Wildlife Conservation Australia Project #9434

Propagate and Plant: Cassowary Conservation

by Rainforest Rescue

Propagate and Plant: Cassowary Conservation

Project Report | Dec 1, 2025
Restoring the Daintree Oxbow Together

By Cesar Barbosa Garcia | Engagement Coordinator

Lot 3_Oxbow_pic1

A Story of Landscape Change

This past quarter has marked a profound turning point for Rainforest Rescue and for restoration in the Daintree Rainforest. We’re undertaking our largest appeal yet: to purchase and protect Lot 3, a 65-hectare parcel of degraded floodplain within the Daintree Oxbow wetland forest system. Securing Lot 3 is a critical step in restoring the broader Oxbow—a nationally significant ecological interface where rainforest, river, and Australia’s most biodiverse mangrove forests meet.

For the first time in more than 70 years, this land can once again become vibrant habitat for native wildlife such as the endangered Spectacled Flying-fox, as well as safe breeding and feeding areas for Little Kingfisher, Black Bittern, and Water Mouse.

A Landscape Transforms

Last year, the Daintree Sugar Mill closed its doors. For generations, the mill shaped land use across the region, driving the clearing of lowland floodplains—including the vast area we now call the Oxbow, which sits between two national parks: the Dagmar Range on one side and the Daintree Rainforest on the other.

Ari, our Land Manager, summarised the significance of the Oxbow beautifully:

“If we can restore this whole floodplain, we can enable gene flow across the two regions once more. I’m pretty confident there’ll be cassowaries coming in here as well.”

Despite its precarious history, the Oxbow is still listed as a High Ecological Significance wetland, and it remains the true gateway to the Daintree. With your support—and the dedication of our team—restoration has already begun at 110 Cape Tribulation Road, the property we were able to rescue last year because of people like you.

Behind the Scenes

Last month, we hosted a webinar with Branden Barber, CEO of Rainforest Rescue, and Ariel, our Land Manager, where they discussed our current appeal and unfolded the story of the Oxbow and the beginning of our restoration journey. Together, they explored:

The ecological importance of restoring a drained floodplain
How the mill’s closure opened the door for large-scale restoration
How local jobs, community partnerships, and Traditional Owner leadership are central to the work ahead

The webinar is an inspiring deep dive into the real work happening on the ground. You can watch the recording here: WHERE RAINFOREST MEETS RIVER

You Make This Work Possible

As a GlobalGiving supporter, you are not just funding trees or seedlings. You are part of a movement that is reshaping the ecological destiny of a place that has survived for 180 million years.

Your continued support will help us:

Grow the next generation of cassowary habitat
Restore vast floodplains to rainforest
Strengthen wildlife corridors
Rebuild the wetlands that underpin regional biodiversity

Thank you for standing with us at this remarkable moment.

And thank you for helping restore this landscape for life—for cassowaries, for communities, and for the generations yet to come.

For the rainforests!

Lot 3_Oxbow_pic2

Links:

WHERE RAINFOREST MEETS RIVER

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Aug 13, 2025
A Force for Nature

By Cesar Barbosa Garcia | Engagement Coordinator

110 Cape Tribulation Rd looking towards the Oxbow

This quarter, you've helped us to achieve something extraordinary. With your support we're defending Nature – not just in courtrooms or council meetings – but in the soil, with seedlings, with trees and on the land.

Our mid-year appeal campaign, saw us exceed our ambitious fundraising goal.

Whether you donated to help cut through the 'red tape' slowing down restoration in this most precious of ecoregions, supported restoration of 110 Cape Tribulation Road—this fragile habitat, enabled propagation of remarkable flora, protected precious intact rainforest, secured land to restore and create connectivity, or boldly contributed earlier in the year…this success belongs to you.

Here’s what you made possible:

Restoration beginning at 110 Cape Tribulation Road, growing out from our “green island of hope” and preparing more degraded lowland for biodiverse habitat regeneration.
Lot 8 Idriess Close in Degarra is now protected—just over 11 hectares of intact, high-conservation value northern Daintree habitat will always remain as habitat, supporting the wonderful native plants and animals of this very special place.
Your support is helping us weather the red tape delays—keeping restoration on track, sustaining local jobs, allowing our team to collaborate with legal experts and covering critical costs we couldn’t have predicted.

This is more than a great win, it’s momentum.

WIN – With your support, we’re not just protecting rainforest, we’re creating it.
WIN – We’re addressing and working to amend the systems that hold it back.
WIN – Together we are laying the foundations for long-term biodiversity, climate resilience and community benefit.

This quarter also underlined a critical lesson: restoration is not just about seedlings and soil—it’s about systems. The administrative red tape we encountered in our work highlights the urgent need for policy and process reform that prioritises the planet.

Our team is now working with legal experts and government partners to improve the frameworks that govern ecological restoration in Far North Queensland. This behind-the-scenes work is essential in making restoration more efficient and impactful.

Thank You.

You’ve proven that rainforest restoration is a shared mission. From the donors who gave what they could, to the supporters who cheered us on and shared our message, you all made this quarter’s success possible.

The journey ahead is big: restoring rainforest habitat, challenging outdated policies, and ensuring that Nature – not red tape – defines the future of the Daintree as a benchmark for bioregions across the world. Together we are strong and we are powerful!

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Apr 28, 2025
Celebrating 25 Years and Growing a Greener Future

By Cesar Barbosa Garcia | Engagement Coordinator

What a year — and what a very special milestone.

Thanks to your support, Rainforest Rescue’s 25th Anniversary was filled with record-breaking achievements: more native trees propagated and planted than ever before, more land protected – including the significant new addition of 110 Cape Tribulation Road to our growing Portfolio of Protection – and greater momentum for restoring precious rainforest habitat in the Daintree.

It was a year of deep reflection, remembering where we began, and recognising how far we’ve come—together.

From joyful events like our 2024 Annual Community Tree Planting to new collaborations with Conservation Partners and Business Partners, every step taken in 2024 strengthened our shared vision: protecting and restoring rainforests forever.

As we close this anniversary chapter, we are excited to look ahead.

Growing the Future: Restoration, Resilience, and a Green Economy

The Daintree Rainforest is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth—and its future depends not just on protection, but on restoration.

With the expansion of our Daintree Native Nursery, Rainforest Rescue is now poised to produce up to 150,000 native rainforest trees annually. These trees are critical to re-establishing wildlife corridors, restoring damaged land, and supporting threatened species like the endangered Southern Cassowary.

Land like 110 Cape Tribulation Road represents the future of conservation: properties where we will not only protect what's left, but actively rebuild rainforest ecosystems for generations to come.

We are also working to catalyse a local green economy, helping farmers and landowners participate in emerging biodiversity and carbon markets. This will bring new revenue streams that reward conservation and land stewardship—a critical shift as the region adapts to life beyond traditional industries like sugarcane farming.

Together, we are building a resilient future where rainforest protection is not just a passion, but a practical foundation for local prosperity.

Watch Our Latest Supporter Webinar

For even more insight into the future of rainforest restoration and the exciting developments ahead, you can watch the recording of our latest Supporter Webinar via the link below.

Thank You

This incredible journey would not be possible without supporters like you.

As we enter this exciting new chapter, we remain deeply grateful for your commitment to the Daintree, to nature, and to the future.

Together, we are rescuing, restoring, and protecting one of the world’s greatest natural treasures—forever.

For the rainforests!

Links:

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