In a romantic bid to buy back the Daintree, Rainforest Rescue is urging nature lovers to give rainforest not roses on Valentine’s Day. As much as two-thirds of Queensland’s tropical rainforest extending up the coast from the Daintree River to Cape Tribulation is freehold land threatened with development. But thanks to the efforts of caring people we are now very close to purchasing the ninth rainforest property. Protected forever in a system of declared Nature Refuge’s, the rescued areas are now being managed for their conservation values. Each $20 buys back and protects ten square metres of rainforest.

Rainforest Rescue’s special Gift Cards are in the Rainforest Rescue Shop https://shop.rainforestrescue.org.au

From 1968 to today, a brief history of the campaign to save the Daintree

In 1968 a track was bulldozed from Cape Tribulation to the Bloomfield River, 25km to the north, making a continuous coastal route from Cairns to Cooktown. It quickly became washed out and overgrown, but was re-cleared in 1976. Again it became impassable.

In 1983 the Douglas Shire Council pushed ahead with a controversial plan to construct a permanent 4WD road, supported by the Bjelke-Peterson State Government. Although the Bloomfield Track was eventually built, the publicity generated by the 1983-84 community blockade provided a turning point in the campaign to protect Queensland’s tropical rainforests.

In 1988, the Hawke Federal Government listed the Wet Tropics Rainforests as a World Heritage Area (WHA). Due to its constitutional powers relating to international agreements, the Federal Government was able to overrule the Queensland State Government.

While the World Heritage Area included the majority of the Daintree Rainforest uplands, it excluded most of the hill faces and coastal lowlands, which were mainly privately owned. Lowland rainforests are different from upland rainforests.

10 years before the World Heritage listing, a large sections of the lowland rainforest were subdivided for residential development by Cairns property developer, Mr George Quaid.

Today there are over 1100 subdivided blocks of land on the Daintree Coast. Many have not been built on, because there is no bridge over the Daintree River (access is by ferry), and no mains electricity. This is a deliberate policy of the State Government and Douglas Shire Council. Douglas Shire Mayor, Mike Berwick, was a spokesman for the protestors during the original Bloomfield Track blockade.

However, developers have left a legacy of freehold properties in the heart of the Daintree lowlands surrounded by the National Park and World Heritage Area and these properties are now being been steadily developed. The Daintree Futures Study (2000), like previous studies, concluded that the tipping point for the survival of the Daintree will be reached once 50% of properties are developed.

In recent times there has been a steady push for further development. Seeing the profits made from tourism and residential development in Cairns and Port Douglas, landowners and developers are mobilising to build political momentum for urban expansion along the Daintree coast.

It is essential that development in the Daintree remains limited to ensure the ecological integrity of this unique rainforest.

Settlement of the area brings with it a host of threats such as clearing of rainforest, introduction of domestic predators (cats and dogs), increased traffic and roadkills, greater demand for more services, introduction of weed species, demands for reductions in local crocodile populations - all of which will contribute in its own way to the degradation of the rainforest and impact upon the regions wildlife.

Continued settlement would also contribute to greater runoff impacts on the fringing Great Barrier Reef systems.

The area is now experiencing an increase in clearing & building applications with a store constructed and another tourist shop complex near Cape Tribulation, which may include a bakery, bottle shop and mini-mart.

Various attempts by governments have failed to solve the problems created by the residential subdivision. A distinct lack of political wills has seen piecemeal projects over the decades that solve only part of the problem.

In 1994 the Australian and State Governments funded the $23 million Daintree Rescue Program to be implemented over four years. This was successful in purchasing a number of significant blocks of land for inclusion within the Daintree National Park, as well as developing eco-tourism infrastructure. However large amounts of critical conservation land was still not protected.

Prior to the last election the Australian Government committed $5M, through the Australian Rainforest Foundation, to the Daintree; however, this has now been largely diverted to landholder education rather than the much-needed buy back. The Douglas Shire Council also pledged $5 million for conservation of the Daintree, which it subsequently withdrew.

In June 2004 the Douglas Shire Council implemented a 12-month moratorium on approval for development in the Daintree while it prepared a Douglas Shire Draft Planning Scheme for the area.

Fortunately the Queensland State Government (again immediately prior to the 2005 State election) also committed $5M and following adoption of the Douglas Shire Council Planning Scheme in 2006 committed another $5M.

The Douglas Shire Council Planning Scheme protects many properties north of the Alexander Range, which will be acquired with the Queensland Governments funds. The Planning Scheme also created “Rainforest Residential Precincts” where development will be allowed and will be concentrated. Properties with building permits obtained before the adoption of the Planning Scheme also retain these rights.

Therefore development will still proceed north of the Alexander Range including properties at Cow Bay, Diwan and Cape Tribulation.

Land south of the Alexander Range remains unprotected by the new Planning Scheme and development proceeds unchecked.

More than 200 properties remain unprotected and at serious risk of development. These properties need to be purchased and protected as soon as possible to prevent their development and destruction.

Some information in this article was sourced from CAFNEC (The Cairns and Far North Environment Centre).

The Daintree rainforest is Australia’s most diverse ecosystem.

“One of the most spectacular ecosystems in the world”

- 1145 Species of trees and plants
- 20% of Australia’s bird species
- 30% of Australia’s frog species Read the rest of this entry »

150 hectares can now be saved

It’s incredible to think that Ecuador supports one tenth of all known plant species, even though it only covers 0.2% of the earth’s surface. And with 1600 species of birds it has twice as many as Australia. Yet each year 300,000 hectares of rainforest are lost in Ecuador, including large areas of the high altitude Cloud Forest. Ecuador’s’ Cloud Forests are a recognised global biodiversity hotspot, home to creatures like jaguars, spectacled bears, ocelots and mountain tapirs. Logging and mining are major threats and in the area of this projects focus unsustainable farming places the Cloud Forests and their wildlife in grave danger.

The good news is that the project strategy has a proven way of making a real difference. The project is undertaken in association with the conservation projects of Rainforest Concern and Rainforest Rescue is helping to extend their work in Ecuador, which commenced in 1994 and reached a highlight with the protection of 12,000 hectares in 2002.

Like the rainforest itself the strategy of the project is diverse. Land purchase is one tool and although necessary in some circumstances, the purchase of rainforest alone is not sufficient in an economically disadvantaged country like Ecuador. Land is an economic resource with which people are intimately involved at a primary economic level. To ensure the Cloud Forest survives, the establishment of economic alternatives is needed to provide local people with relief from their current dependence on unsustainable and destructive agriculture. So in addition to land purchase the project also focuses on developing small businesses for local people in sustainable agriculture, low impact extractive industries and eco-tourism.

Examples are the shade grown coffee that’s sold through a fair trading arrangement - providing low impact agriculture and a high return for effort. Village industries that collect nuts from the Tagua Palm (also known as vegetable ivory) to create crafts and jewelry are another alternative to clearing forest.

Possibly the most effective is the creation of community owned eco-tourism. Farmers and their communities have willingly converted their farms and their forests into eco-tourism reserves in return for the infrastructure that will allow them to host tourists. Land adjacent to the already established eco-tourism reserves is purchased and the local people are employed to manage and protect the Cloud Forests. This along with the eco-tourism enterprises ensures protecting the Cloud Forest becomes part of the highly valued new economy.

The average price of protecting rainforest, including land purchase and programs to provide an alternative economy remains at less than $200 a hectare. You can help save one of the most diverse rainforests on the planet. Simply make a tax-deductible donation or a commitment to our Ongoing Giving program.

Your support will make a huge difference. It’s fulfilling to know that while saving the Cloud Forests we’re also improving the sustainability of the local community and the economy of the country” remarked Kelvin Davies (Executive Officer, Rainforest Rescue).

What did we achieve this year?

The contributions of Rainforest Rescue supporters reached a milestone of $30,000 for the Ecuador “Save a Hectare” Project in the 2005 / 2006 financial year. That’s enough to save 150 hectares of the Cloud Forests. What an amazing achievement!

With Rainforest Concern in the midst of negotiating on the purchase of a property of this size, we expect to announce an exciting outcome in the coming months.

Please help us to save some of the earth’s most important and threatened rainforest by making a tax-deductible donation. Every $200 that’s raised will help to buy and protect a whole hectare.

Visit http://www.rainforestrescue.org.au/ecuador.html for more information.

Philanthropy isn’t just for the rich and famous…

For many of us, the word philanthropy conjures up images of swanky charity events and people posing with giant cheques. But in reality, philanthropy is something that is quietly practiced by millions of Australians, often on unremarkable incomes.

In Australia (one of the wealthiest countries on the planet), philanthropy is on the rise, figures for 2004 showing an 88% increase in giving since 1997. Well over thirteen million adult Australians donated an average $424 each, while business giving more than doubled since 2000-01.

Kelvin Davies from Rainforest Rescue is encouraged by this trend: “The reasons for giving to help rainforests are varied and often personal. It could be that you simply love trees or holidayed near rainforest and was deeply affected by it. One of our supporters says part of his motivation is the tax deduction - his money is not being spent on a war in Iraq, it is being spent on a rainforest.”

“Living in the lucky country, there’s even more opportunity for us to save our rainforests and set an example for the rest of the world,” says Kelvin. “Australia is presently riding a ten year economic boom that’s predicted to continue for some years to come. The average wage in Australia is now over $53,000.”

You can be a ‘rainforest philanthropist’ today. Contact us on 1300 763 611 or make your donation at https://shop.rainforestrescue.org.au/donations.html

George Lewin - Businessman, philanthropist & new Rainforest Rescue Patron

George Lewin could be forgiven for putting his feet up and passively soaking up the views from his mountain-top home near Byron Bay - after all, he’s endured a 30 year rollercoaster ride transforming a backyard hardware invention into a 500 million dollar business. Instead, the man behind ‘The Triton Work Bench’ has been pouring his energy into philanthropy, both by sharing his own money and encouraging others to do the same. When asked the reason behind his interest in philanthropy, George says “I was very successful in my business career, and was very wealthy (on paper at least) by the age of 30. Over the ensuing 27 years, I saw that having more money than you need to live comfortably does not make you happy. There’s an old Biblical saying that ‘Tis better to give than to receive’ and that has indeed been my experience”.

“I pay very little tax”, he says, “preferring to give away my income. That way, I determine where the money goes, rather than leaving it to the Federal Government - for which I have very little time indeed.”

George supports about 35 different national and international charities and causes through his George Lewin Foundation, and hopes to hand over his last charitable dollar on the day he takes his last breath. He has no dependants, but says that even if he did have children, he wouldn’t leave his millions to them “because it would almost certainly spoil them”.

As well as supporting Rainforest Rescue’s work for the past two years, George was the Founding Director and Chairman of The Triton Foundation - a not-for-profit organisation set up in 2000 to help fledgling Australian inventors commercialise their ideas.

What’s our ‘Research to the Rescue’ project about?

With community support this project funds urgently-needed research on Australia’s rainforests. Together with leading forest ecologist and botanist, Robert Kooyman, and his rainforest research collaborators and partners, we have pin-pointed some of our nation’s most promising opportunities to learn, discover and explore the inner workings of rainforest plants and ecosystems under threat. All of our research projects aim to improve the protection of threatened species and rainforest communities and ensure their long term survival. Read the rest of this entry »

Daintree - how the buy back project works

The Daintree Buy Back and Protect Forever Project has a simple formula, freehold properties at risk of development are purchased and placed in system of Nature Refuge’s. Rainforest Rescue’s Executive Officer, Kelvin Davies explains how the project works….

Rainforest Rescue is a not-for-profit organisation providing opportunities for individuals, families, organisations and businesses to become involved in successful projects that protect and restore our dwindling rainforests. Its mission is to save our rainforests for current and future generations. Rainforest Rescue is involved in rainforest restoration and research, aimed at improving rainforest restoration and conservation, the purchasing of the property as well as its protection.

One of Rainforest Rescue’s more important objectives is the purchase and protection of rainforest blocks in the Daintree that are earmarked for development. This is achieved through the Daintree Buy Back and Protect Forever Project. Once enough funds are raised, Rainforest Rescue searches for a suitable property that meets its criteria, organises legal searches and proceeds to purchase the property.

Rainforest Rescue is registered with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) as an Australian Company Limited by Guarantee. An independent Australian government body, ASIC, reports directly to the Australian Commonwealth Parliament, the Treasurer and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer. The Rainforest Rescue constitution, approved by ASIC, determines our purpose and our activities. The Rainforest Rescue board of directors has responsibility for managing the organisation and for submitting a detailed annual report and audited financial statement to ASIC.

Daintree Frequently Asked Questions Answered

How has the current situation in the Daintree come to be?
Prior to the creation of the Daintree National Park a developer purchased a large area of the Daintree rainforest from farmers and landholders. They also were able to convert some leasehold land to freehold. This occurred in the 1980’s when Jo Bjelke-Petersen’s pro development government was in power in Queensland.

Who presently owns the properties that Rainforest Rescue buys? The developer divided the larger properties into smaller lots and sold them as freehold properties to individual people all over Australia. These people may have had intentions to one day build on the property or they may have been property investors speculating on an increase in value. Many are now willing to sell to Rainforest Rescue.

How does Rainforest Rescue choose which properties to buy?Rainforest Rescue prioritises the purchase and protection of the most important properties – those that protect threatened species or rare plant communities. Prior to purchase the properties are assessed by scientists (botanists and biologists) to document the values of each property. We also prioritise the purchase of properties that create wildlife corridors for wildlife where none exist. This often involves purchasing properties adjacent to the Daintree National Park or State Reserves effectively extending their boundaries.

Does each $2 really buy and protect one square metre?
Yes, on average the price is less than $2 per square metre however the price of each property varies. For example we we’re able to save two properties in Forest Creek Road for $1.79 per square metre. Lot 7 is 5.16 hectares in size and Lot 8 is a 1.2 hectare property. A total of 6.26 hectares or 62,600 square metres. We paid $83,000 for Lot 7 and $29,000 for Lot 8. That equates to $1.79 per square metre.

Do the properties purchased have rainforest on them?
Yes, we preference the purchase of properties that have fully functional rainforest rather than buying cleared or partially cleared blocks. We aim to save what’s left before rehabilitating any damaged properties.

Are my donations tax deductible?Yes, any donation over $2 tax is deductible and Rainforest Rescue will issue receipts.

Does Rainforest Rescue receive any government funding?
No, we do not receive government funding. We are supported by donations from individuals, philanthropists, business sponsorship and foundation grants.

Who will own and manage the land? Rainforest Rescue, through its “Daintree Buy Back and Protect Forever Project” owns and manages the land. Rainforest Rescue and its constitution are registered with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission to which it submits its audited annual reports. The constitution details its specific and restricted purpose and activities as a rainforest conservation organisation. It cannot develop the land. The constitution also stipulates that in the event of the Rainforest rescue winding up, all assets must be transferred to an organisation with the same conservation objectives and legal standing.

How will the purchased rainforest be protected from development in the future?
Negotiations have been made with the Queensland State government to have the properties declared as a Nature Refuge. Creating a Nature Refuge in Queensland requires an act of parliament where the Nature Refuge is gazetted. This agreement with the Queensland government is binding on the title and removes all future development rights from the land. The properties saved through the Daintree Buy Back and Protect Forever Project have the highest level of protection in Queensland.

Can Rainforest Rescue develop the land?
No, Rainforest Rescue can never develop the land. When the land is purchased we place a covernant on the title which removes all future development rights. The properties are placed in a system of declared Nature Refuge’s. Because the land is now a dedicated Nature Reserve for the protection of its flora and fauna, even nature-based tourism activities, such as boardwalks, car parks and toilets are not permitted. The only activity allowed for, under the Nature Refuge negotiated with the Queensland government, is the ethical collection of seeds for the specific purpose of revegetation works in the Daintree Coast region.

Will there be ongoing costs such as rates?
Negotiations have been made with the Douglas Shire Council to waive rates on all of the properties. Conveyancing services are provide by a project supporter at no cost. The only expense is State Government Stamp Duty, which is reimbursed once the properties are declared as a Nature Refuge.

What condition is the land in?
The rainforest on the land being purchased is in very good to excellent condition. Intact rainforest covers almost 100% of the properties. The protected land is excellent habitat for many threatened species including the Cassowary and includes rare regional ecosystems.

What about weeds?
Invasive weeds threaten the integrity of natural landscapes right across Australia, so weed control needs to be considered. Due to the excellent condition of the rainforest purchased, there is minimal occurrence of weeds. Several naturalists and ecologists supporting the project have taken on the important role of weed management.

Can I visit the properties?
Yes, Rainforest Rescue run tours that can show you the properties (see page 4). We can also provide you with directions as the properties are on established roads in the Daintree.

If you have any other questions we’d love to hear them. Please contact us by email info@rainforestrescue.org.au or phone 1300 763 611

Rainforest Rescue’s Gift Cards are ideal gifts to celebrate mothers day or to mark any other occasion. The cards indicate how much rainforest you have saved or how many rainforest trees you have planted for your friends and loved ones.

You can choose to have the Cards sent directly to the recipient anywhere in the world. Or they can be sent to you so you can deliver them personally. Trees for life, what a fantastic, unique and memorable gift idea!
Rainforest Rescue’s special Gift Cards are in the Rainforest Rescue Shop - https://shop.rainforestrescue.org.au