The Queensland Trust for Nature (QTFN) and Rainforest Rescue were given the opportunity to rescue Lot 83 Cape tribulation Rd from development. QTFN committed to covering the costs and has granted Rainforest Rescue long-term access to create a large-capacity rainforest nursery for restoration. Our plan is to build the Daintree's most productive nursery that will ultimately produce 150,000 trees per year, increasing our current output from 12,000, fighting climate change and protecting species.
The Daintree is the most ancient of rainforests and Australia's richest in biodiversity and size. Cattle, sugar cane and development have left their collective scars on this once pristine and contiguous marvel of Nature. When you see the great clearings that divide the Daintree, it's shocking to see what damage has been wrought. In some areas, the hillsides and valleys are denuded for kilometres. And there are countless other examples throughout, making a patchwork of destruction.
Our plan is to build the Daintree's largest nursery that could ultimately produce 150,000 trees per year - that would provide for the replanting of almost 20 hectares of rainforest habitat every year! If we're going to restore denuded Daintree landscapes back to active and vibrant rainforest, provide invaluable habitat for the amazing creatures of this most ancient of rainforests, then we need to plant more trees. It really is that simple; to plant more trees we need to produce more trees.
Our Scientific Advisor, Dr Robert Kooyman, developed a planting model that accelerates the growth of rainforest species, encouraging rapid canopy closure and ensuring biodiversity. This model has been tried and tested and produces excellent results. Dramatically, climate change and habitat loss are happening faster than anyone predicted, and we need to move faster as a result. Planting more trees will help mitigate climate change by drawing down more carbon. Trees are the Answer!
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
