Planting for wildlife in the world's oldest rainforest
By Sarah Chaplin 6 October 2022
In the far north of Australia’s Sunshine State, swathes of emerald green forest buzz with the deafening sounds of life. From the dark, damp undergrowth, through misty ferns and up into the bright heights of the canopy, the plants and animals that call the Daintree Rainforest home are making themselves heard.
At 180 million years old, the Daintree is the most ancient surviving rainforest on the planet. It's situated on Kuku Yalanji Country, where the songs and stories of Traditional Owners have echoed through the trees for thousands of years, bringing even more vibrancy to this special place. In total, 18 tribal groups occupied the Daintree, with some areas sustaining large populations, supported by the plants and animals of the forest and waterways that provided reliable food sources year-round.
This World Heritage-listed forest has the highest number of rare plant and animal species of any ecosystem in the world. Although it is brimming with life, many of those species are at risk of extinction. Together, these facts highlight the incredible capacity of the Daintree Rainforest to support biodiversity and the dire need to protect it.
Over the past 50 years, concerned community members have stepped up to protect the Daintree. Connie and Dave Pinson, the husband-and-wife team behind Daintree Life, are two locals making their voices heard.
Connie and Dave are on a mission to work with landowners, businesses, government departments and community members to plant 500,000 trees by 2030. Since establishing Daintree Life in 2018, they have planted over 15,000 trees, primarily on old unused service roads, abandoned residential land and private properties. Their main objectives are to increase the quality of existing rainforest and connect remnant patches of old growth forest to create wildlife corridors.
The Daintree boasts one of the most dense and diverse concentrations of wildlife in Australia, including many endangered species such as the southern cassowary, Bennett's tree-kangaroo, northern quoll and spectacled flying fox. Unfortunately, these iconic Australian animals, and many others, are under threat.
The 20th and 21st century brought change and destruction to this ancient ecosystem, with logging, grazing, tourism and residential development all taking a toll on the health of the forest and its occupants. These interventions have had a major impact on wildlife in the area, with habitat loss displacing many animals. The latest figures show approximately half of the Daintree Rainforest has been lost since European settlement.
Between 1870 and 1988 (when the forest received its World Heritage status), a thriving timber industry operated in the Daintree, felling red cedars and other large hardwood trees. Animal agriculture has also impacted forest ecosystems, with land clearing for cattle grazing being another major driver of habitat loss. More recently, the tourism industry has increased rates of land and water pollution and has laid roads and trails that cut through wildlife habitat. New roads and residential developments have also increased the frequency of car strikes and cat and dog attacks on native wildlife, as humans continue to gain access to previously untouched areas of the forest.
Rainforests have an incredible ability to naturally regenerate without human intervention. A 2021 study by an international team of scientists found that tropical rainforests can regain approximately 78 per cent of their original growth after 20 years if undisturbed. To speed up the process of regeneration, Daintree Life are gaining access to abandoned grazing and residential land to plant native species.
“Our aim is to remove areas of weeds and revegetate these areas that are no longer required for roads and infrastructure,” Connie says.
Connie and Dave are also wildlife carers. They see a dual need to care for displaced and injured animals, while also ensuring enough high-quality habitat remains to support wildlife populations. This year, Daintree Life and local community members will celebrate National Tree Day in November, when weather conditions are ideal, planting 1,000 trees to transform old cattle pastures into rainforest.
“Our ethos for doing this revegetation work has stemmed from being wildlife carers for over 20 years and seeing the need for expanding habitat for wildlife,” Connie explains. “Currently, in many areas of Australia, habitat destruction and human impact are the largest reasons for wildlife coming into care and we need to expand habitat to ensure better outcomes for all wildlife.”
The future of the world’s oldest rainforest, which Sir David Attenborough once described as “the most extraordinary place on Earth”, is looking brighter thanks to organisations like Daintree Life, who are committed to restoring the land and caring for a range of rainforest critters. The addition of 1,000 trees planted through The Seedling Bank will assist the revegetation effort of this ancient, unique and spectacular pocket of Australia.
This story was originally published in the 2022 edition of Tree Talk. Read the latest stories from The Seedling Bank here.
Sarah joined the Planet Ark team in early 2019 to work in the Information Centre and on the National Tree Day Seedling Bank special project. She is passionate about environmental science and has an academic background in biology and conservation science. Since graduating, she has worked with small not-for-profit environmental organisations and is delighted to be able to put her range of skills and experience to use at Planet Ark.
