Purchase and Protect Forever Endangered Rainforest

Dear Rescuer,

Well, it’s already February—and 2021 is really picking up speed. 

Rainforest Rescue is growing and I want you to know what you are making possible.

When I jumped in as CEO just over two years ago, there was plenty to do if we were going to tune-up the organisation to be as effective and to have the kind of impact I knew was possible. 

In the time since, and with the incredible support of people like you, we’ve achieved so many things including:

• Rescued five more pristine rainforest blocks.
• Planted over 20,0000 trees.
• Replaced aging infrastructure and moved our computing operations into the cloud; this future-proofs our efforts and enables remote and COVID Safe working wherever our staff are.
• Rehired every position but one, increased staff capacity and revitalised our internal culture to be one of openness, accountability, compassion and vision for a greener future.
• Added new staff positions for better management of our supporter relationships, improved communications and more effective restoration and land management for better and more positive conservation outcomes.
• Renewed our general membership as part of our commitment to best practices in organisational governance, bringing in new energy and creating a stronger community of support.
• Built a powerful partnership that extends our reach and impact with Queensland Trust for Nature, with whom we rescued the largest block to date at almost 1,000 acres. They’ve also contributed to the rescue of Lot 27 last year and they provide us with extra capacity - help us be more efficient and effective.
• Strengthened and renewed our partnership with Jabalbina Aboriginal Corporation, who will be sharing the work load at our new nursery and helping to identify and restore new rainforest properties. Their role in this new restoration program is central and essential and we are excited to be working together.
• Taken a leap, knowing that you have our backs, to plant more trees! This meant making a big push to both mitigate global warming by increasing carbon drawdown as well as grow the footprint of the Daintree by restoring more ravaged rainforest than ever. As an organisation we have committed to building a large-scale nursery that will ultimately supply as many as 150,000 trees each year. #TimeToGrow!
• Raised over $380,000 so far towards our initial nursery goal of $405,000! This is amazing – and testament to the importance of this new nursery and its future promise.

Seriously, it’s been quite a journey. It is only because of dedicated supporters like you, that we can achieve so much. 

With your ongoing belief in what we do and your stellar support, I am very enthusiastic about Rainforest Rescue, and I see an organisation that is growing and dedicated more than ever to the best outcomes for nature. 

In the year ahead, we’ve planned:

• More rescues – with not one but two rescues underway at this very moment. These will increase the area of an established wildlife refuge connected to the World Heritage Daintree National Park.
• More trees propagated – we’re planning for 75,000 trees by late this year end and a capacity of 150,000 Daintree Rainforest trees annually thereafter.
• More restoration at NightWings – restoring ex-cane fields back to rainforest again.
• New Nature Refuges certified and wildlife corridors further developed.
• And more…

It is a very exciting time—and we can only do this because you believe in us and continue to support with us. 

Thank you for being part of Rainforest Rescue!

Branden and the Team at Rainforest Rescue

LEVERAGING THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP FOR THE DAINTREE

Our partnership with Queensland Trust for Nature is strong and making great strides. Together we are rescuing Lot 83 Cape Tribulation Rd – a massive Daintree block. This is a huge 376-hectare (929 acres!) Daintree property which will now be protected forever.

Alongside other opportunities for restoration and extending the Daintree’s habitat footprint and continuing our restoration at NightWings, planting trees is the best strategy for mitigating climate change and providing the Daintree’s best chances for survival through the years ahead. Trees are the answer!

To accomplish this, we are scaling up our nursery operations by planning and building a new, high capacity nursery on Lot 83, taking our tree production up from 12,000+ trees per year to up to 150,000 trees per year. This is huge! And we’re partnering with Jabalbina Aboriginal Corporation to staff and grow this initiative, as well as provide employment opportunities for the local community.

Lot 83 is a largely intact block with several distinct ecosystem types represented from the Daintree River on up to the rainforest-rich peak. Approximately 90 hectares need to be restored through tree planting and management. With our years of rescuing and regenerating the unprotected Daintree lowlands, Rainforest Rescue is perfectly placed to do this; to date, we have planted over 310,000 trees—and with a new nursery planned to be built on this property, we envision producing many hundreds of thousands more. With this new capacity we can begin to imagine when we can count the number of trees in the millions!

TREES ARE THE ANSWER

Rainforest Rescue’s mission is to protect rainforests forever. We do this through buy back and restoration of damaged rainforest land. and we undertake significant restoration to transform degraded properties and return them to lush rainforest habitats. Rainforest health is crucial and hundreds of species – many endemic species that are rare and many that are endangered – rely on resources in their established ecosystems for food and shelter. We’ve now saved thirty-five properties in the Daintree lowlands where they remain forever protected and out-of-reach of destructive activities.

Now we have a place that can support a large-scale nursery which, in turn, will support large-scale restoration. To ensure our success, we’ll also be relying on our partnership with Jabalbina Aboriginal Corporation and the expertise and support of their rangers and growing ranger program.

There’s a tremendous amount to be done yet, from planning to raising the funds that will deliver a new nursery at the Gateway to the Daintree. The possibilities are very exciting – and the realities of being able to provide more Daintree-sourced, genetically-appropriate trees for restoration is core to our restoration program.

Rainforest Rescue will continue to buy back and protect land, and soon we’ll be able to restore more damaged Daintree rainforest than ever before. And of the 250 acres that have been lost to cattle on this block, that is prime rainforest restoration opportunity.

You’re going to be hearing more about this initiative and we’re very excited that you’re on this journey with us. In addition to this new initiative, we’re continuing to rescue unprotected rainforest in the Daintree. Together we are making a real and important difference in the Daintree and for Nature.

It’s time to grow!