Protect a Rainforest

For this latest report I want to reflect on Rainforest Rescue's southernmost protected area...a remote pocket of cool temperate rainforest left out in the wilderness, known as Forest Lodge, hidden away in the northeast corner of Tasmania.

A glance at Rainforest Rescue’s protection portfolio could cast Forest Lodge in an anomalous light: Hundreds of acres of ancient tropical rainforest protected forever, much of which is granted Nature Refuge status, furthering the reach of the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area. And… a lone square on the map over 3,500km away?

But, for those familiar with the history of Forest Lodge, the reasons for rescuing this property back in 2011 were eerily similar to those affecting the Daintree Rainforest at the time. It’s these parallels that we’ll explore in this edition of our 25th Anniversary series, and a reason why Forest Lodge remains a well-loved (albeit a touch distant) place for Rainforest Rescue.

ANCIENT HABITAT UNDER THREAT

The story of Forest Lodge is one of a turbulent relationship between the forest, rapacious logging companies and the state’s position on the forest as a ‘product’. Tasmania’s deforestation is well documented, with harrowing images capturing the demise of freshly felled forest giants (typically Eucalyptus regnans), many centuries old, lying prostrate on the back of logging trucks.

Opportunities in Nature’s favour are few and far between.

However, in the late 2000s, the state’s rate of deforestation had gained international attention and Rainforest Rescue was one of a number of conservation organisations rapidly intervening alongside the Tasmanian Land Conservancy to protect what natural habitat it could. Tasmanian timber company Gunns was selling an unprecedented amount of already-forested land as it transitioned to plantation forestry from native felling. We had to move fast, and we did.

Through the generosity of supporters like yourself, Rainforest Rescue successfully raised funds to purchase and protect an 80ha site. Many other conservation organisations followed suit as part of the New Leaf project, realising that the alternative future for over 27,000ha of forests and their inhabitants was bleak at best.

In the intervening years, the area now known as Forest Lodge has been left in its natural state, tucked into the adjoining Mount Victoria Regional Reserve, on the eastern slopes of the Rattler Range in what is traditionally known as Meenamatta country.

This is a challenging region to reach, with no road access and very few designated trails. In fact, when discussing the property with Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, it’s evident that the forest receives few, if any, visitors, as they confirmed: “(We) don’t believe it has been visited since its initial assessment in 2011 as the location is remote and access quite difficult.”

The prospect of well over a decade of undisturbed growth, allowing native species to roam freely through this area is thrilling to us. This is exactly what we hoped for in protecting this property, just as we do in the Daintree – nature allowed to continue without disruption from human industrial gain.

Images reveal a sublime area of misty quiet, punctuated by the cry of Wedge-tailed Eagles. Forest Lodge’s protected habitat comprises a mix of myrtle dominant cool temperate rainforest and rainforest scrub, with the latter evident on the higher ground and exposed ridges of the Range. These ancient forests are refugia, still growing in-situ from the last ice age, some 18,000 years ago.

The area is known for threatened species such as the endangered Tasmanian Devil and vulnerable Spotted-tailed Quoll, both carnivorous marsupials needing large territories to thrive. Endemic species, including two flightless Stag Beetles (Simson’s and Vanderschoor’s) are able to exist without disturbance in the forest’s damp understorey.

When discussing the ecology of the Rattler Range under protection, NRE’s Conservation Program Officers enthused to us:

“It is absolutely breathtaking. Some of the trees that occur are centuries old and the ground underfoot is so soft with humus it is like walking on a sponge.”

On reflection, the description of ancient forest refugia inhabited by threatened endemic species feels familiar to anyone who also knows the Daintree. We’re sure that you can understand the ongoing need to protect such a precious parcel of natural wilderness.

THE FUTURE OF FOREST LODGE

Last year we received positive news regarding the rezoning of land that included Forest Lodge. Conservation Landholders Tasmania has been advocating alongside private landholders for land covenants to provide a layer of safeguarding through zoning. Forest Lodge is now formally zoned as Landscape Conservation, which is a win for nature at long last.

However, Rainforest Rescue remains concerned about the uncertain impact of Future Potential Production Forest (FPPF) in the region. One zoomed-in look at a zoning map surrounding the wilds of Forest Lodge shows an awful lot of ‘pink’ (the zoning for FPPF), fragmenting this habitat haphazardly, with the possibility to pick away at the forest like a fraying tapestry.

Frustratingly, the Tasmanian rainforests are also as prone to the effects of climate change as those in the Daintree, even though both these areas are under increasing protection from development and deforestation. The potential for drying of the forest could alter the ecological balance, so the need for Australia’s transition to energy alternatives is critical.

Perhaps it is an overly romantic notion to consider the idea of true wilderness, where aggressive human impact cannot influence nature’s balance. However, as Forest Lodge and its northern counterparts show, there remains the potential to let nature remain as wild as it can be.

Thanks to supporters like yourself, this vision remains strong after a quarter of a century.

For the rainforests,
The Rainforest Rescue team

All images courtesy of Tasmanian Land Conservancy, © Lesley Nicklason

This year, all of us at Rainforest Rescue are thrilled to be celebrating our 25th anniversary! This milestone marks a quarter-century of dedicated efforts to protect and restore the world's most ancient rainforest, the Daintree. So far, thanks to your unwavering support, we’ve planted over 373,000 trees and safeguarded 45 rainforest properties – that's over 2,030,000 square metres of rainforest rescued!

It all began back in 1999, when Big Scrub Landcare Group established Rainforest Rescue to help support their efforts to protect the Big Scrub Rainforest. The Big Scrub is a remarkable ecosystem…or was, before it was reduced by as much as 99%. But Rainforest Rescue saw that the Daintree Rainforest was in trouble and under-protected, and so turned its focus to the world’s most ancient rainforest – Australia’s largest and most biodiverse.

What mattered then still matters now. Rainforests, as biodiverse, ecologically rich habitats that also fix and store carbon from the atmosphere, are important to our planet’s overall health, and to our common future. They're also critically important to the rare and threatened species they harbour and support.

As we prepare for our upcoming 46th rainforest property rescue (look out for news about that one soon), we wanted to take the opportunity to take you back to the start of Rainforest Rescue's presence in the Daintree Rainforest, near the turn of the century.

It's not often we get the time to sit with a wild place, but in an attempt to bring that wildness directly to you, we created a unique video, and invite you to devote a moment to experience the Baralba Corridor Nature Refuge. In these three evocative minutes complete with a late-morning breeze, you'll learn about the heritage and significance of the first property Rainforest Rescue protected through our partnership with the Daintree Rainforest Foundation.

Allen Sheather, Rainforest Rescue's Ecological Advisor, was instrumental in the bond between these two organisations – his reminiscences are shared with footage from Baralba Corridor as it stands today, over 20 years since it was first protected.

Watch the Baralba Corridor video in the link provided below.

Thanks to supporters like you, Baralba Corridor remains a protected sanctuary of lowland rainforest, reminding us that the best time to protect precious habitats like this is now. Thank you for your continued dedication to protecting our rainforests and for being part of this incredible journey with us.

For the rainforests,
César and the Rainforest Rescue team

Links:

• The roots of Rainforest Rescue - Baralba Corridor Nature Refuge