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

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: Lowland Tropical Rainforest

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary

Here is a fundraising update for the 22nd of October 2021.

Target to purchase and protect this property: $33,250

Amount raised: $1,665

Remaining target: $31,585

Please, make your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 242 White Beech Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

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. We have purchased eight properties in Cow Bay in the last two years and the purchase of Lot 242 White Beech Road will complement our efforts and support an efficient management regime for the conservation of the Daintree Rainforest.  

We have paid a deposit and now we must raise the funds to allow us to finalise the purchase of Lot 242 White Beech Road. The property is 1.33 hectares in size or 13,300 sqm. With a purchase price of $33,250, the cost is $2.50 per sqm.

Please, will you help purchase and protect Lot 242 White Beech Road in the Daintree Rainforest. Every $2.50 you donate will save one square metre of the Daintree. If you donate $25 you will save ten square meters of essential Cassowary habitat! A donation of $50 will save 20 square meters and $100 will save forty square meters of the World Heritage value Daintree Rainforest.

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

Undeveloped freehold properties in the Daintree should not be left in private ownership. They provide habitat for many threatened species and must be managed for conservation. We are purchasing land at Cow Bay as it provides important habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary. The vegetation on Lot 242 White Beech Road is intact with no evidence of past clearing.  

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

To fulfill our vision of the conservation of 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. 

Please, will you help purchase and protect Lot 242 White Beech Road in the Daintree Rainforest. Every $2.50 you donate will save one square metre of the Daintree. If you donate $25 you will save ten square meters of essential Cassowary habitat! A donation of $50 will save 20 square meters and $100 will save forty square meters of the World Heritage value Daintree Rainforest.

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.  

Please, will you help purchase and protect Lot 242 White Beech Road in the Daintree Rainforest. Every $2.50 you donate will save one square metre of the Daintree. If you donate $25 you will save ten square meters of essential Cassowary habitat! A donation of $50 will save 20 square meters and $100 will save forty square meters of the World Heritage value Daintree Rainforest.

Lot 242 White Beech Road in the Daintree Rainforest

Please help us purchase Lot 242 White Beech Road in Cow Bay. You can donate now online and we also have a PayPal option. If you want to donate with a cheque/money order or through a direct deposit please see our Ways to Donate page. 

For the Daintree Rainforest,

Kelvin Davies

Founder

Rainforest 4 Foundation

P.S.If you have any questions about the purchase and protection of Lot 242 White Beech Road at Cow Bay, please see our frequently asked questions page or email me at [email protected] or call Kelvin Davies during business hours at 0437 423 119.

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. 

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 your tax-deductible donation now to help purchase and protect Lot 242 White Beech Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.

We’ve provided answers to the most frequently asked questions on the purchase and protection of Lot 242 White Beech Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.  

We’ve provided answers to the most frequently asked questions on the purchase and protection of Lot 18 Daley Close in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.  

Before we make a decision to purchase a Daintree Rainforest property we thoroughly assess its value to conservation. Our vegetation survey of Lot 213 Teak Road at Cow Bay was undertaken on the 28th of July 2021. 

PURCHASE OF LOT 110 PALM ROAD, DIWAN IN THE DAINTREE LOWLAND RAINFOREST

FUNDRAISING FOR THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN MID 2021.

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Action: Purchase and protection of Lot 110 Fan Palm Road (Lot 110 RP 738992) 

Area: 8.098 hectares 

Location: Diwan, Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland

Vegetation type: Fan Palm dominated tropical rainforest classified as Regional Ecosystem 7.3.4. 

Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary, Bennett’s Tree-Kangaroo, and seven species of plants

Zia with Fan Palms on Lot 110 Palm Road

The Fan Palms in the Daintree Rainforest are exceptionally beautiful and where they dominate, the rainforest is stunning. This is one of Australia’s most beautiful landscapes and thanks to the support of many generous donors Lot 110 Palm Road is now protected forever. 

Fan Palm dominated tropical rainforest is classified as Regional Ecosystem 7.3.4. The Queensland government indicates “very little of this habitat (RE 7.3.4) remains” with an estimated 3,000 hectares prior to clearing and 1,000 hectares remaining in 2019. This Fan Palm dominated vegetation type solely occurs between Cardwell and Cape Tribulation and what remains, less than half is within reserves.

Fan Palm dominated rainforest exemplifies the World Heritage criteria for listing which states, natural areas must

“contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance”.

Lot 110 Palm Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest

A subdivision was carved into the Daintree Lowland Rainforest in 1982. This created Palm Road and dozens of freehold properties. Then houses were built and occupied bringing domestic dogs and exotic plants. This has damaged one of the most significant remnants of Fan Palm dominated tropical rainforest. In 1988 the Daintree National Park was expanded and was included in the Wet Tropics Work Heritage Area. This should have seen Lot 110 Palm 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 110 Palm Road is located in Diwan in the heart of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. The property has a boundary on three sides with the Daintree National Park estate. 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 Diwan as scientists have identified this area as being the highest priority for conservation.

Fan Palm dominated rainforest on Lot 110 Palm Road

Fan Palm dominated rainforests provide habitat for a number of rare and threatened flora and fauna, including the Southern Cassowary and Bennett’s Tree Kangaroo. Cassowaries are frugivores and the fruits of tropical rainforest plants represent 98% of their diet (they also eat invertebrates and fungi). As Fan Palms produce fruits their fruits between January and March they are particularly important to Cassowaries as many other plants are not fruiting at that time. 

Fan Palm dominated tropical rainforest should be protected forever.

Before we made a commitment to purchasin Lot 110 Palm Road we thoroughly assessed its value to conservation. Consideration is given to biodiversity status (whether there is presence of endangered, threatened, or of concern vegetation), proximity to settled lots, canopy coverage, proximity to existing protected areas, and risk of future development. This assessment was undertaken by our conservation staff and specialist ecologist and botanist.

A vegetation survey by ecologist Kristopher Kupsch was undertaken of Lot 110 (RP 738992) Fan Palm Road, Diwan, on the 30th of April 2021.

The vegetation survey confirmed Lot 110 Palm Road as one of the most important locations for the conservation of Fan Palm dominated tropical rainforest. The importance of the property has also been confirmed by the presence of seven plants that are listed as Threatened species under conservation legislation and the existence of a number of regionally endemic species. Of particular importance was the occurrence of one of Australia’s rarest plants, Isachne sharpie (no common name), which is highly localised and Endangered. It was first identified in 2001 from specimens found less than 1km from Lot 110 and was only confirmed as a new species in 2010. 

Fan Palm dominated vegetation, only 1,000 hectares survive

The Fan Palm vegetation on Lot 110 Palm Road has rainforest tree species interspersed and often emerging above the Palms. The occasional tree species include, Northern Silky Oak (Cardwellia sublimis), Kuranda Quandong (Elaeocarpus bancroftii), Cassowary Plum (Cerbera floribunda), Golden Bouquet tree (Deplanchea tetraphylla). There are five species within the Pandanaceae (Pandanus family) within 3 genera and 8 species of Palms. The property has 199 species of native plant and this very high diversity of species and the presence of 7 plant species listed under conservation legislation highlights the importance of preserving Lot 110 Palm Road.

“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 centers 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”.

International Union for the Conservation of Nature. 

Fan Palm dominate rainforest with emergent Kuranda Quandong

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 110 Palm Road.

You can learn more about our project Land Purchase to Save the Daintree here. 

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

A vegetation survey of Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive has identified 230 species of plants including the Thornton Aspen, China Camp Laurel, and Ant Plant. 

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.

We’ve provided answers to the most frequently asked questions on the purchase and protection of Lot 2 Thornton Peak Drive in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.  

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. We are passionate about the conservation of the plants found in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest. We hope you'll enjoy learning about these plants as much as we have and will want to see the Daintree Lowland Rainforest protected forever. 

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.