New England Sustainability Strategy

SUSTAINABILITY CHARTER

February 2011

this project has been assisted by the NSW Government through its

and with support from

NEW ENGLAND SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY

SUSTAINABILITY CHARTER
Research of three similar agreements are summarised below, however the actual
development of the Charter will form part of the next steps, or NESS 3.

Waterfall Way EcoTourism Initiative ~ Regional Charter

• Co-ordinate marketing, facilitate an integrated e-marketing & booking system, ensure quality of
packages & review of product cycle
• Collaborative monitoring of holistic indicators of sustainability
• Own the Brand
• Incubate, support & co-ordinate packages & network of tourism operators & supporting service
providers
• Support educational, local history - storytelling, recreational-health, cross cultural & environmental
awareness opportunities for visitors, tourists & others
• Support & help integrate stakeholders, communities, various government agencies & councils to co-
manage sustainable development of the Track Network and greater region as a sustainable eco-
tourism destination
Cairns Charter on Partnerships for EcoTourism
• Respect each partner’s aspirations & accommodate their operational needs, including respect for
social & cultural values
• Value each party’s contributions – acknowledging traditional inputs such as financial capital & less
tangible factors, such as intellectual property
• Identify & provide resources that allow local communities to deal on equal terms with other partners
• Work together to ensure partnerships benefit natural areas in which eco-tourism occurs
• Work together in transparent planning processes to define milestones, monitor performance, evaluate
goals & objectives
• Ensure eco-tourism regulatory systems reward best practice, taking a performance based approach
rather than managing for minimum standards
• Establish information networks to facilitate information sharing among stakeholders & equitable access
for all parties to expertise & resources

www.ness.wikidot.com NESS is an initiative of

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NEW ENGLAND SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY
Sustain Northern Rivers ~ Climate Change Collaboration Agreement
• Core Agreements
◦ Actively engage the whole community in action on climate change;
◦ Believe community engagement & the fostering of stakeholder; partnership is essential to
strengthening the social & economic resilience of the region; &,
◦ Accept the responsibility of the Northern Rivers region to make its best possible contribution to
achieving national & global climate change mitigation, adaptation & sustainability transition
objectives.
• Signatories to the Agreement each appoint a representative to the Steering Committee, who in turn
are entitled to one vote on decisions, and rotating authority as Chair
• Voluntary collaboration between the signatories & should not be construed as in any way creating
legal obligations or duties & all organisations involved in the collaboration have a right to participate in
setting the terms of their participation
• Avoid wasteful duplication of effort & will collaborate to achieve the most efficient & equitable
deployment of available resources
• Establish & monitor key indices of sustainability in the region and review the regional climate change
goals & targets against these indices & evolving national & international standards
• Signatories agree to explain the purpose of the Agreement & promote its objectives to their own
members, constituents/clients & through their networks across the region

www.ness.wikidot.com NESS is an initiative of

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