Aura Community Program
Protecting and enhancing Aura’s natural corridors, waterways, and wetlands.
The best biodiversity outcomes and community engagement.We are protecting and enhancing Aura’s natural corridors, waterways, and wetlands.
The award-winning Aura Community Stewardship Program combines community and environmental engagement and has established a 700-hectare Aura Conservation Zone as part of Stockland’s Aura development on the Sunshine Coast.
The program, coordinated by Healthy Land & Water, guided by the Aura Community Advisory Group, and established by Stockland, forges connections between residents and their landscape and is delivered in collaboration with the Traditional Owners of the land.
This project focused on:
- Combining community and environmental engagement to connect residents and their landscape.
- Working with Traditional Owners and community groups.
- Helping Stockland deliver on its EPBC commitments.
- Achieving great outcomes for biodiversity, water quality, and community engagement.
What we did
Supporting the long-term maintenance and enhancement of each project site.
The Program was designed to achieve significant environmental outcomes and community engagement.
It offsets the environmental impacts of Stockland’s Aura development and makes it the first new city in Australia to be designed and constructed to the world’s highest environmental and sustainability standards, and home to the nation’s largest wetland rehabilitation project.
Healthy Land & Water facilitates the Aura Community Advisory Group to implement the program. The Group - made up of 16 community groups – helps Stockland deliver on its EPBC commitments while maximizing community involvement in the protection and enhancement of the Aura Conservation Zone's natural assets.
Measuring success
The Program has achieved early dividends for biodiversity, water quality, and community engagement including early stock exclusion, Green Army weed control, and Faunawatch monitoring of fauna data baselines and change.
The Program has resulted in improvements to the Aura masterplan, research partnerships with universities, community-led rehabilitation initiatives, and much more.
Aura has received a 6 Star Green Star – Communities rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.
The Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation was granted Aura Community Benefits Funds to undertake projects including water mouse nest monitoring and protection, cultural heritage mapping and education, and the development of a food and fire season calendar.
The 30-year vision includes an abundance of native birds and wildlife, a healthy and connected community, and the continuation of the collaborative approach that has led to the protection, enhancement, and appreciation of the site's natural corridors, waterways, and wetlands.
Why this project is important
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The Aura Community Stewardship Program is designed to offset the environmental impacts of Stockland’s nearby master-planned Aura development. The development is located at Baringa on the Sunshine Coast and is home to important threatened species including the Wallum Sedge frog. It is also home to a historical wetland site cleared in the 1960s, recently transformed into a frog breeding pond. The program was aimed at the achievement of great outcomes for biodiversity, water quality, and community engagement. |
Project snapshot
| Project name: | Aura Stewardship Program |
| Project contact: | Suzi Moore, Healthy Land & Water |
| Catchment: | Pumicestone |
| Timing: | 2020-2021 (Completed) |
| Budget: | $44,480 |
| Partnerships: |
This project is supported by Healthy Land & Water, through funding from Stockland. The program is delivered in partnership with the Aura Community Advisory Board, the Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation and Kabi Kabi people, Sunshine Coast Council, Take Action for Pumicestone Passage, the local Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland (WPSQ) branch, the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), Aura Connected, Baringa Community Centre, Barung Landcare, Mooloolah River Landcare, and local primary and secondary schools. |
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Project collaborators
This project is supported by Healthy Land & Water, through funding from Stockland.
The program is delivered in partnership with the Aura Community Advisory Board, the Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation and Kabi Kabi people, Sunshine Coast Council, Take Action for Pumicestone Passage, the local Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland (WPSQ) branch, the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), Aura Connected, Baringa Community Centre, Barung Landcare, Mooloolah River Landcare, and local primary and secondary schools.
This project is supported by Healthy Land & Water, through funding from Stockland.
The program is delivered in partnership with the Aura Community Advisory Board, the Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation and Kabi Kabi people, Sunshine Coast Council, Take Action for Pumicestone Passage, the local Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland (WPSQ) branch, the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), Aura Connected, Baringa Community Centre, Barung Landcare, Mooloolah River Landcare, and local primary and secondary schools.
