Disaster resilience is more important than ever for South East Queensland (SEQ), which is Australia’s most climate-exposed region,

Hot on the heels of the past decade which has seen devastating drought, flooding and bushfires, and with the frequency and intensity of these climate-driven events expected to increase over time, Healthy Land & Water has proactively developed the Biodiversity and Agricultural Capital Assets Emergency Preparedness & Response Plan to strengthen SEQ’s disaster resilience and recovery.

This plan documents ways to reduce the impacts of these catastrophic events and protect SEQ’s vital natural capital assets.

Read the Emergency Preparedness Response Plan here.

This comprehensive plan focuses on proactive measures to mitigate the impact of natural disaster on biodiversity and these natural capital assets. It also aims to inform future policies, strategies and collaboration to enhance resilience, reduce impacts, and prioritise management practices to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

This plan has a real stakeholder focus, and details a myriad of ways to help guide effective engagement with the many stakeholders who are impacted by disaster-scale events, including government, non-government and not-for-profit entities.

Preparation is key

Healthy Land & Water’s work in post-disaster recovery has already made a significant impact for the region. When disaster strikes, we’ve often the first port of call to stand up assessment and recovery efforts. This plan is designed to take those efforts a step further by integrating the region’s biodiversity and agricultural assets into emergency planning.

By better integrating biodiversity and agricultural natural capital assets into emergency planning, we should be able to help reduce recovery and restoration costs and promote the survival of species and natural ecosystems.

By investing in disaster preparedness and supporting communities’ preparedness, we reduce long-term recovery and restoration costs post-disaster. Ensuring the integrity and survival of species, natural systems and key habitats, helps to preserve key ecosystem services such as clean air, water, and climate regulation, all of which profoundly affect human wellbeing.

Download the Emergency Preparedness Response Plan here: https://hlw.org.au/what-we-do/prepare

This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Healthy Land & Water, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.