Partnership with Kuku Yalanji people, Rainforest Reserves Australia, AUSTROP, HalfCut and Rainforest 4 has protected a piece of ancient landscape which is home to more than 170 species of plant and endangered animals like the Southern Cassowary,

Volunteers are helping grow 100,000 rainforest trees by propagating seed and growing them on until they are ready for planting. This is helping to keep costs down and ensure more trees get in the ground. 

Shearwater, the Mullumbimby Steiner School is planting another 2,000 rainforest trees with help from Reforest Now and the Rainforest 4 Foundation.

Over 10.3 million hectares have been burnt and over 1 billion animals have died. We have launched an urgent appeal to restore as much rainforest as possible so that our wildlife has the habitat they need to survive. In response to the most frequently asked we’ve provided answers here.

Bushfire Emergency! 

URGENT APPEAL FOR WILDLIFE, CLIMATE, PEOPLE AND THE PLANET

Australia’s Wildlife is suffering from catastrophic bushfires and the loss of vital habitat.  

Over 10.3 million hectares have been burnt and over 1 billion animals have died. Wildlife needs habitat to survive. It's vitally important that we restore as much rainforest as possible. We are raising $1 million to immediately plant 100,000 trees. Please donate now. 

Your support is urgently needed to restore habitat for endangered Wildlife. Rainforests provide habitat for more species of plants and animals than any other ecosystem. Fires have damaged rainforests in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. Please donate now.

Kelvin Davies inspects the impacts of the bushfire on the rainforest in Northern NSW

We must restore our rainforests now! Rainforests provide a vital refuge for plants and animals especially when fires occur. Rainforests are less likely to burn than eucalyptus forests. Planting rainforest trees is one essential solution to protect Wildlife, Climate, People and the Planet.

We need to raise $1 million to plant 100,000 rainforest trees. We are ready to start immediately. A $10 donation will plant and care for your tree for three years to ensure survival. Please donate now. 

Bushfire recovery, we are ready to replant the rainforest

Caring for our future. Restoring rainforest will sequester carbon from the atmosphere to help mitigate Climate Change preventing future escalations of bushfires. Planting rainforest trees is one of the most effective ways we reverse Climate Change. The drawdown of carbon through biosequestration can help mitigate, and eventually to reducing global average temperatures. YOU can help.

Please donate now. Every $10 will plant one tree. A $50 donation will plant five trees, $100 will plant ten trees and $1,000 will plant and maintain 100 rainforest trees. 

The planting has begun. Michael is ready to plant thousands of trees to restore the rainforest

Will you help with our rainforest recovery plan? We are restoring habitat in and near areas of fire-damaged rainforest in New South Wales. We have established programs to plant trees, we will start today. We need your support to make a positive impact for Wildlife, Climate, People and the Planet.

Bushfire, Rainforests, and Recovery.

Unprecedented bushfires occurred in Northern NSW inland from Byron Bay in November and December 2019. They started on the 8^th of November and were named the Mt Nardi fires. It’s believed the initial ignition was from a lightning strike that occurred at the beginning of October. According to RFS Superintendent Bryan Daley, the "Rainforest was burning", due to unprecedented fire conditions that include high temperatures, low humidity, strengthening winds and high fuel load. Most of the bushland burnt was sclerophyll forest (eucalyptus, acacias and other hard leaved plants), however, the extreme conditions allowed the fire to burn the edge of the rainforest and in some places rainforest itself. These fires impacted Terania Creek, Tuntable Creek, Tuntable Falls, Huonbrook, Upper Coopers Creek, Upper Wilsons Creek, Wanganui and surrounds and burnt over 5,500 hectares.

Now that the bushfires in Northern NSW burnt have been extinguished and rain has come we are ready for recovery actions. Our established rainforest restoration sites are ready for planting rainforest trees to reestablish habitat for endangered wildlife. We are planting trees now and need your support to continue. 

In southeast Australia, the threat from fires continues, however, the fires in northern NSW occurred in November and December. In this subtropical climate, we have a wet season that has arrived. The rain has extinguished the fires and its now the ideal time to plant rainforest trees.

We've prepared land like this for replating now, now all we need is your support

Where and how will the trees be planted? 

The trees will be planted on an established rainforest restoration site at Upper Wilsons Creek (where the photos on the pager were taken). This project is restoring Lowland Subtropical Rainforest (only 1% remains) which in New South Wales is an Endangered Ecological Community (NSW Biodiversity Act, 2016) and for that reason, we will also plant trees on land nearby where rainforest restoration to recreate habitat is urgently needed. 

In Australia many ecosystems have evolved with fire and eucalypts, banksias and acacias will regenerate naturally and rapidly. Rainforests are ecosystems that are poorly adapted to fires and as 99% of lowland subtropical rainforest has been cleared in the past, they need help to recover. We will be planting in areas where natural regeneration is not likely.

How will the donated funds be used? 

Funds donated will be used to plant trees to restore the subtropical rainforests in Northern NSW. This includes the cost of propagating and growing the trees in the nursery, site preparation, planting and maintenance of the trees for three years to ensure they all survive.  

Please donate now. 

Rainforests need your help to recover

Please donate now. Every $10 will plant one tree. A $50 donation will plant five trees, $100 will plant ten trees and $1,000 will plant and maintain 100 rainforest trees. 

What species of wildlife will benefit from the project? 

The Wompoo Fruit-dove and Rose-crowned Fruit-dove are some of the 25 threatened species that will be helped through this project.

The 25 species recorded in Wilson Creek, that are listed as Threatened by the New South Wales government’s Biodiversity Conservation Act include;

Birds: Albert's Lyrebird, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Bush-hen, Marbled Frogmouth, Masked Owl, White-eared Monarch, Rufous Scrub-bird, Sooty Owl, Black Bittern, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Glossy Black-cockatoo, Osprey, White-eared Monarch, Wompoo Fruit-dove, Rose-crowned Fruit-dove, and Rufous Scrub-bird.

Mammals: Little Bentwing Bat, Large-eared Pied Bat, Eastern Long-eared Bat, Golden-tipped Bat, Koala, Large-footed Myotis, Red-legged Pademelon and Spotted-tailed Quoll

Amphibians: Loveridge's Frog, Pouched Frog

Reptiles: Stephen's Banded Snake.

Some of Australia’s most beautiful rainforest birds will benefit. 

We have an opportunity to buy a Daintree Rainforest property for only $25,000. Lot 390 Maple Road, Cow Bay is 1 ha in size and is covered by tropical rainforest. Buying and protecting this property will be a fantastic outcome for conservation as it connects to the Daintree National Park. A survey by ecologist Kristopher Kupsch found it to be an ideal habitat for Cassowaries.  

Ecologist Kristopher Kupsch surveyed Lot 390 Maple Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest and found an ideal habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary.  

Can you imagine planting 1,775,153 trees! That’s what’s been achieved in Sumatra over the past decade by the Orangutan Information Centre. Sumatran Orangutans, Elephants, Tigers and Rhinos have all benefitted from this incredible effort. And we’ve only getting started!  

Rainforests are a crucial feature of Earth’s biosphere. Apart from being critical to Earth’s climate and vital carbon sinks, the major player in Earth’s hydrological (water) cycle, a massive producer of oxygen and home to most of the world’s species, rainforests are the home of a large indigenous human population. They are also the source of many vital resources, including medicines, used by humans around the world.

PROJECT

Location: Kalimantan, Indonesia
Action: Supporting Dayak people in the protection of their rainforests
Threatened Species: Bornean Orangutan,
Habitat: Tropical Rainforest
Threats: Imposition of industrial agriculture resulting in the loss of habitat, oil palm plantations
Our Partner: Ranu Welum Foundation  
Total Cost of Project: $250,000

Introduction

The rainforests of Indonesian Borneo are being cut down and set ablaze to clear land for oil palm plantations. This is an absolute tragedy for the indigenous Dayak peoples who continue to resist the destruction of the rainforests and the impact on their culture. The burning of rainforest to create land for oil palm plantations negatively impacts the health of Dayak people causing illness and death.

The Ranu Welum Foundation, an initiative of young Dayak people, has been formed to stand up for social justice, Dayak culture, indigenous rights, and the protection of the rainforests in Kalimantan.  

Destruction of rainforest for oil palm plantations. Picture by Paul Daley. 

Problem and urgency

The Dayak people of Kalimantan are resisting colonisation and the resulting economic disadvantage and marginalisation of their people. The fires lit to burn the rainforest and clear the land is killing critically endangered wildlife. Thousands of animals have lost their homes and undoubtedly their lives to the flames.

The exploitation of the rainforest by governments and corporations is releasing carbon into the atmosphere. The preservation of the rainforests of Kalimantan are if immense importance to humanity and this is being led by the young Dayak people of the Ranu Welum Foundation. They need our support.

The Ranu Welum Foundation was founded by Emmanuela Shinta. We are supporting the Ranu Welum Foundation in three ways.

Dayak Filmmakers Use Media & Digital Literacy for Social Impact

Mentoring young Dayak people in filmmaking including pre-production, production and post-production.

Replanting our Future - Indonesian Youth leading the regeneration of ancient forest in Kalimantan

Rainforest restoration through tree planting and natural regeneration and by supporting the Youth Firefighter squad (1 Unit of 25 people) to suppress fires.

Sustaining the Ranu Welum Foundation

By providing funding for core administration to ensure the stability of the organisation and to provide high levels of accountability and reporting to stakeholders.

The future:

The Ranu Welum Foundation has several related projects that involve:

• Self-determination and the assertion of indigenous rights and maintenance of indigenous culture
• Rainforest restoration, tree planting to restore rainforest ecosystems
• Communication of related issues through filmmaking, website redevelopment etc.

A total of AUD $250,000 annually is needed to support these initiatives. 

Solution: 

The Ranu Welum Foundation are:  

1. Empowering young Dayak people to speak up about the indigenous issues and take action as part of the solution.
2. Equipping young indigenous with various skills through training and learning opportunities that will help them to bring impact to the communities.
3. Preserving the culture by documenting the stories and wisdom from the elders in the form of videos, films, and articles.
4. Strengthening Dayak communities through public events that are oriented to the celebration of identity.
5. Bring Dayak voices to the world through a digital platform.
6. Tackling environmental issues such as forest fire, river pollution, palm oil and mining expansion through campaigns and projects.
7. Lobbying and doing advocacy work in the national and international level for indigenous people rights.

Through this Dayak culture and the rainforest of Kalimantan will be maintained and protected.