Another great outcome for the protection of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest has been achieved with the purchase of Lot 18 Daley Close at Kimberley. 

The view over Lot 18 Daley Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

Today we are extremely pleased to announce that Lot 18 Daley Close at Kimberley will be protected forever! With the help of hundreds of generous donors and fellow non-profit HalfCut, we raised the $143,820 needed to purchase and protect Lot 18 Daley Close, at Kimberley.

Settlement on the purchase of this property will now occur on the 15th of November, 2021. Thank you to the hundreds of wonderful donors who helped make this happen.

By purchasing this block, we’ve ensured it will never be developed for housing, as other properties in Kimberley have experienced over recent years. We’ve also ensured a strategically important outcome as Lot 18 Daley Close shares a boundary with the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area. 

The rainforest on this freehold property is of equal value to the adjoining Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area and will now be protected forever. 

As this is a freehold property, in the wrong hands, it could be have been cleared for housing, and we have directly witnessed this time and time again. The development of other properties at Kimberley has caused significant damage through the clearing of vegetation and the creation of roads to the top of the ridges to obtain views.

When people cross the Daintree River, many think they've entered the Daintree National Park and that's the way it should be. However in 1982 two thirds of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest was subdivided. This created Daley Close and dozens of freehold properties in the foothills at Kimberley. Ongoing buyback of these properties is urgently needed. The purchase of Lot 18 Daley Close prevents the building of another house in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

The rainforest at Lot 18 Daley Close is now protected forever. 

Lot 18 Daley Close provides a habitat for significant plants and animals. The endangered Southern Cassowary is known to use this property and the rare Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo has been observed nearby. An important plant found on the property is Noah’s Walnut (Endiandra micronuera) which is listed as Near Threatened under the Queensland Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Noah’s Walnut produces large yellow oblong-shaped fruits that are dispersed by the Southern Cassowary. This species is only found naturally within the Daintree rainforests predominately north of the Daintree River and south of Cape Tribulation. This tree is noticeable in the forest as it produces a vibrant display of limp red new leaves. 

Rainforest 4 Founder Kelvin Davies said that finding threatened species like Noah’s Walnut on the properties we buy reminds us of how critical it is to prevent further clearing from occurring in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

“The vegetation located on Lot 18 Daley Close is completely intact and we found no evidence of past clearing,” Kelvin said. “I knew if we offered people the chance to contribute towards its protection, they’d be proud to do so.”

Stronger Together. 

This 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.

“Doing this work would not be possible without the enormous contributions of our partners,” Kelvin added.

“Our friends at Halfcut have raised close to a million dollars by working in partnership with countless individuals and businesses over the past year,” Kelvin said.

“With their help and the help of thousands of donors across the world, we can announce Lot 18 Daley Close as the 17^th property we’ve purchased and protected in just two years.”

Visual disruption in the Daintree

James Stanton-Cooke AKA Jimmy HalfCut called his work “visual disruption”.

“When people get about with half their heads or beards, braided or shaved, it starts a conversation,” Jimmy said.

HalfCut Co-founders Jimmy and Jesss

“We know that half the world’s forests have been destroyed. We know it’s time to act. And we know we have to take everyday people on the journey.”

“By working in partnership with Rainforest 4 Foundation and the Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation we are achieving huge outcomes for Culture and for Country,” he said.

“We are undoubtedly stronger together.”   

On the 29th of September 2021, a historic handover of land occurred at Bloomfield, seeing more than 160,000 hectares returned to the ownership and management of the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people. Read the full story here. 

Lot 18 Daley Close will be protected and managed by its Traditional Owners, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji as part of Daintree National Park, and the Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal Land (CYPAL) estate. 

This will occur through our established process, whereby the properties acquired by the Rainforest 4 Foundation are transferred to the Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation and Land Trust. The Queensland Government provides funding to the Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation to co-manage the Daintree National Park and this includes the properties acquired through our buyback program.  

Fan Palms in the rainforest on Lot 18 Daley Close

Please make a donation now towards the next Daintree Rainforest property purchase.