development that is compatible with the conservation value of the land, whilst not restricting the agricultural use if that is the landholder's preference or desires.
Revolving Funds - The Johnstone Bush for Wildlife Revolving Fund is a joint initiative with the Federal Government. The fund aims to target land with significant wildlife and habitat conservation values, including native vegetation of national environmental significance, areas containing nationally endangered or threatened ecological communities or species, and wetlands of international significance. Specifically, the fund aims to voluntarily acquire critical areas of habitat for the purpose of protection of that habitat and on-sale to conservation minded landholders after registering a conservation covenant over the land. The return from the sale of the land will be reinvested back into the fund for future acquisition of land for habitat protection. This program is awaiting resource allocation to secure the government funding.
Land for Wildlife - is a voluntary non-binding conservation program that is aimed at recognising and rewarding those landowners that wish to manage their land for conservation as well as existing land uses. All landowners who achieve registration are issued with a free sign, entered on the land for wildlife register, receive a free quarterly newsletter and have access to technical advice on land management
Integrated Environmental Management System (IEMS) - Council operates a number of Environmentally Relevant Activities (ERA's). These activities have the potential to cause environmental harm if not managed properly and are therefore contained in a joint management regime.
The IEMS brings together, under the one system, all of the components necessary to ensure a co-ordinated and consistent approach, throughout Council, to achieving a continual improvement in its environmental performance. These components include monitoring programs, site management plans, recording and reporting protocols, inspections, audits and reviews, training, continual improvement, waste prevention and management, and emergency response.
Council has developed and adopted an Environmental Policy, which is the foundation of this IEMS. It reflects Council's commitment to the continual enhancement of its environmental performance, and demands no less from each of its employees and elected representatives. Council is now furnished with public quarterly compliance reports.
