Care and maintenance is the key to successful rainforest restoration. As any gardener will know management of weeds is the issue that keeps popping up. The same is true with bush regeneration and especially in the tropics where weeds grow rapidly. 

In 2021 and 2022 we purchased 3 Daintree Rainforest properties where some clearing and disturbance of the rainforest had occurred. Those gaps in the rainforest were filled by weeds. 

The weeds mostly like to grow in full sun so our aim in restoring the rainforest is to reinstate the canopy of trees and shade out the weeds. It's essential to get the trees up and keep the weeds down. So after removing the weeds and planting trees comes more weed control. It usually takes about 3 years before no additional work is required. 

Helping us achieve that in the Daintree Rainforest are the Jabalbina Rangers. They are employees of the Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation and every three months they inspect the properties. In the dry season the rate of growth slows down and in the wet growth accelerates. The Jabalbina Rangers are on the ground and can respond to the weeds as needed. 

At Lot 93 Cape Tribulation Road we planted 1,600 trees in 2022 and 2023.

At Lot 11 Buchanan Creek Road we planted 196 trees in 2022.

At Lot 8 Buchanan Creek Road we established 318 trees in 2023.

Now at care and maintenance stage these properties will need to be managed for a further 2 years. The ongoing management of these properties through the removal of weeds is assisting with the natural regeneration of rainforest plants. This has already resulted in the recruitment of thousands of seedlings across the three properties. 

Jabalbina Rangers at work on Lot 8 Buchanan Creek Road 

Funds to pay for the restoration of these properties were raised from appeals in 2022 and 2023. 

Thank you to our donors who chose to support this project.

We greatly appreciate the volunteers who also contribute to these projects through tree planting and by assisting with weed control. 

Restoration of the Daintree Rainforest is also support by our Rainforest Restoration Community Grants program and we've added related information here.

We've also provided information on environmental weeds in the Daintree Rainforest that you can see here.