PURCHASE OF LOT 6 THORNTON PEAK DRIVE, FOREST CREEK IN THE DAINTREE LOWLAND RAINFOREST

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Action: Purchase Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive (RP 738519)

Area: 3.75 hectares

Location: Forest Creek, Queensland. 

Vegetation type: Lot 6 comprises two distinct ecosystems by changes in soil/drainage conditions. One a Sclerophyll open woodland and the other a closed canopy Tropical Rainforest habitat

Endangered Ecological Community: Lowland tropical rainforest of the Wet Tropics ecological community is listed in the Endangered Category under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii), Climbing Pandan (Freycinetia excelsa), Ant Plant (Myrmecodia beccarii)

Fundraising update for the 16th of May 2022.

Target to purchase and protect this property: $150,000.  

Amount raised: $8,350.

Remaining target: $141,650. 

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Each $4.00 you donate will purchase and protect one square metre of the Lowland Daintree Rainforest. When you make a donation of $20 you will save five square metres, a donation of $40 will save ten square metres, a donation of $100 will save 25 square metres and $400 will save 100 square metres of Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive at Forest Creek

Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive at Forest Creek is a freehold property in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest that provides habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary and the rare Bennett's Tree-kangaroo. 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 the important habitat from the threat of development.

In the recent past rainforest on nearby properties in Forest Creek have been cleared for rural residential development. That’s why, with your help, we will buy Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive and protect it forever.

We need to raise $150,000 by the 30th of June to purchase and protect Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive. The property is 3.75-hectares and this represents a purchase price of $4 per sqm. 

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Each $4.00 you donate will purchase and protect one square metre of the Lowland Daintree Rainforest. When you make a donation of $20 you will save five square metres, a donation of $40 will save ten square metres, a donation of $100 will save 25 square metres and $400 will save 100 square metres of Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive at Forest Creek

Lot 6 comprises two distinct ecosystems that occur due to changes in soil/drainage conditions. One is a Sclerophyll open woodland and the other is a closed canopy Rainforest habitat. Fan Palms (Licuala ramsayi) 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. The presence of Cassowaries has been noted from scats within the rainforest habitat near the creek in the eastern portions of the property.

We have purchased two nearby properties, Lot 3 in January 2020 and Lot 3 in July 2021. Adding lot 6 will increase the area of protected land in Forest Creek as these three properties share a boundary with the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area. 

We are now prioritising the purchase of Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive as we have exchanged a contract of sale for the property and must raise the funds by the 30th of June.  

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Each $4.00 you donate will purchase and protect one square metre of the Lowland Daintree Rainforest. When you make a donation of $20 you will save five square metres, a donation of $40 will save ten square metres, a donation of $100 will save 25 square metres and $400 will save 100 square metres of Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Fan Palms on Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Rainforest

Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive is 3.75 hectares of critical habitat for native wildlife and plants. A small creek runs through the rainforest where the presence of the Southern Cassowary has been observed. The rare Bennetts Tree-kangaroo has also been sighted nearby.

Fan Palms (Licuala ramsayi) occur on the property and the species delineates the two main types of vegetation: sclerophyll vegetation which is generally dominated by plants that have hard leaves adapted to drought and fire; and mesophyll vine forest, which is tropical rainforest featuring these Fan Palms in abundance.

Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive is a 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.

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Each $4.00 you donate will purchase and protect one square metre of the Lowland Daintree Rainforest. When you make a donation of $20 you will save five square metres, a donation of $40 will save ten square metres, a donation of $100 will save 25 square metres and $400 will save 100 square metres of Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Callistemon on Lot 6 Thonton Peak Drive

Lot 6 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 and prevents another house from being built in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive is a freehold property and could have been developed for housing just as nearby properties have been in the past. 

Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive provides habitat for the Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii) which is listed as Endangered in the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. This property shares a boundary with the Daintree National Park / World Heritage Area. Evidence of the Southern Cassowary using the property was confirmed by dung. Cassowaries are regularly sighted in the adjoining Daintree National Park and on nearby properties.

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Each $4.00 you donate will purchase and protect one square metre of the Lowland Daintree Rainforest. When you make a donation of $20 you will save five square metres, a donation of $40 will save ten square metres, a donation of $100 will save 25 square metres and $400 will save 100 square metres of Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Cassowary in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

Endangered Ecological Community

The Daintree Lowland Rainforest itself has now been identified as part of an Endangered Ecological Community. In November 2021 the Australian Government listed the lowland tropical rainforest of the Wet Tropics ecological community, in the Endangered Category under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The listing is effective as of Friday 26 November 2021 and includes the Wet Tropics of North Queensland, from near Ingham (just south of the Cardwell Range) in the south to north around Cape Tribulation. While now listed as Endangered the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is still not fully protected. The freehold properties in the Daintree lowland remain at risk from rural residential development.

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Each $4.00 you donate will purchase and protect one square metre of the Lowland Daintree Rainforest. When you make a donation of $20 you will save five square metres, a donation of $40 will save ten square metres, a donation of $100 will save 25 square metres and $400 will save 100 square metres of Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Black Palms and Fan Palms on Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive

BACKGROUND 

In 1982 the Queensland government approved a 1,136-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. Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive is one of these properties.

The Daintree Lowland Rainforest is one of the oldest rainforests on Earth and provides a refuge for wildlife and ancient flowering plants. It holds exceptionally high biodiversity and conservation value and is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest remaining in Australia. With almost 200 undeveloped properties remaining in private ownership, the future of the Daintree is yet to be determined. Will it be increased development and urbanisation, or will it be the winding back of the disastrous subdivision to save the Daintree. 

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Each $4.00 you donate will purchase and protect one square metre of the Lowland Daintree Rainforest. When you make a donation of $20 you will save five square metres, a donation of $40 will save ten square metres, a donation of $100 will save 25 square metres and $400 will save 100 square metres of Lot 6 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Lot 6 comprises a Sclerophyll open woodland and a Rainforest habitat. 

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. We recognise that we are Stronger Together and raise funds for the buyback of properties in the Daintree Rainforest and their management for conservation.  

In the Daintree Rainforest, we are always on the lookout for Cassowaries and in recent weeks we’ve been very lucky indeed. 

PURCHASE OF LOT 373 HICKORY ROAD, COW BAY IN THE DAINTREE LOWLAND RAINFOREST

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Action: Purchase Lot 373 Hickory Road (RP 739002)

Area: 1.0 hectares

Location: Cow Bay, Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland

Vegetation type: Lowland tropical rainforest classified as Mesophyll vine forest on moderate to poorly-drained alluvial plains of moderate fertility. 

Regional Ecosystem 7.3.10a: Listed as “Of Concern” under the Vegetation Management Act 1999.

Endangered Ecological Community: Lowland tropical rainforest of the Wet Tropics ecological community is listed in the Endangered Category under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii), China Camp Laurel (Beilschmiedia castrisinensis), Gray’s Walnut (Endiandra grayi), Noah’s Walnut (Endiandra microneura), Fragrant Boxwood (Xanthophyllum fragrans). 

THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN MAY 2022.

Lot 373 Hickory Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

The purchase of Lot 373 Hickory Road provides a secure habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary and 210 native plant species of plants. 

Lot 373 Hickory Road adjoins the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area. Our survey identified four plant species listed as Threatened on Lot 373. 

We purchased Lot 373 Hickory Road at Cow Bay to fulfill our vision for the conservation of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. This requires the buyback of all undeveloped freehold properties in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. Not only do we want to see no further development, but we also want the negative impacts of the rural residential subdivision to be reversed. 

During the survey of Lot 373 Hickory Road we identified 7 exotic plant species. With the purchase of the property, it can now be managed for conservation. Of the weeds, Spanish Shawl (Dissotis rotundifolia) is the most prolific. This is a ground cover species with a flower resembling a Tibouchina or Melastoma. They will be hand weeded and bagged for removal. Other exotic plants are the Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) which likely originated from neighbouring properties and Heliconia rostrata which are likely residual from planted specimens. Lot 373 Hickory Road will now be managed for conservation and all of the exotic plants removed. 

BACKGROUND 

In 1982 the Queensland government approved a 1,136-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. Lot 373 Hickory Road is one of these properties.

The survey identified 210 native plants on Lot 373 Hickory Road

Before we make a commitment to purchase a Daintree Rainforest property for conservation we have ecologists undertake a comprehensive survey to confirm the conservation values.

A vegetation survey undertaken on the 4th of February 2022 identified 210 native plant species including 4 plant species listed on the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. There are also 5 endemic plant species that have their distribution largely restricted to the Daintree lowlands. 

The Fragrant Boxwood (Xanthophyllum fragrans) was identified on Lot 373 as one mature-sized specimen. This is the first record of this Threatened species on any of the properties surveyed thus far. The specimen is approximately 10m tall and mature. It produces fragrant showy white flowers and large orange fruits.

Lot 373 Hickory Road is the only property where we have found the Fragrant Boxwood, an endemic tree restricted to the tropical rainforests of Far North Queensland. On lot 373 it was identified from just one mature-sized specimen of approximately 10m tall.

The survey of Lot 373 Hickory Road by our ecologist and botanist identified 210 species of native plants including four species of conservation importance. The China Camp Laurel (Beilschmiedia castrisinensis), Gray’s Walnut (Endiandra grayi), Noah’s Walnut (Endiandra microneura), and the Fragrant Boxwood (Xanthophyllum fragrans), are listed as Threatened species in the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. We've taken many photographs of the property and you can see them here.

Lot 373 Hickory Road provides essential habitat for the Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii) which is listed as Endangered in the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. This property shares a boundary with the Daintree National Park / World Heritage Area. Evidence of the Southern Cassowary using the property was confirmed by dung. Cassowaries are regularly sighted in the adjoining Daintree National Park and on nearby properties.

Fragrant Boxwood (Xanthophyllum fragrans) was identified on Lot 373

Endangered Ecological Community

The Daintree Lowland Rainforest itself has now been identified as part of an Endangered Ecological Community. In November 2021 the Australian Government listed the lowland tropical rainforest of the Wet Tropics ecological community, in the Endangered Category under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The listing is effective as of Friday 26 November 2021 and includes the Wet Tropics of North Queensland, from near Ingham (just south of the Cardwell Range) in the south to north around Cape Tribulation. While now listed as Endangered the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is still not fully protected. The freehold properties in the Daintree lowland remain at risk from rural residential development. 

Lot 373 adjoins the Daintree National Park 

The Daintree Lowland Rainforest is one of the oldest rainforests on Earth and provides a refuge for wildlife and ancient flowering plants. It holds exceptionally high biodiversity and conservation value and is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest remaining in Australia. With almost 200 undeveloped properties remaining in private ownership, the future of the Daintree is yet to be determined. Will it be increased development and urbanisation, or will it be the winding back of the disastrous subdivision to save the Daintree. 

Lot 373 provides habitat for the Southern Cassowary

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 raise funds together for the buyback of properties in the Daintree that are at risk of clearing and development. Thanks to HalfCut and their wonderful supporters for their significant contribution to the purchase of Lot 373 Hickory Road and the other Daintree Rainforest properties we are acquiring for conservation.  

The tropical rainforest on Lot 257 Silver Ash Road and the creek flowing through the property are exceptionally beautiful. This land was excluded from inclusion in the Daintree National Park when it was declared in 1988. Now the time has come to set this right. 

PURCHASE OF LOT 257 SILVER ASH ROAD, COW BAY IN THE DAINTREE LOWLAND RAINFOREST

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Action: Purchase Lot 257 Silver Ash Road at Cow Bay (RP 738999)

Area: 1.09 hectares

Location: Cow Bay, Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland

Vegetation type: Lowland tropical rainforest classified as Simple-complex mesophyll to notophyll vine forest on moderate to poorly-drained alluvial plains of moderate fertility

Regional Ecosystem 7.3.10a is listed as “Of Concern” under the Vegetation Management Act 1999.

Endangered Ecological Community: Lowland tropical rainforest of the Wet Tropics ecological community is listed in the Endangered Category under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Threatened Species: Endangered Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii), Macleay's Fig-Parrots (Cyclopsitta diophthalma macleayana), Greys Walnut (Endiandra grayi), Noah’s Walnut (Endiandra microneura), Daintree Gardenia (Randia audasii)

Fundraising for this property was achieved on the 11th of March 2022. Settlement on the purchase is scheduled for April 2022.

Thank you to all the generous donors. 

Lot 257 Silver Ash Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

We purchased Lot 257 Silver Ash Road in Cow Bay to fulfill our vision for the conservation of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. This requires the buyback of all undeveloped freehold properties in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. Not only do we want to see no further development, but we also want the negative impacts of the rural residential subdivision to be reversed. Lot 257 Silver Ash Road is located between two isolated areas of the Daintree National Park and the purchase of this property has linked them up. 

BACKGROUND 

In 1982 the Queensland government approved a 1,136-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. Lot 257 Silver Ash Road is one of these properties.

Beautiful rainforest and creek on Lot 257

Before we make a commitment to purchase a Daintree Rainforest property for conservation we have ecologists undertake a comprehensive survey to confirm the conservation values.

A vegetation survey undertaken on the 16th of November 2021 identified 258 native plant species including three plant species listed on the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. There are also 4 endemic plant species that have their distribution largely restricted to the Daintree lowlands. 

Other plants of importance on Lot 257 include the Hope’s Cycad (Lepidozamia hopei). 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.

Evidence of the Southern Cassowary using the property was confirmed by dung. Cassowaries are regularly sighted in the adjoining Daintree National Park and on nearby properties.

One of many large trees on Lot 257 Silver Ash Road

Endangered Ecological Community

The Daintree Lowland Rainforest itself has now been identified as part of an Endangered Ecological Community. In November 2021 the Australian Government listed the lowland tropical rainforest of the Wet Tropics ecological community, in the Endangered Category under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The listing is effective as of Friday 26 November 2021 and includes the Wet Tropics of North Queensland, from near Ingham (just south of the Cardwell Range) in the south to north around Cape Tribulation. While now listed as Endangered the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is still not fully protected. The freehold properties in the Daintree lowland remain at risk from rural residential development. 

Lot 257 Silver Ash Road adjoins the Daintree National Park 

The Daintree Lowland Rainforest is one of the oldest rainforests on Earth and provides a refuge for wildlife and ancient flowering plants. It holds exceptionally high biodiversity and conservation value and is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest remaining in Australia. With almost 200 undeveloped properties remaining in private ownership, the future of the Daintree is yet to be determined. Will it be increased development and urbanisation, or will it be the winding back of the disastrous subdivision to save the Daintree Rainforest.

Spur Mahogany (Dysoxylum pettigrewianum)

THANK YOU TO HALFCUT

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.

Thanks to HalfCut and their wonderful supporters. The fundraising success of HalfCut has enabled us to purchase multiple properties in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

Background information on 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.

In 1982 the Queensland government approved an 1,136-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. 

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.

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.

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Action: Purchase and protection of Lot 11 Buchanan Creek Road (Lot 11 RP 737398)

Area: 1.2 hectares

Location: Cow Bay, Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland

Vegetation type: Lowland tropical rainforest classified as Regional Ecosystem 7.3.20a

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary, China Camp Laurel, Gray’s Walnut, Noah’s Walnut

FUNDRAISING FOR THE PURCHASE OF THIS PROPERTY WAS COMPLETED IN DECEMBER 2021. 

Lot 11 Buchanan Creek Road in Cow Bay 

Thank you to everyone who contributed gifts to help raise the funds required for the purchase and protection of Lot 11 Buchanan Creek Road. We are especially grateful to Little Locals - Early Learning who made saving this Daintree Rainforest property their community project in 2021. 

Lot 11 Buchanan Creek Road at Cow Bay shares a boundary with the Daintree National Park. The property also has many of the natural values that supported the national park being declared a World Heritage Area in 1988. Our survey of Lot 11 Buchanan Creek Road identified 185 species of native plants including three Threatened species listed on the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. They are the China Camp Laurel (Beilschmiedia castrisinensis), Gray’s Walnut (Endiandra grayi), and Noah’s Walnut (Endiandra microneura). You can read information from the survey undertaken by our ecologist here. 

Lot 11 has also been mapped as essential Cassowary habitat by the Queensland Government. There are many species of native Laurels which provide fruits for Cassowaries. See photos from the property here. 

Kelvin Davies at Lot 11 Buchanan Creek Road. 

The vegetation community on Lot 11 is Regional Ecosystem 3.3.10a. This forest type is listed as ‘Of Concern’ under the Vegetation Management Act 1999, which makes it extremely precious in our conservation mission.

The Queensland Government specifically states that this vegetation type has “Special values”, citing:

“Small areas on the very wet lowlands, especially between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation, harbour plant species which are extremely restricted and uncommon. Many areas of this ecosystem are considered refugial in nature and are local centres of endemism. Many representatives of primitive families of flowering plants are present, including the monotypic family Idiospermaceae. The ecosystem is the habitat for many threatened plant species.”

Lot 11 has also been mapped as essential Cassowary habitat by the Queensland Government. There are many species of native Laurels which provide fruits for Cassowaries and evidence of them using the property was confirmed by footprints and dung. 

The endangered Southern Cassowary

Vulnerable frogs found near Lot 11

The vulnerable Tapping Grey-eyed Frog (Litoria serrata) and the endangered Common Mist Frog (Litoria rheocola) have both been previously identified within 50 metres of Lot 11. These two threatened frogs favour fast-flowing streams and also spend a portion of their lives in trees. 

Three Threatened plants species

Three plant species found on Lot 11 are listed on the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. They are:

     1.     China Camp Laurel (Beilschmiedia castrisinensis) - NCA 1992: Near threatened

The China Camp Laurel only grows in the Daintree Rainforest between the Daintree River and the Bloomfield River, where it is locally common. 

The species was found on Lot 11 as a single seedling within Cassowary droppings. It is common within the surrounding forests of Cow Bay. The seeds are the largest of all native Laurels and rely on dispersal by Cassowaries and potentially very localised dispersal by Musky Rat-kangaroos. 

     2.     Gray’s Walnut (Endiandra grayi) - NCA 1992: Vulnerable

Gray’s Walnut was found on Lot 11 as a single seedling. This is a large tree only found between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation in lowland rainforest below 40m above sea level (asl). Its large seeds are dispersed solely by the Southern Cassowary. 

As with all large fruiting Walnut (Endiandra) species, Gray’s Walnut is food for the Southern Cassowary. We must therefore preserve the habitat for both the tree and the bird.

Gray’s Walnut

     3.     Noah’s Walnut (Endiandra microneura) - NCA 1992: Near threatened

Noah's Walnut was found on Lot 11 as young seedlings germinating within Cassowary dung. 

This species is only found naturally within the Daintree Rainforest predominantly 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, new, red leaves. The large oblong yellow fruits often litter the ground beneath parent trees. Cassowaries, fruit bats and ground dwelling mammals such as Musky Rat-kangaroos (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) disperse the fruits.

Noah's Walnut

Other significant plants on Lot 11

     1.     Cooper Creek Haplostichanthus (Polyalthia xanthocarpa)

The Cooper Creek Haplostichanthus is common in the understorey on Lot 11. This species colonises regenerating forests following the establishment of a suitable shady humid understorey. Its occurrence on Lot 11 indicates good levels of natural regeneration. 

This is an understorey shrub of up to 3m in height. It is restricted to the rainforests of the Daintree lowlands, but is found as far south as the Daintree village. It is a recently described species formally recognised in 2007 as Haplostichanthus ramiflorus and then redescribed as Polyalthia xanthocarpa in 2012.

Kelvin Davies with Cooper Creek Haplostichanthus

     2.     Daintree Satinash (Syzygium monospermum)

The locally common Daintree Satinash was identified as seedlings on Lot 11, brought to the site by Cassowaries. The tree is ‘myrmecophilus’ in that the interior of its trunk is much like an ant plant with myriads of chambers that ants inhabit. 

This species is only found in lowland rainforests between Cape Tribulation and Julatten. The tree provides food for the endangered Southern Cassowary. Owing to the size of its large white fruit that it produces straight from the trunk, few other animals other than possibly fruit bats would disperse its seeds.

The cauliflorous showy flowers are produced immediately from the often-single trunk of the parent tree. As with most Australian flowering trees, nectar is produced from a stamen dense flower.

This type of flower is favoured by honeyeaters, marsupials and insects. 

Daintree Satinash

THANK YOU TO LITTLE LOCALS - EARLY LEARNING 

We are especially grateful to Little Locals - Early Learning who made saving this Daintree Rainforest property their community project in 2021. Thank you to the Little Locals families whohelpedto raise funds to purchase and protect Lot 11 Buchanan Creek Road. 

THANK YOU TO HALFCUT

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.

Thanks to HalfCut and their wonderful supporters for their significant contribution to the purchase of Lot 242 White Beech Road. 

Protected forever! Lot 11 Buchanan Creek Road will now be protected from the threat of development thanks to the generosity of hundreds of donors.

Let’s save two more Daintree properties before Christmas!

Until the 24th of December, all gifts will be matched to help us purchase and protect Lot 8 and Lot 11 Buchanan Creek Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. 

You did it... again! Lot 242 White Beech Road in the world’s oldest living rainforest will now be purchased and managed for its exceptional conservation values. 

PURCHASE OF LOT 242 WHITE BEACH ROAD IN THE DAINTREE LOWLAND RAINFOREST

THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN DECEMBER 2021.

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Action: Purchase and protection of Lot 242 White Beech Road (Lot 242 RP 740658)

Area: 1.33 hectares

Location: Cow Bay, Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland

Vegetation type: Predominantly, regional ecosystem 7.11.44, described as Eucalyptus tereticornis (Forest Red Gum) open forest to woodland on coastal metamorphic foothills. This regional ecosystem is listed as a remnant regional ecosystem “of concern” under the Vegetation Management Act 1999. 

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary

Lot 242 White Beech Road in the Daintree Rainforest

Purchase of Daintree's LOT 242 for conservation.

Lot 242 White Beech Road is a 1.33-hectare property at Cow Bay in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. It shares a boundary with the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area and provides habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary. The purchase of Lot 242 White Beech Road complements our efforts in Cow Bay where we have acquired multiple properties. This supports an efficient management regime for the conservation of the Daintree Rainforest Cow Bay. 

The vegetation on Lot 242 White Beech Road is intact with no evidence of past clearing. The regional ecosystem on the property is 7.11.44, described as Eucalyptus tereticornis (forest Red Gum, Blue Gum or Red Iorngum) open forest to woodland on coastal metamorphic foothills. This regional ecosystem is listed as a remnant regional ecosystem “of concern” under the Vegetation Management Act 1999. The dominant sclerophyll species of trees are all estimated to be 80-100 years old indicating the last fire occurred at that time. The majority of the vegetation is significantly denser being a diverse rainforest understorey. Since fire is now seldom experienced in the Daintree lowlands it is assumed that this forest habitat will omit Sclerophyll species as time lengthens. 

Tropical Rainforest on Lot 242 White Beech Road in the Daintree Rainforest

To fulfill our vision for the Daintree Lowland Rainforest requires the buyback of all undeveloped freehold properties in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest and their management for nature conservation. Not only do we want to see no further development, but we also want the negative impacts of the rural residential subdivision to be reversed. We aim to purchase as many properties as we can and see them protected in the Daintree National Park estate, as this will provide the highest available level of protection. 

Lot 242 White Beech Road in the Daintree Rainforest / Steven Nowakowski

A subdivision was carved into the Daintree Lowland Rainforest in 1982. This created Lot 242 White Beech Road and hundreds of other rural residential lots in Cow Bay. The houses that have been built here fragment the rainforest and occupation brings domestic dogs and exotic plants. This has damaged one of the most significant areas of tropical rainforests in Australia.

The purchased properties will be managed by the Traditional Owners, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji as part of the Daintree National Park Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal Land (CYPAL) estate. This includes the Daintree National Park. The Queensland Government provides funding to the Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation to co-manage the Daintree National Park. See more information and answers to frequently asked questions here.  

The rainforest on Lot 242 White Beech Road is of equal value to the adjoining Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area. 

Lot 242 White Beech Road in the Daintree Rainforest

THANK YOU TO HALFCUT

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.

Thanks to HalfCut and their wonderful supporters for their significant contribution to the purchase of Lot 242 White Beech Road. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON 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.

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. 

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.

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.

Solution

We have identified this property at Lot 18 Daley Close at Kimberley 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 the next property in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.