PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Action: Purchase and protection of Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive (Lot 2 RP 738519)

Area: 1.17-hectares

Location: Forest Creek, Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland

Vegetation type: Lot 2 comprises two distinct ecosystems by changes in soil/drainage conditions. One a Sclerophyll open woodland and the other a closed canopy Rainforest habitat

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary

Fundraising Target: 105,000

Fundraising update on the 24th of July 2021. 

Fundraising target to purchase and protect this property: 

Amount raised: 100,050

Remaining target: $4,950

Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive at Forest Creek is a freehold property and can be developed for housing just as nearby properties have been in the past. We must act now to purchase and protect this property and save the important habitat from the threat of development.

Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive was recently listed for sale and I immediately secured an option to purchase this property so we can protect it in the Daintree National Park estate. Now I need to raise $105,000 with help from our partners HalfCut, to purchase and protect this special property. If the funds are not raised, this property may be sold to someone intent on developing the property for housing.

2 Thornton Peak Drive is a 1.17-hectare freehold property and subject to approval by Douglas Shire Council it can be developed for housing just as nearby properties have been in the past. We must act now to purchase and protect this property and save this important rainforest from the threat of development.

In the past year rainforest on nearby properties in Forest Creek have been clearing for rural residential development. That’s why, with your help, we will buy Lot 2 Thornton peak Drive and protect it forever.

Please make your tax-deductible donation today to purchase and protect Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Clearing on a nearby property in Forest Creek

Before we make a commitment to purchase a Daintree Rainforest property, we thoroughly assess its value to conservation. A vegetation survey was undertaken of 2 Thornton Peak Drive, Forest Creek on the 25th of June 2021 by ecologist Kristopher Kupsch.

The vegetation on 2 Thornton Peak Drive is remnant. A small house site was clearing in the past however this was abandoned and native vegetation is regrowing. The survey identified 117 native plant species. The survey of Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive, identified a number of plants that are locally endemic or listed as Threatened species. Please see the results of the survey here.

The survey confirmed the importance of protecting the property from the threat of development and that's why we moved quickly to exchange a contract of sale on this important piece of land. Now, what we need to do is raise $105,000 to complete the purchase. 

Please make your tax-deductible donation today to purchase and protect Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

A small creek occurs on Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive

Lot 2 comprises two distinct ecosystems by changes in soil/drainage conditions. One a Sclerophyll open woodland and the other a closed canopy Rainforest habitat. 

Fan Palms (Licuala ramsayii) occur on the property and the species delineates the two main types of vegetation — the sclerophyll vegetation (sclerophyll forests generally are dominated by plants that have hard leaves adapted to drought and are fire-tolerant) — and the mesophyll vine forest (tropical rainforest) featuring these Fan Palms in abundance. A small creek runs through the rainforest. 

During the survey, the presence of Cassowaries was noted from scats within the rainforest habitat near the creek in the eastern portions of the property.

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive provides habitat for the Southern Cassowary

Many people we talk to believe that the Daintree is already protected in a national park, but that’s not the case. A subdivision was carved into the Daintree Lowland Rainforest in 1982. This created Thornton Peak Drive and hundreds of rural residential lots in Forest Creek. Many houses have been built which fragments the rainforest and occupation brings domestic dogs and exotic plants. This has damaged one of the most significant areas of tropical rainforests in Australia.

Together, we can ensure this development won’t go any further. All we need to do is buy this freehold property and add protect it in the Daintree National Park estate.

The current owners have given us an option to purchase. Now I need to raise $105,000. If the funds are not raised this property may be sold to someone intent on developing the property for housing.

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

The Thornton Aspen is endemic to the Daintree Rainforest.

Three other Daintree Rainforest properties were cleared for housing development in Thornton Peak Drive in the past year.

The positive news is that we purchased the property adjoining Lot 2 in January 2020. Adding lot 2 will increase the area of protected land in Forest Creek and both properties share a boundary with the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area. 

We have now purchased eleven Daintree Rainforest properties in the past twenty months, we cannot stop there. We are purchasing one property on average every 60 days, but if we do not keep up the pace, many more will be lost to development.

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Lot 2 comprises two distinct ecosystems. A Sclerophyll open woodland and a Rainforest habitat. 

Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive is located at Forest Creek in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. Buying land in this location helps us to reverse the impacts of the disastrous 1980’s rural residential subdivision. We are focusing our efforts at Forest Creek as there have been recent sightings of Bennet's Tree-kangaroo at this location. 

Buying and protecting 2 Thornton Peak Drive will be a fantastic outcome for conservation as it will prevent another house from being built in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

With the help of thousands of people, in Australia and around the world we've raised the funds needed to purchase 11 properties since June 2019. Now we are ready to save 2 Thornton Peak Drive from the threat of development and all that is needed is your support.

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

For the Daintree Rainforest,

Kelvin Davies

Founder

Rainforest 4 Foundation

Phone: 0437 423 119

P.S. You can donate now online or if you want to donate with a cheque/money order or through a direct deposit please see our Ways to Donate page.

P.P.S. If you have any questions about the purchase and protection of Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive 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 OUR PARTNERS

The project to purchase and protect land is a partnership involving the Rainforest 4 Foundation, Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation, and fellow non-profit HalfCut.

HalfCut has started its peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. If you wish to be brave, courageous, and have fun this August as a #HalfCutter to protect the Daintree rainforest, sign up and find more information here. Did you know over half of the world's forests have been destroyed? That's why they go HalfCut.

Thanks to Jimmy and Jess and all the HalfCut supporters for their important contribution to the purchase and protection of Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive. 

CONSERVATION OF THE DAINTREE LOWLAND RAINFOREST. 

The Daintree Lowland Rainforest is one of the oldest rainforests on Earth having survived undisturbed for over 120 million years. It holds exceptionally high biodiversity and conservation value and is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest remaining in Australia.

Rainforests once covered much of eastern Australia, however, as conditions became drier the rainforest contracted and today the Daintree provides a refuge for many unique species. The Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo, Musky Rat-kangaroo, and the Southern Cassowary can be found here, as well a number of endemic plant species that have retained the same primitive characteristics of their ancestors. The flora of the Daintree contains an almost complete record of the evolution of plant life on Earth, including extremely ancient flowering plant families found nowhere else.

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

In 1982 the Queensland government approved an 1,137-lot rural residential subdivision in the Daintree. This resulted in two-thirds of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest being excluded from protection in the Daintree National Park and Wet Tropics World Heritage Area that was declared in 1988. The development that followed has resulted in fragmentation of the rainforest with the construction of roads and the building of hundreds of houses. Settlement has introduced exotic plants that have become weeds and domestic dogs and traffic that are a threat to wildlife. Because the land in question is in private ownership, the only option to resolve the issue has been the purchase and protection of additional lands to expand Daintree National Park.

Our vision for the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is to buy back land to remove the threat of further development and to address the impact of past development while supporting the Traditional Owners, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people in caring for country.

While we purchase land at risk of development for housing we also purchase other freehold properties without development approvals to reverse the impacts of the disastrous subdivision by closing and revegetating obsolete roads.

Since 1992 non-profit organisations have purchased seventy-five properties for conservation. 

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Threat to Wildlife, Climate People and Planet

Daintree Rainforest is regarded as an iconic national treasure for its unique evolutionary history and tremendous conservation value. A number of rare and endangered species are found within Daintree National Park, including the Southern Cassowary, large flightless birds that in Australia are found only in the wet tropical rainforests of Queensland. Southern Cassowaries consume over 150 different fruits and play a vital role as seed dispersers in the rainforest. Due to the destruction and fragmentation of their rainforest habitats, these large charismatic birds are classified as Vulnerable to extinction.

More than 430 other bird species have also been recorded in Daintree National Park, including rare or range-restricted species like the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher and the Lesser Sooty Owl, making the Daintree a Globally Important Bird Area. Many unique marsupials, reptiles and amphibians are also found in the Daintree Rainforest including the Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo, Musky Rat-kangaroo, Spotted-tailed Quoll and Boyd’s Forest Dragon.

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

A risk to the Daintree comes from development for housing and fragmentation of the rainforest, which jeopardises the integrity of the ecosystem with increased human traffic and the introduction of exotic species. Expanding settlement results in the spread of exotic plants that become weeds and stress to wildlife from human traffic and introduced dogs. Further buyback of land for conservation is required urgently as there are calls for an upgrade to Cape Tribulation Road, to build a bridge over the Daintree River and to provide a reticulated electricity supply that would all lead to further development.

The purchase of additional properties will prevent further development to these sensitive areas while protecting and restoring critical habitat for wildlife. It will also allow for winding back past development through the closing of roads and the revegetation of land as habitat for Threatened species.

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Solution

We have identified this property at Lot 110 Palm Road, Diwan as a priority acquisition. We are working to purchase and transfer ownership of land to the Daintree National Park. This will strengthen protection for the Daintree Lowland Rainforest, help reverse the negative impacts of rural residential development, and offer the best path forward for ensuring the world’s most ancient rainforest continues to thrive for generations to come.

Buying land in the Daintree helps us to reverse the impacts of the disastrous 1980’s rural residential subdivision. All donations are tax-deductible, and receipts will be issued. 

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

LAND PURCHASE TO SAVE THE DAINTREE RAINFOREST

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Action: Purchase and protection of Lot 21 Camelot Close (Lot 21 RP 733182) 

Area: 2.306 hectares  

Location: Cape Tribulation, Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland

Vegetation type: Complex mesophyll vine forest classified as Regional Ecosystem 7.11.23b

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary, Bennett’s Tree-Kangaroo, Noah’s Walnut, Gray’s Walnut

Fundraising update on the 24th of July 2021. 

Fundraising target to purchase and protect this property: $150,000

Amount raised: $600

Remaining target: $149,400

Please, make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Kelvin Davies and the old-growth rainforest on Lot 21 Camelot Close

The high biodiversity and spectacular old-growth rainforest at Lot 21 Camelot Close at Cape Tribulation justify its immediate purchase and protection. A recent survey by our ecologist found tropical rainforest on the entirety of the 2.306 hectares. The survey also found 215 native species of native plants including threatened species and others that are regionally endemic. 

The rainforest on Lot 21 Camelot Close is one of the best examples of undisturbed Lowland Tropical Rainforest remaining in Australia and your help is urgently needed to protect this property from the threat of development. A subdivision was carved into the Daintree Lowland Rainforest in 1982. This created Camelot Close at Cape Tribulation. Then houses were built and occupied bringing domestic dogs and exotic plants. This has damaged the most significant tropical rainforest in Australia. 

Together, we can ensure this development won’t go any further. All we need to do is buy this freehold property and add protect it in the Daintree National Park estate. I have exchanged a contract of sale and now I need to raise $150,000 by the 30^th of September as settlement of the purchase of this property has been scheduled for October.

Please, make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

The rainforest contains many enormous trees with specimens of Papuan Rosewoods (Dysoxylum papuanum), Cassowary Satinash (Syzygium graveolens), Cairns Hickory (Ganophyllum falcatum), Cairns Pencil Cedar (Palaquium galactoxylon), Tulip Oak (Argyrodendron peralatum), Spur Mahogany (Dysoxylum pettigrewianum), Damson Plum (Terminalia microcarpa) and Northern Silky Oak (Cardwellia sublimis). In the south of Lot 21, the rainforest is even grander with many large tall straight buttressed trees suggesting little disturbance and deep fertile well drained soil.

The native Nutmeg (Myristica spp.) dominate the mid-canopy with the understorey layer having many Hope’s Cycad (Lepidozamia hopei), Walking Stick Palms (Linospadix minor), Polyalthia xanthocarpa, Glossy Laurel (Cryptocarya laevigata), Rambling Spearflower (Ardisia brevipedata), Tapeinosperma (Tapeinosperma pallidum) and the ubiquitous Rattan (Calamus spp.) thickets.  The ground is nearly absent of grasses, sedges or forbs.

Subtle changes in the habitat can be found along the streams of Lot 21. There is an increased abundance of Alexander Palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) and also is where Mulgrave Satinash (Syzygium xerampelinum) is dominate. Bordering the stream on steep terrain are ferns such as Adiantum, Crepidomanes and Marattia salicina.  

The Daintree Lowland Rainforest is a living museum and Lot 21 Camelot Close an important refuge for biodiversity. The undisturbed rainforest provides excellent habitat for the rare Bennetts Tree-kangaroo and there have been a number of sightings in recent years on or near the property.

The property provides excellent habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary.

Please, make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

The Southern Cassowary in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

Great numbers of species occur on Lot 21 within the Lauraceae, Meliaceae, Moraceae, Rubiaceae and Sapindaceae plant families. All these species are food for rainforest frugivorous birds. The larger fruiting Lauraceae, Endiandra grayi and E. microneura are important food for Cassowaries. Native Nutmeg (Myristica globosa ssp. muelleri) is common throughout the site and a favoured food of rainforest avifauna.

Greys Walnut (Endiandra grayi) and Noah’s Walnut (Endiandra microneura) are listed as Threatened species.

Four locally endemic plants are found on the property. Daintree Cleistanthus Cooper Creek Haplostichanthus, Walters False Uvaria, and Daintree Satinash.

Lot 21 has many examples of Hope’s Cycad. This species of Cycad is the largest growing in the world and was once utilised by Aboriginal people as a food source. It has evolutionary links dating back some 200 million years and along with other ancient species form some of the reasons why the Wet Tropics World Heritage area has been afforded protection within the National Parks estate.

Our survey also identified the Boyd's Forest Dragon (Lophosaurus boydii) on Lot 21 Camelot Close. They are a species of arboreal agamid lizard only found in rainforests in the Wet Tropics region of northern Queensland, Australia. Boyd's Forest Dragon spend the majority of their time perched on the trunks of trees, usually at around head height. Boyd's forest dragons are sit-and-wait predators, catching prey that they spy from their perches, although once on the ground, they will frequently move over a wider area, catching prey as they go.

Please, make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Lot 21 Camelot Close is a freehold property at risk of development. Subject to approval by Douglas Shire Council it can be developed for housing just as nearby properties have been in the past. We must act now to purchase and protect this property and save this now rare example of old-growth tropical rainforest.

That’s why, with your help, we will buy Lot 21 Camelot Close and protect it forever. 

Please, make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

The current owners purchased the property in 1986. We are grateful that they have given us an option to purchase this land so we can protect it in the Daintree National Park estate. They didn’t place the property on the open market, and we were able to negotiate with them directly to achieve agreeable terms and conditions. 

The property is 2.306 hectares or 23,060 sqm. The price of $150,000 represents a cost of just $6.50 per sqm. This is exceptional value for your investment in nature conservation.

Buying and protecting 21 Camelot Close at Cape Tribulation will be a fantastic outcome for conservation. We have purchased ten three other properties at Diwan for conservation in the last year so we know we can do it, all we need is your help.

Please, make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Old-growth tropical rainforest on Lot 21 Camelot Close 

In 1988 the Daintree National Park was expanded and was included in the Wet Tropics Work Heritage Area. This should have seen the rainforest at Lot 21 Camelot Close protected forever. However, two-thirds of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest, the land between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation had been carved up for a rural residential subdivision in 1982 and was excluded from World Heritage listing. 

With the help of thousands of people, in Australia and around the world we've raised the funds needed to purchase ten properties in the last two years. Lot 21 Camelot Close will be one of the most important properties we have purchased all that is needed is your support. 

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

For the Daintree Rainforest,

Kelvin Davies

Founder

Rainforest 4 Foundation

Phone: 0437 423 119

P.S. You can donate now online or if you want to donate with a cheque/money order or through a direct deposit please see our Ways to Donate page.

P.P.S. If you have any questions about the purchase and protection of Lot 21 Camelot Close 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 HALFCUT

We partner with HalfCut. Thanks to Jimmy and Jess and all the HalfCut supporters for helping to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close.

CONSERVATION OF THE DAINTREE LOWLAND RAINFOREST. 

The Daintree Lowland Rainforest is one of the oldest rainforests on Earth having survived undisturbed for over 120 million years. It holds exceptionally high biodiversity and conservation value and is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest remaining in Australia.

Rainforests once covered much of eastern Australia, however, as conditions became drier the rainforest contracted and today the Daintree provides a refuge for many unique species. The Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo, Musky Rat-kangaroo, and the Southern Cassowary can be found here, as well a number of endemic plant species that have retained the same primitive characteristics of their ancestors. The flora of the Daintree contains an almost complete record of the evolution of plant life on Earth, including extremely ancient flowering plant families found nowhere else.

Please, make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

In 1982 the Queensland government approved an 1,137-lot rural residential subdivision in the Daintree. This resulted in two-thirds of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest being excluded from protection in the Daintree National Park and Wet Tropics World Heritage Area that was declared in 1988. The development that followed has resulted in fragmentation of the rainforest with the construction of roads and the building of hundreds of houses. Settlement has introduced exotic plants that have become weeds and domestic dogs and traffic that are a threat to wildlife. Because the land in question is in private ownership, the only option to resolve the issue has been the purchase and protection of additional lands to expand Daintree National Park.

Our vision for the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is to buy back land to remove the threat of further development and to address the impact of past development while supporting the Traditional Owners, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people in caring for country.

While we purchase land at risk of development for housing we also purchase other freehold properties without development approvals to reverse the impacts of the disastrous subdivision by closing and revegetating obsolete roads.

Since 1992 non-profit organisations have purchased seventy-five properties for conservation. 

Please, make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Threat to Wildlife, Climate People and Planet

Daintree Rainforest is regarded as an iconic national treasure for its unique evolutionary history and tremendous conservation value. A number of rare and endangered species are found within Daintree National Park, including the Southern Cassowary, large flightless birds that in Australia are found only in the wet tropical rainforests of Queensland. Southern Cassowaries consume over 150 different fruits and play a vital role as seed dispersers in the rainforest. Due to the destruction and fragmentation of their rainforest habitats, these large charismatic birds are classified as Vulnerable to extinction.

More than 430 other bird species have also been recorded in Daintree National Park, including rare or range-restricted species like the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher and the Lesser Sooty Owl, making the Daintree a Globally Important Bird Area. Many unique marsupials, reptiles and amphibians are also found in the Daintree Rainforest including the Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo, Musky Rat-kangaroo, Spotted-tailed Quoll and Boyd’s Forest Dragon.

Please, make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

A risk to the Daintree comes from development for housing and fragmentation of the rainforest, which jeopardises the integrity of the ecosystem with increased human traffic and the introduction of exotic species. Expanding settlement results in the spread of exotic plants that become weeds and stress to wildlife from human traffic and introduced dogs. Further buyback of land for conservation is required urgently as there are calls for an upgrade to Cape Tribulation Road, to build a bridge over the Daintree River and to provide a reticulated electricity supply that would all lead to further development.

The purchase of additional properties will prevent further development to these sensitive areas while protecting and restoring critical habitat for wildlife. It will also allow for winding back past development through the closing of roads and the revegetation of land as habitat for Threatened species.

Please, make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Solution

We have identified this property at Lot 110 Palm Road, Diwan as a priority acquisition. We are working to purchase and transfer ownership of land to the Daintree National Park. This will strengthen protection for the Daintree Lowland Rainforest, help reverse the negative impacts of rural residential development, and offer the best path forward for ensuring the world’s most ancient rainforest continues to thrive for generations to come.

Buying land in the Daintree helps us to reverse the impacts of the disastrous 1980’s rural residential subdivision. All donations are tax-deductible, and receipts will be issued. 

Please, make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 21 Camelot Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Action: Purchase and protection of Lot 505 Cedar Road (Lot 505 RP 738173) 

Area: 1.00 hectare

Location: Cow Bay, Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland

Vegetation type: Regional Ecosystem 7.3.20e listed as “Of Concern” under the Vegetation Management Act 1999.

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary

Fundraising update on the 24th of July 2021. 

Fundraising target to purchase and protect this property: $120,000

Amount raised: $41,750

Remaining target: $78,250

Kelvin Davies at Lot 505 Cedar Road, Cow Bay

The rainforest on privately owned freehold properties at Cow Bay is at a very high risk of clearing for rural residential development. 

That’s why, with your help, we will buy Lot 505 Cedar Road and protect it forever. 

Lot 505 Cedar Road is a freehold property of 1.00 hectare and subject to approval by Douglas Shire Council it can be developed for housing just as nearby properties have been in the past. We must act now to purchase and protect this property and save this important rainforest from the threat of development.

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 505 Cedar Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Lot 505 Cedar Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

Before we make a commitment to purchase a Daintree Rainforest property, we thoroughly assess its value to conservation. 

A vegetation survey was undertaken of Lot 505 Cedar Road, Cow Bay on the 18^th June 2021 by ecologist Kristopher Kupsch. The vegetation on Lot 505 Cedar Road is remnant and all sections of Lot 505 have vegetation that has never experienced clear felling since European colonisation. The survey identified 117 native plant species. Please see the results of the survey here. 

A feature of the property is the local endemic Daintree Foambark tree (Jagera madida) which is prevalent throughout Lot 505. This species only occurs in the lowland rainforests between Julatten – Bloomfield. It is noticeable by the pinkish ferny new growth and often single straight stem seldom branching. Its trunk is often completely covered in lichen of various shades of grey.

Lot 505 has Regional Ecosystem 7.3.20e which is listed as “Of Concern” under the Queensland Vegetation Management Act 1999. The vegetation on Lot 505 also provides habitat for the Endangered Southern Cassowary. 

Lot 505 Cedar Road has many native plants that produce fruits for Cassowaries and other species of rainforest birds. 12 species of native Laurel are found on Lot 505. These trees produce fleshy fruits favoured by Cassowaries. 

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 505 Cedar Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Cassowary and chick in the Daintree Rainforest

A subdivision was carved into the Daintree Lowland Rainforest in 1982. This created Cedar Road and hundreds of rural residential lots in Cow Bay residential area. Many houses have been built which fragments the rainforest and occupation brings domestic dogs and exotic plants. This has damaged one of the most significant area of tropical rainforests in Australia.

Together, we can ensure this development won’t go any further. All we need to do is buy this freehold property and add protect it in the Daintree National Park estate. 

The current owners have given us an option to purchase this land so we can protect it in the Daintree National Park estate. now I need to raise $120,000 by the deadline of 16th of August. If the funds are not raised by that date the option will lapse and may be sold to someone intent on developing the property for housing.  

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 505 Cedar Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

 Land clearing for housing development in the Daintree Rainforest in June 2021

A Daintree Rainforest property was cleared for housing development in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest in June 2021. The property in Cow Bay is only 500 m from Lot 505 Cedar Road.

We have purchased ten Daintree Rainforest properties in the past twenty months, obviously, we cannot stop there. We are purchasing one property on average every 60 days but if we do not keep up the pace many more will be lost to development.

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 505 Cedar Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Large Fruited Red Mahogany (Eucalyptus pellita) on Lot 505 Cedar Road. 

In 1988 the Daintree National Park was expanded and was included in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. This should have seen the land at Lot 550 Cedar Road protected forever. However, two-thirds of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest, the land between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation had been carved up for a rural residential subdivision in 1982 and was excluded from World Heritage listing. 

Lot 505 Cedar Road is located at Cow Bay in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. Buying land in this location helps us to reverse the impacts of the disastrous 1980’s rural residential subdivision. We are focusing our efforts at Cow Bay as scientists have identified this area as providing an “Essential habitat for the Endangered Southern Cassowary”.

Buying and protecting Lot 505 Cedar Road at Cow Bay will be a fantastic outcome for conservation as it will prevent another house from being built in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.  

With the help of thousands of people, in Australia and around the world we've raised the funds needed to purchase eleven properties since June 2019. Now we are ready to save Lot 505 from the threat of development and all that is needed is your support. 

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 505 Cedar Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

For the Daintree Rainforest,

Kelvin Davies

Founder

Rainforest 4 Foundation

Phone: 0437 423 119

P.S. You can donate now online or if you want to donate with a cheque/money order or through a direct deposit please see our Ways to Donate page.

P.P.S. If you have any questions about the purchase and protection of Lot 505 Cedar Road 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 HALFCUT

The project to purchase and protect land is a partnership involving the Rainforest 4 Foundation, Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation, and fellow nonprofit HalfCut.  

Thanks to Jimmy and Jess and all the HalfCut supporters for their important contribution to the purchase and protection of Lot 505 Cedar Road. 

CONSERVATION OF THE DAINTREE LOWLAND RAINFOREST. 

The Daintree Lowland Rainforest is one of the oldest rainforests on Earth having survived undisturbed for over 120 million years. It holds exceptionally high biodiversity and conservation value and is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest remaining in Australia.

Rainforests once covered much of eastern Australia, however, as conditions became drier the rainforest contracted and today the Daintree provides a refuge for many unique species. The Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo, Musky Rat-kangaroo, and the Southern Cassowary can be found here, as well a number of endemic plant species that have retained the same primitive characteristics of their ancestors. The flora of the Daintree contains an almost complete record of the evolution of plant life on Earth, including extremely ancient flowering plant families found nowhere else.

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 505 Cedar Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

In the 1980’s the Queensland government approved an 1,137-lot rural residential subdivision in the Daintree. This resulted in two-thirds of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest being excluded from protection in the Daintree National Park and Wet Tropics World Heritage Area that was declared in 1988. The development that followed has resulted in fragmentation of the rainforest with the construction of roads and the building of hundreds of houses. Settlement has introduced exotic plants that have become weeds and domestic dogs and traffic that are a threat to wildlife. Because the land in question is in private ownership, the only option to resolve the issue has been the purchase and protection of additional lands to expand Daintree National Park.

Our vision for the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is to buy back land to remove the threat of further development and to address the impact of past development while supporting the Traditional Owners, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people in caring for country.

While we purchase land at risk of development for housing we also purchase other freehold properties without development approvals to reverse the impacts of the disastrous subdivision by closing and revegetating obsolete roads.

Since 1992 non-profit organisations have purchased seventy-five properties for conservation. 

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 505 Cedar Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Threat to Wildlife, Climate People and Planet

Daintree Rainforest is regarded as an iconic national treasure for its unique evolutionary history and tremendous conservation value. A number of rare and endangered species are found within Daintree National Park, including the Southern Cassowary, large flightless birds that in Australia are found only in the wet tropical rainforests of Queensland. Southern Cassowaries consume over 150 different fruits and play a vital role as seed dispersers in the rainforest. Due to the destruction and fragmentation of their rainforest habitats, these large charismatic birds are classified as Vulnerable to extinction.

More than 430 other bird species have also been recorded in Daintree National Park, including rare or range-restricted species like the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher and the Lesser Sooty Owl, making the Daintree a Globally Important Bird Area. Many unique marsupials, reptiles and amphibians are also found in the Daintree Rainforest including the Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo, Musky Rat-kangaroo, Spotted-tailed Quoll and Boyd’s Forest Dragon.

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 505 Cedar Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Land Clearing in the Daintree Rainforest for housing development

A risk to the Daintree comes from development for housing and fragmentation of the rainforest, which jeopardises the integrity of the ecosystem with increased human traffic and the introduction of exotic species. Expanding settlement results in the spread of exotic plants that become weeds and stress to wildlife from human traffic and introduced dogs. Further buyback of land for conservation is required urgently as there are calls for an upgrade to Cape Tribulation Road, to build a bridge over the Daintree River and to provide a reticulated electricity supply that would all lead to further development.

The purchase of additional properties will prevent further development to these sensitive areas while protecting and restoring critical habitat for wildlife. It will also allow for winding back past development through the closing of roads and the revegetation of land as habitat for Threatened species.

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 505 Cedar Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

Solution

We have identified this property at Lot 505 Cedar Road, Cow Bay as a priority acquisition. We are working to purchase and transfer ownership of land to the Daintree National Park estate. This will strengthen protection for the Daintree Lowland Rainforest, help reverse the negative impacts of rural residential development, and offer the best path forward for ensuring the world’s most ancient rainforest continues to thrive for generations to come.

Buying land in the Daintree helps us to reverse the impacts of the disastrous 1980’s rural residential subdivision. All donations are tax-deductible, and receipts will be issued. 

Please, join me and make a donation to purchase and protect Lot 505 Cedar Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

The end of the financial year is coming up fast. As June 30 approaches, please take the opportunity to make a tax-deductible gift and save the Daintree from the threat of development.

Project Snapshot

Action: Purchase and protection of Oakey Scrub (Lot on plan BK157115) 

Area: 69 hectares (690,000 sqm) 

Location: 10 km southwest of Cooktown, Cape York, Queensland

Vegetation type: Monsoon Rainforest (21 hectares of semi-deciduous notophyll vine forest) and Savannah (48 hectares of mixed woodland-grassland ecosystem)

Threatened Species: Northern Quoll, Southern Cassowary, Bennett’s Tree-Kangaroo, Large-eared Horseshoe Bat, Semons Leaf-nosed Bat.

There are also numerous other species including estuarine crocodiles, lizards, frogs and marsupials.

Fundraising update on the 2nd of July 2021. 

Fundraising target to purchase and protect this property: $110,400 

Amount raised: $56,350

Remaining target: $54,050

Help us protect the Northern Quoll population

Northern Quolls are in trouble and need our help. Northern Quolls are under threat from habitat destruction and poisoning from the introduced cane toad, which the Quolls eat without realising the danger. Oakey Scrub and the surrounding area has the highest known population of Northern Quolls on Cape York Peninsula however this important property is privately owned and not managed for conservation. Without our intervention Quolls at Oakey Scrub remain at risk from fires and overgrazing. 

The solution is to buy Oakey Scrub and add it to the adjoining Caloola Nature Refuge (18,100 hectares). Fortunately, however, they've given us a deadline of the 9th of July, 2021 to come up with $110,000 to purchase the property. Because we'll need time to organise the payment we've set a deadline for raising the funds for the 30th of June. Please, donate now to help purchase and protect Oakey Scrub. 

A curious Northern Quoll is captured with a motion-triggered camera on Oakey Scrub. 

Oakey Scrub is 69 hectares. The purchase price is $110,000 and we require just $400 for acquisition expenses making the total cost to acquire Oakey Scrub $110,400. That makes the cost per hectare to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub only $1,600. 

Every $4 we raise will help save 25 square metres of Oakey Scrub. This is exceptional value for your investment in nature conservation. 

Please, will you help save the Northern Quoll with a donation to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub before the 30th of June. When you donate $40 you will help save 250 square metres of essential habitat for Northern Quolls! A donation of $80 will help save 500 square metres and $160 will help save 1,000 square metres. A gift of $400 will save 2,500 sqm and a gift of $800 will save 5,000 sqm.  

Oakey Creek Scrub is recovering from past overgrazing and too frequent fire. The vegetation is showing positive signs of recovery, however, much more needs to be done to secure the important wildlife habitat on this property. If we cant secure the property for conservation it could be on-sold and used for cattle grazing like so many other properties on Cape York. If we can't meet the deadline to raise $55,000 by the 30th of June we'll lose the option to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub. 

To purchase and protect Oakey Scrub we have partnered with South Endeavour Trust and we are both contributing $55,000. South Endeavour Trust was established in 2007 as an independent, not for profit, charitable trust with the sole purpose of contributing to nature conservation in Australia. South Endeavour currently owns and manages nineteen conservation reserves including Caloola Nature Refuge (18,100 hectares) which adjoins Oakey Scrub. Upon acquisition, Oakey Scrub will be added to the Caloola Nature Refuge. 

Please, will you help save the Northern Quoll with a donation to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub before the 30th of June. When you donate $40 you will help save 250 square meters of essential habitat for Northern Quolls! A donation of $80 will help save 500 square metres and $160 will help save 1,000 square metres. A gift of $400 will save 2,500 sqm and a gift of $800 will save 5,000 sqm.  

Oakey Scrub is located 10km southwest of Cooktown at the intersection of the Wet Tropics and Cape York bioregions in Far North Queensland and the Einasleigh Uplands. It has two adjoining ecosystems, Monsoon Rainforest (21 hectares of semi-deciduous notophyll vine forest) and Savannah (48 hectares of mixed woodland-grassland ecosystem). These two ecosystems provide habitat for a diverse range of flora and fauna including the endangered Northern Quoll and other Threatened species including the Southern Cassowary, Bennett’s Tree-Kangaroo, Large-eared Horseshoe Bat, Semons Leaf-nosed Bat.

Cassowaries live in and around the property of Oakey Scrub and neighbouring Caloola Nature Refuge, and act as vital seed distribution for the local plants.

White-lipped tree frog found at Oakey Scrub.

Northern Spotted Velvet Gecko (Oedura coggeri)

The property also has one kilometre of Oakey Creek frontage. As you can see from this aerial footage of a helicopter flyover.

Oakey Scrub ecosystems and biodiversity. 

Oakey Scrub is a of 69 hectares, 21 hectares of which is Monsoon Rainforest (semi-deciduous notophyll vine forest) the remaining are being savannah (mixed woodland-grassland ecosystem). In the canopy dominant evergreen species are Black Bean (Castanospermum australe), Candlenut (Aleurites moluccanus, Milky Pine (Alstonia scholaris), Brown Tulip Oak (Argyrodendron polyandrum), Black Walnut (Beilschmiedia obtusifolia), Native Mango (Buchanania arborescens) and Buff Walnut (Endiandra longipedicellata). Figwood (Ficus albipila var. albipila) are an emergent tree species. Common deciduous species are Leichhardt Tree (Nauclea orientalis), Tar Tree (Semecarpus australiensis), Sovereignwood (Terminalia sericocarpa) and White Cheesewood (Wrightia laevis). 

A sparse to very dense sub-canopy often includes Red Kamala (Mallotus philippensis), Kamala (M. polyadenos, Queensland Nutmeg (Myristica globosa subsp. muelleri), Rose Tamarind (Arytera divaricata), Cabbage Wood (Pisonia umbellifera), Cape Tamarind (Toechima daemelianum) and Ebony (Diospyros maritima). The sparse to mid-dense shrub layer can include Weeping Cleistanthus (Cleistanthus apodus), Glycosmis trifoliata, False Gardenia (Atractocarpus sessilis), Bandicoot Berry (Leea novoguineensis), Lunasia amara var. amara, Brown Ebony (Diospyros laurina) and Northern Laurel (Cryptocarya hypospodia). The ground layer is very sparse and composed mainly of seedlings. This mainly occurs in catchments on loamy alluvia, riverine wetland, or fringing riverine wetland. 

Please, will you help save the Northern Quoll with a donation to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub before the 30th of June. When you donate $40 you will help save 250 square meters of essential habitat for Northern Quolls! A donation of $80 will help save 500 square meters and $160 will help save 1,000 square meters. A gift of $400 will save 2,500 sqm and a gift of $800 will save 5,000 sqm.  

Please, will you help save the Northern Quoll with a donation to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub before the 30th of June. When you donate $40 you will help save 250 square meters of essential habitat for Northern Quolls! A donation of $80 will help save 500 square meters and $160 will help save 1,000 square meters. A gift of $400 will save 2,500 sqm and a gift of $800 will save 5,000 sqm.  

Current condition

Fortunately, Lot 1 Oakey Creek Scrub is in good to moderate condition. It is recovering from past overgrazing and too frequent fire, with the vegetation showing positive signs. Overgrazing and fire have not been issues over the past three years but there is still much recovery to happen on this property.

Proposed management

Upon acquisition, Oakey Scrub will be added to the Caloola Nature Refuge. 

Particular focuses of management will include:

• The exclusion of fire from the rainforest and the rainforest margin to provide continuous improvement in the condition of the rainforest and for an expansion of the rainforest area.
• The exclusion and/or active management of feral animals.
• Maintenance of strict weed quarantine to maintain its largely weed-free state. 

Please, will you help save the Northern Quoll with a donation to purchase and protect Oakey Scrub before the 30th of June. When you donate $40 you will help save 250 square meters of essential habitat for Northern Quolls! A donation of $80 will help save 500 square meters and $160 will help save 1,000 square meters. A gift of $400 will save 2,500 sqm and a gift of $800 will save 5,000 sqm.  

We've provided answers to frequently asked questions here.

For more images of Oakey Scrub, please visit our Facebook album here.

The Cassowary is so iconic to this part of Queensland, that the local government is named Cassowary Coast Regional Council. Yet that hasn’t stopped this authority from approving a controversial new heliport development that will significantly impact the already-endangered cassowaries of Mission Beach.

Our efforts to tackle ‘highly-flammable’ exotic bamboo to protect koala and rainforest habitat from future bushfire has received a financial boost from WIRES and Landcare Australia. 

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.