National Forum

Statutory covenants, Trusts and other mechanisms for protecting the Regional Landscape of SEQ.
Steve MacDonald, Manager, SEQ Regional Landscape Strategy 1

During the last two decades, the South East Queensland (SEQ) region has experienced growth of the order of 2-3% per annum. This growth exceeds that of other metropolitan areas in Australia. In 1990 and the State government commissioned a growth management process (the SEQ 2001 Regional Framework for Growth Management) with the express purpose of planning a way ahead for the region.

Initial scoping of the potential regional issues associated with various growth scenarios in regional planning and management arrangements. Two of the issues open space and outdoor recreation. Of particular concern was that:

the Brisbane metropolitan/SEQ region was the only metropolitan region in Australia that did not have a strategy of the management for its open space assets;
the responsibilities for the management of open space and outdoor recreation were ill-defined, diffused and spanned across a number of state government agencies and between local government, ie there was no central focus and point of reference for strategic policy development and monitoring and championing of the open space and outdoor recreation cause within government and in the wider community;
there was a poor understanding and lack of consensus on the role and functions of regional open space, especially how it could complement and be integrated into other areas of regional management;
open space at the regional level was not being employed as a positive growth management tool

The Regional Landscape Strategy (RLS) addresses these deficiencies and provides a workable open space solution. To do this a community based advisory Committee (RLSAC) was established. The RLSAC has advocated and initiatiated a number of approaches. For example a regional trail network, coordinated cross tenure amd mutiple use management of open space.

This presentation will outline the development of mechanisms being advocated by the RLSAC to foster the voluntary involvement of private landowners in the stewardship of regional open space. The mechanisms are:

Implementing and using of statutory covenants
Establishing the Queensland Trust for Nature