The biggest environment and sustainability news of 2023

From virtual fauna fences and an ecological wonderland to our new industry-leading “MuRF”, 2023 has been a massive year for environment and sustainability projects on the Sunshine Coast.

Did you manage to catch all these announcements and projects in 2023?

Sunshine Coast Ecological Park

Restoring 65ha of cleared pasture land to its natural rainforest and wetland ecosystems in a place where the community can come to connect with nature is no small feat.

In March, Council unveiled the draft master plan for the Sunshine Coast Ecological Park, which would adjoin the existing Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve at Maleny and help safeguard the old growth forest.

A ‘new breed’ of recycling plant

In December the Sunshine Coast’s new Material Recovery Facility (also known as “MuRF”) opened, the result of a collaboration between all three levels of government.

The recyclable waste moves through a network of more than 60 conveyor lines with screens, ballistic separators, magnets, optical sorters, eddy currents, robotic quality control and balers sorting it into three paper grades at quality levels that are in global demand, five grades of single-stream plastics, with the plastic and fibre products at market-leading 98% purity levels.

Dark Sky Reserve proposal

Retaining a dark sky with plentiful stars is important for health and wellbeing, character and wildlife.

Council is proposing to establish a Dark Sky Reserve covering 38 per cent of the region, where responsible lighting policy and education keeps light pollution low.

How healthy is your local beach?

Council released the first Coastal Health Report in September, after years of research and monitoring in a joint project with the University of the Sunshine Coast.

The report was also presented as report cards for every beach, headland, lower estuary and coastal lagoon, providing easy-to-understand results for everyone to explore.

High-tech ‘virtual fauna fence’ saving wildlife

Fascinating technology will help save the lives of wildlife crossing roads, after Council installed 100 virtual fence posts at Mount Ninderry.

More virtual fences are being trialled in locations across the region.

New map shows exactly how our ecosystems are precious

A new mapping tool that anyone can use shows the ecological importance of every location in the region.

Council and UniSC joined forces to create the ecosystem function mapping resource, which researchers believe is a world first.

Living seawall breathing new life into lake

A unique trial is now underway after Council, with UniSC researchers, installed ‘living seawall’ panels in an artificial lake in a bid to improve biodiversity.

The panels’ unusual shapes aim to encourage seaweed to grow, supporting habitat and food for aquatic life.

It’s the first time a living seawall has been trialled at an enclosed artificial water body.