Southern cassowary named as a priority for conservation
The southern cassowary has been added to a list of 20 birds which are identified as a priority for conservation under the Australian Threatened Species Strategy. The Australian Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt, announced the addition of the southern cassowary and 15 other species to the list earlier this year. These additional 16 threatened species were identified through expert input and consultation with the scientific community.
Eleven new rainforest properties have been protected forever with Nature Refuge covenants across the Daintree lowlands.
The placement of a Nature Refuge Covenants removes all development rights from the properties, ensuring that they are protected forever. The rainforest properties are chosen for their high biodiversity value and connectivity to help create vital wildlife corridors.
The creation of wildlife corridors is vital for the future of the endangered Southern Cassowary – availability of habitat has been identified as the single most important issue impacting on Cassowary numbers. With an estimated 4,000 Cassowaries remaining we are working with the Cassowary Recovery Team to increase access to rainforest habitat for this iconic bird.
Working with the Queensland Trust for Nature three of the new Nature Refuge protected properties have been combined to create the new Milky Pine Wildlife Refuge. In addition, both the Baralba Corridor and Rainforest Rescue Nature Refuges have been significantly expanded in size.
Of the 26 rainforest properties we’ve rescued with your support, 20 have now been protected by covenants, creating five Nature Reserves. In addition, two further rainforest properties have been rescued and added to the Daintree National Park.
These actions are having a real and significant impact and wouldn’t be possible without your support.
