On February 21, 2020, the legendary Noosa point breaks were officially dedicated as the 10th World Surfing Reserve (WSR).
The ceremony coincided with the 2020 Noosa Festival of Surfing and World Surf League' Noosa Longboard Open.
Over 200 people attended the event, including former longboard world champion, Josh Constable, seven-time world surfing champion, Layne Beachley, and Noosa mayor, Wellington.
The Noosa World Surfing Reserve covers all the iconic surf breaks from North Sunshine Beach all the way to Laguna Bay, on Noosa Main Beach.
The Local Stewardship Council (LSC) worked together with Save The Waves Coalition to design a plan of action - "Stewardship Plan" - that will improve the conservation of Noosa's coastline and waves.
To Have and to Hold
The goal is to set up initiatives that will promote safety, manage erosion, protect the Noosa Headlands, improve the biodiversity and water quality of the Noosa River, and mitigate the impacts of surf tourism.
The team also promoted the economic study of the area surrounding the Noosa National Park to better understand the variables at stake and how to optimize the interests of both human activity and environment.
Noosa is now the third World Surfing Reserve in Australia, following Manly Beach (2012) and the Gold Coast (2015).
"Noosa has always been leading the way on how to protect surf ecosystems and critical coastal habitats proactively and simultaneously benefit local people and the economy," underlined Nik Strong-Cvetich, executive director of Save The Waves.
"This huge honor marks additional protection of one of the world's most iconic surfing ecosystems, but this is only the beginning of the work," added Phil Jarratt, president of the Noosa World Surfing Reserve.
World Surfing Reserves | The List
1. Malibu, California (2010)
2. Ericeira, Portugal (2011)
3. Manly Beach, Australia (2012)
4. Santa Cruz, California (2012)
5. Huanchaco, Peru (2013)
6. Bahia de Todos Santos, Mexico (2014)
7. Gold Coast, Australia (2016)
8. Punta de Lobos, Chile (2018)
9. Guarda do Embaú, Brazil (2019)
10. Noosa, Australia (2020)