Nature & Energy Priorities: Toowoomba Region
The renewable energy transition is well underway across Queensland. In southern Queensland, the Toowoomba and Darling Downs region has been identified as having significant solar radiation and wind resources and lies at the heart of this transition, experiencing substantial interest from the renewable energy sector. This region also hosts rich natural and cultural heritage, prime agricultural land and significant ecological values. Therefore as the energy transition occurs, we must ensure renewable energy projects are designed and implemented to protect the region's precious natural resources and benefit our communities and environment.
Project Details
The Nature & Energy Priorities Project is being run in various regions across the state. In southern Queensland it will bring people together across the Toowoomba Regional Council area to develop a regional plan for environmental protection and restoration through the energy transition. Building renewable energy is critical to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change and can bring local benefits, however we must ensure renewable energy projects are managed well to protect our rich natural resources. We can achieve this is by bringing together local knowledge and developing priorities of communities led by local landholders, scientists, planners and interested community members.
The process will yield maps, principles, plans and targeted resources relevant to our region, for protecting and enhancing our regional environmental priorities. This can serve as a model for other regions.
We aim to:
- Better understand environmental values, and the threats and solutions specific to our region to guide positive environmental outcomes of the renewable energy transition. This involves collecting local data, identifying important places and values, ground truthing desktop work, understanding existing landcare projects, and much more.
- Identify areas which must be protected and set out priorities for regional environmental protection, enhancement and restoration.
- Bring together the voices of a wide variety of local stakeholders through a series of workshops and other activities to engage and empower locals to become active participants in shaping better planned and regulated renewable energy
Please Sign up today to get involved!
You can contact Dr Megan Brady, locally-based environmental scientist and landholder and QCC's Regional Environmental Advocate for the Toowoomba Region via [email protected]
This project is funded by the QLD State Government under the Energy Partnerships Framework, and distributed by the Queensland Conservation Council.