Ecosystem Restoration Australia Project #9790

Purchase and Protect Forever Endangered Rainforest

by Rainforest Rescue

Purchase and Protect Forever Endangered Rainforest

Project Report | Oct 30, 2017
Upcycling Waste for Conservation

By Julian Gray | CEO Rainforest Rescue

Installing the bollards

Even in remote areas such as the Daintree, dumped tyres are an environmental issue. Over 600 old tyres had to be removed from a property along Rosewood Road before any rainforest conservation work could be undertaken. In addition to tyre dumping, illegal vehicle access to rainforest properties has caused significant damage to newly planted trees. Rainforest Rescue has been working with Bridgestone Australia to find one solution to this continuing problem.

In 2010 Rainforest Rescue purchased Lot 46 in the Daintree to rescue the degraded rainforest site. Over 180 tons of debris were removed from the property including dumped tyres. We planted over 40,000 trees to help restore the rainforest habitat to its former glory. Disaster struck in 2016 when some idiots in a Ute illegally drove onto the site and purposefully destroyed an area of newly planted trees. Action was needed to prevent this from reoccurring.

We looked for a long-lasting solution that would prevent vehicles from entering protected rainforest and destroying seedlings or illegally dumping old tyres and treads in the forest. Re-using rubber from old dumped tyres seemed to be an appropriate material to make vehicle barriers. However, we also wanted to make sure any solution had a low environmental and visual impact. Working with Bridgestone Australia we contacted a number of tyre recycling companies to find a solution.

After a number of failed designs from different manufacturers, Molectra Technologies came up with a viable solution using vulcanisation of old rubber crumb – importantly not using any chemicals in the recycling/upcycling process. Molectra has manufactured 12 prototype recycled tyre bollards that represents a double win for the environment by stopping vehicle access, protecting one of the oldest rainforests on the planet and providing a new use for old tyres.

"It’s been an interesting process trying to develop a sustainable solution to the problem. Over the past 18 months we’ve learned a lot about reuse and recycling of rubber! Reseach and Development projects always throw out interesting challenges, but with patience and professionality these have been navigated and now we have recycled tyre bollards in the ground protecting trees – result!"

We’re currently testing the prototype bollards to protect the latest tree planting at the new Cape Kimberley Wildlife Corridor. We’re monitoring the effectiveness of the bollards and will report back on progress. In 2-3 years the trees will be big enough to form their own barrier and we will remove the bollards to use elsewhere – following the ethos of reduce > reuse > recycle to lessen our footprint on the planet.

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This project has been supported through Bridgestone’s Tomorrow Matters initiative, which seeks to find new and better ways of using technology; encourage our children to find solutions for tomorrow; and help ensure a healthy environment for generations to come.

Drone image of the track

Joe, Basil and a rainforest seedling

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Video of the bollards being installed

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Jul 31, 2017
Protecting a 30th Australian rainforest property

By Julian Gray | CEO, Rainforest Rescue

Cooper Creek, Daintree Rainforest

Since we started out in 1998 Rainforest Rescue has worked across the globe to deliver rainforest conservation projects. However, as Australia’s rainforest charity we have a strong focus on our own back yard, rescuing 29 rainforest properties on home soil. Over the past 2 months we’ve run an appeal to rescue the 30^th vulnerable rainforest property in Australia.

We’re delighted to report that we’ve met our target in our latest appeal to buy a block of rainforest to create a new corridor in the heart of the Daintree. This will link a key Rainforest Rescue property at the foot of Thornton Peak down to the coast around Cooper Creek, joining the upland World Heritage Area to the coast. This is a unique opportunity to make a strategic connection and help deliver vital protection for the rainforest.

It’s been an exciting year, with three priority vulnerable rainforest properties in the Daintree rescued to create a new Cape Kimberley wildlife corridor. In addition, supporters have helped protect 11 further areas of rainforest, removing development rights from the land with Nature Refuge covenants. With your support, we’ve also undertaken reforestation work across a wide range of sites, with over 20,000 trees planted on one property alone.

All of this has been achieved by working in partnership with local community and indigenous groups, landowners, businesses and conservation organisations. It's the dedication of our supporters and volunteers which powers Rainforest Rescue forward to Protect Rainforests Forever!

We now have a rare opportunity to build on this great work by creating a new wildlife corridor in the heart of the Daintree. The property is of high biodiversity value and has yet to be developed. Saving this property will help sustain our growing momentum in buying back and protecting vulnerable rainforest in the lowland Daintree. This will be the 30^th rainforest property you and fellow rainforest guardians have saved across Australia, helping Protect Rainforests Forever.

The Lowland Daintree Rainforest lies between the Wet Tropics of Queensland and Great Barrier Reef UNESCO World Heritage Areas and has a vital role in connecting these two significant ecosystems.

Of the 29 properties saved by you and fellow rainforest rescuers in Australia, 22 are protected with covenants stripping development rights and protecting them forever. In addition, two further properties have been gifted to the National Park. The remaining five properties will be protected with covenants once restoration work and other legal processes are complete. The Rainforest Rescue Board have made a strong commitment to never sell off land for development, no matter what the short-term gain may be.

Links:

Thank you video from Julian Gray, CEO

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May 1, 2017
Thank You: You're Making a Difference

By Julian Gray | CEO, Rainforest Rescue

Latest rainforest property rescued

Thank You! Another Rainforest property has been rescued in the Daintree.

Thanks to your support the 28th block of rainforest has been rescued in the lowland Daintree Rainforest as part of the growing Cape Kimberley Wildlife Corridor

Lot 33 Cape Tribulation Road, Kimberley is the latest threatened rainforest property in the Daintree to be saved by Rainforest Rescue supporters following a successful appeal over Christmas. Lot 33 is important as it is the fourth property Rainforest Rescue supporters have saved as part of the Cape Kimberley Wildlife Corridor. This new and growing protected area connects upland Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area through to Swamp Forest Nature Reserve and lowland rainforest. Our next step is to put a legal covenant on the property to strip all development rights from the land to protect it forever.

The property shares one boundary with the recently rescued Lot 32 and another with Lot 29 - which then backs onto National Park. The announcement follows the protection of the Chris Bennett Reserve - situated across the Cape Tribulation Road from the other three properties. All three rainforest blocks saved in the last 10 months were in the Top 5 priority list identified by Rainforest Rescue for their high biodiversity value and connectivity.

It's wonderful to see friends of the rainforest rallying together to rescue vulnerable habitat. By targeting four properties in a high biodiversity area we've managed to create a permanent corridor for wildlife - linking upland and lowland Daintree rainforest.

Thank you for helping us Protect Rainforests Forever.

Help plant a rainforest

If you’re in Queensland this month our next community tree planting day will be on May 13th up in the Daintree: save the date for your diary. We're doubling our target from last year and are looking to plant 2,000 seedlings over the morning planting. Visit rainforestrescue.org.au for more information and to register your interest in coming along.

Community Tree Planting

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