Propagate and Plant: Cassowary Conservation

Dear Friend & Supporter,

One of the most ancient of all creatures to inhabit the Wet Tropics of Queensland is the Endangered Southern Cassowary. As a 'keystone species' the Cassowary's role is pivotal in preserving the rainforest and its unique plants and animals. Yet, It's estimated that fewer than 1,000 birds remain.

The Southern Cassowary has been the Wet Tropics' 'rainforest gardener' for virtually its entire existence, and is the major seed disperser of around 150 plant species. Around 70 to 100 of these plants depend entirely on the Cassowary to disperse their seeds, maintaining the rainforest's rich biodiversity.

With so few birds left in the wild, we must act now to help save the Endangered Southern Cassowary. If it becomes extinct, we stand to lose not just one of Australia's most iconic animal species, but also the Wet Tropics - including the magnificient Daintree Rainforest - as we know it.

Please make a donation by Tuesday 31st December to help protect and restore critical Cassowary habitat and assist with conservation efforts.

The greatest threat to Cassowaries is us...people. Rapid urban development in parts of the Wet Tropics has either destroyed or fragmented much of their habitat. An adult Cassowary needs 250 hectares in which to forage for food and to breed. The disruption of their habitat forces them to travel further - exposing them to threats like dog attacks and road fatalities.

Thanks to Rainforest Rescue supporters we are taking postive action to help save the Southern Cassowary. This includes the purchase and protection of 22 properties to date classified as 'essential' Cassowary habitat, and the planting of 43,756 trees in the Daintree Rainforest and at Mission Beach to create Cassowary corridors and provide extra food and shelter.

Mission Beach, south of Cairns, is home to Australia's greatest density of Southern Cassowaries. Yet, due to a combination of rapid development and extreme weather events, like Cyclone Yasi, as few as 40 to 50 birds remain.

That's why we are negotiating with the Queensland State Government to co-manage the Garner's Beach Cassowary Rehabilitation Centre near Mission Beach. This is the only facility that rescues, rehabilitates and releases injured and orphaned Cassowaries back into the wild.

Protecting and restoring essential Cassowary habitat and supporting the life-saving work of the Garner's Beach Cassowary Rehabiliation Centre is only possible with the support of generous people like you. Your donation is key to helping us reach our target of $130,000 by Tuesday 31st January.

Your gift is vital to carrying out these types of long-term projects:

• $50 could provide food for one adult Cassowary for a week
• $250 could help with the planting and maintenance of 25 native rainforest trees to help restore or create Cassowary corridors
• $750 could cover the care of an injured or orphaned Cassowary over an 18-month period
• $1000 could contribute to the preservation of 200 square metres of Cassowary habitat

The work of caring for and protecting the rainforest, on your behalf, never stops. As the annual cyclone season begins, a gift from you now can do so much to protect the Endangered Southern Cassowary, which is extremely vuolnerable at this time of year.

Please make a donation by Tuesday 31st December. Together, we can protect and restore habitat that is critical to the survival of the Southern Cassowary - and the many rainforest plants and animals that in turn rely on the 'rainforest gardener' for their survival.

Dear Friends & Supporters

Thanks to your wonderful support a futher 14,362 trees have been planted to restore habitat for the Endangered Southern Cassowary

There's something about Rainforest Rescue's Cassowary Conservation Reserve that inspires people to toil on its behalf, rain or shine....and that has certainly be the case this year with a further 14,362 trees planted over the past twelve months. All of this undertaken by our dedicated Daintree Land Manager Joe Reichl and a handful of passionate volunteers.

This 27.66 hectare property was purchased by Rainforest Rescue in 2010 and has been the focus of our restoration efforts ever since. As a result of a long history of abuse, from a combination of clearing, grazing and Oil Palm cultivation, almost two-thirds of the property was severely degraded with a mass tangle of impenetrable weeds, dumped cars and rubbish. The worst of the weeds was the dreaded Oil Palm; greedily self-seeding across the property.

Situated at the base of the statuesque Thornton's Peak the property provides a critical wildlife corridor between the Daintree Lowland Rainforest and the upper reaches of the Daintree National Park/World Heritage Area. Cassowaries are often spotted traversing through the property with the area classified as containing "essential habitat" for the Endangered Southern Cassowary.

The work being undertaken on the property is part of a three year project which will see a total of 30,000 trees planted on site with a further 59,000 to be facilitated through natural regeneration. All of the trees are grown in our Daintree Rainforest Nursery using locally sourced seeds which adds further integrity to this project.

In addition to the planting the site is also being used as the basis of a research project to record the growth rate of new plantings alongside the natural regeneration that occurs on the site. The research is being headed by rainforest ecologist and botanist Dr Robert Kooyman and facilitated on the ground by our Daintree Land Manager Joe Reichl.

So far two monitoring cycles have been completed. This involves recording the number and size of all planted stems and natural regrowth and the rate and development of the canopy and leaf litter cover. Our project is featured on the Ecological Management & Restoration Project Summaries website and includes a table of the monitoring results to date.

Walking around this property one cannot but be amazed at the incredible transformation that has taken place in the last three years. The wildlife is returning, with Cassowaries visiting almost daily. The vigorous growth of the plantings has replaced a degraded landscape with a vibrant young rainforest and a rapidly developing rainforest canopy.

This restoration project provides a living example of how we can make a difference. Working together we can both protect and restore biodiverse rainforests into the future.

Thank you so much for supporting on projects to protect and restore habitat for the Cassowary. Please donate now to help us continue this vitally important work.

For futher information on our projects please visit our website at www.rainforestrescue.org.au. You can also keep up-to-date by following us on Facebook.