Sir David Attenborough has described the Daintree Rainforest as “the most extraordinary place on earth”.

“It has, for the naturalist, everything. It has an amazing rainforest, which is quite unlike any other rainforest in the world. Down on the coast, it has the Great Barrier Reef . . . so that’s the place for me.”

Unfortunately, the Daintree is also the site of a disastrous rural residential subdivision. In 1982 a developer created 1,136 freehold properties.

In the struggle to prevent the development of the Daintree, there have been wins and losses. Hundreds of rainforest properties have been developed for housing, while hundreds more have been purchased for conservation and the rainforest protected. 

Please, donate now and help Save the Daintree Rainforest from the threat of development. 

The end is now in sight. The limited number of remaining undeveloped properties and the increasing rate of land sales and development is making sure of that.

The countdown is on. Exactly how many of the remaining freehold properties will be saved from development will be determined in the coming years. The fate of individual blocks currently for sale is being determined now.

That’s why I'm setting our most ambitious goal ever, the raising of $1m to purchase and protect four Daintree Rainforest properties by the 30^th of June.

Please, donate now to help Save the Daintree Rainforest. Your donation will help to save four Daintree Rainforest Properties from the threat of development by the 30^th of June.

Right now we have three properties under contract. Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive is a 3.75-hectare property at Forest Creek that provides habitat for rare Bennett's Tree-kangaroos. Lot 93 Cape Tribulation Road is an 8,09-hectare property at Diwan that provides essential habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary. Lot 197 Quandong Road is a one-hectare property at Cow Bay that provides habitat for the Striped Possum.

These three properties are at risk as they are zoned by the Douglas Shire Council for development. 

One negative impact of COVID-19 is the increasing rate of development in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest as people seeking refuge in rural Australia. This is driving land sales and housing development.

Each month more properties are offered for sale and the need to purchase and protect them is now urgent.  

Please, donate now to help Save the Daintree Rainforest. Your donation will help to save four Daintree Rainforest Properties from the threat of development by the 30^th of June.

Urgent- help purchase and protect Lot 6, Lot 93 and Lot 197

The last two years have seen a rapid increase in rainforest clearing and housing construction. As this occurs those properties of exceptionally high value to nature conservation are lost to development.

Daintree Rainforest properties are mostly sold on the open market. We have managed to purchase 22 Daintree properties for conservation, but we are not the only interested party. There is competition from people who would purchase land in the world’s oldest rainforest and develop it for housing.  

To purchase and protect more Daintree Rainforest properties we must compete with others when they come on the market. To do that we need to have the cash to pay a deposit and the confidence that we can raise the funds by the settlement date.

That’s why I've set our most ambitious goal to date, the raising of $1m to purchase and protect four Daintree Rainforest properties by the 30^th of June.

Please, donate now to help Save the Daintree Rainforest. Your donation will help to save four Daintree Rainforest Properties from the threat of development by the 30^th of June.

Clearing in the Daintree Rainforest for housing development 

When we assessed the status of the subdivision, we identified 207 undeveloped lots that remain undeveloped. Our ecologist then considered the values of each property and ranked them from 1 to 207. These properties are the ones we are targeting for acquisition.

It’s been heartbreaking to see the rainforest on some of the properties on our list cleared and burnt. I know how important these rainforests are. When surveying the properties our ecologist always identifies endemic and threatened species of plants.  

On many occasions, I've seen the endangered Southern Cassowary on these at-risk properties. I've also been lucky enough to see the rare Bennett's Tree-kangaroo. I’ve described these amazing experiences of seeing rare and endangered wildlife up close as David Attenborough moments. I want everyone visiting the Daintree to experience this too, and I want everyone, no matter where they live, to know that the world’s oldest rainforest is protected from the threat of development.

Please, donate now to help Save the Daintree Rainforest. Your donation will help to save four Daintree Rainforest Properties from the threat of development by the 30^th of June.

Sir David Attenborough first visited the Daintree Rainforest way back in 1957 and his most recent visit was in 2017. The Daintree Rainforest is one of his favourite places on earth. 

He has said "One of the places that is really, really extraordinary is the north of Queensland in Australia, it's full of great things. One tends to think that the Amazon is the great place for jungles, but the North Queensland jungle is absolutely fantastic."

Allowing any more development in the Daintree Rainforest would be a disaster.

The future of the last undeveloped freehold blocks in the Daintree remains undecided. Will we see the habitat of threatened species destroyed for more housing? Or will we buy back the remaining undeveloped freehold properties and protect them forever.

As the increase in development has occurred mostly in the locations of Forest Creek, Diwan, and Cow Bay we are targeting at-risk properties in these areas. 

Please, donate now to help Save the Daintree Rainforest. Your donation will help to save four Daintree Rainforest Properties from the threat of development by the 30^th of June.

Urgent- help purchase and protect Lot 6, Lot 93 and Lot 197

Right now we have three properties under contract. Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive is a 3.75-hectare property at Forest Creek that provides habitat for rare Bennett's Tree-kangaroos. Lot 93 Cape Tribulation Road is an 8,09-hectare property at Diwan that provides essential habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary. Lot 197 Quandong Road is a one-hectare property at Cow Bay that provides habitat for the Striped Possum.

Negotiations are also underway for the purchase of additional Daintree Rainforest properties. However, I can’t proceed until we have the funds for the deposit on each property and ensure we can back up the commitment.

Please, donate now to help Save the Daintree Rainforest. Your donation will help to save four Daintree Rainforest Properties from the threat of development by the 30^th of June.

Musky Rat-kangaroo, Boyds Forest Dragon, and Wompoo Fruit-dove. 

We can stop development in the Daintree Rainforest. We have a proven method. It’s simple, direct and it works. Buying land in the Daintree Rainforest for conservation allows us to determine its future.

To purchase four Daintree Rainforest properties is ambitious. We’ve never done that before, however the need to buy back and protect land in the world’s oldest rainforest is urgent and I must raise $1m by the 30^th of June.

Together we can save the world’s oldest rainforest from development. Please join me and make a tax-deductible donation today.

Kelvin Davies

Founder, Rainforest 4 Foundation

P.S. If you have any questions about the purchase and protection of land in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest please see our answers to frequently asked questions or email me at [email protected]. You can also call me during business hours at 0437 423 119.

Thank you to Steven Nowakowski, David White, and Wet Tropics Management Authority for the use of their photographs. 

STRONGER TOGETHER

The project to purchase and protect land in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is a partnership involving the Rainforest 4 Foundation, Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation, and fellow non-profit HalfCut. The Rainforest 4 Foundation and HalfCut recognise that we are Stronger Together and now we collaborate to raise funds for the buyback of properties in the Daintree Rainforest.