Thirty one American students and 3 faculty members from Virginia Tech University were hosted for an educational visit to the Noosa Biosphere Reserve on Sunday.

The engineering students were guided from Noosa Hill lookout along Hastings Street, Main Beach and then out to Mt Tinbeerwah lookout for a scenic overview of the Noosa Biosphere area.

Tony Haslam from Noosa Integrated Catchment Association (NICA) told them about some of the development pressures Noosa had faced and how, through community support, they had won some important battles to keep Noosa sustainable. Tony told them about ongoing efforts to manage the estuary to combat erosion brought on by the need to protect inappropriate developments.

The vision Noosa’s planning scheme and methods used to engage the community in developing it were discussed before the students lunched in Hastings Street.

Their visit ended with the hike up Tinbeerwah where UNESCO Biosphere reserve status was explained and how the Noosa Biosphere Reserve embodied the ‘Man and Biosphere’ concept. John News from Noosa Community Biosphere Association was on hand to explain how it worked, and the importance of community engagement in a successful UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Tags: education