Cassowaries face a range of threats arising from human activities. These include loss and fragmentation of habitat, predation by introduced pets and other animals, death and injury from motor vehicles.

Habitat Destruction: Whether it is land clearing for farming, urban development or logging, habitat loss and destruction is the major threat to the survival and well-being of cassowaries. Land clearing impacts on cassowaries in several ways: Direct loss of habitat leads to a decrease in cassowary numbers. Most animals that lose their habitat due to clearing are not successful in establishing themselves elsewhere and usually die due to stress, predation and or starvation. Landclearing negatively affects the ability of adults to establish and determine territory and status – clearing may for example destroy part of the territory of 2 neighbouring birds. Birds in areas neighbouring clearing are placed under stress due to displaced cassowaries trying to establish new territories.

Fragmentation of habitat: clearing usually results in the creation of isolated and fragmented pockets of habitat. As a result of fragmentation cassowaries are forced to cross hostile environments such as open fields and roads, exposing them to vehicle impacts and dogs. Fragmentation may also prevent cassowaries from dispersing to other areas, resulting in the creation of genetically isolated subpopulations, decreasing the overall genetic variability of the population.

Clearing Facts: · The average rate of land clearing between 1975 and 1983 throughout the wet tropics region was calculated to be 1, 424 ha. per year.
· By 1997, 80.7 percent of all natural vegetation in the wet tropical lowlands, core cassowary habitat, had been cleared.
· Up to 85 percent of cassowary habitat has been cleared in the Russell River to Murray River lowlands.
· The habitat loss on the Atherton Tablelands has been nearly as extensive as the damage on the lowlands.
· Cassowaries in the Wet Topics have been separated into 10 subpopulations due to the fragmentation of their habitat

Vehicles: A great many roads have been put through cassowary habitat. Many birds may have several roads passing through their territory, and dispersing birds many have to cross numerous roads before finding a suitable area to settle. Each time a cassowary crosses a road it runs the risk of being hit by a motor vehicle. Some people also mistakenly feed cassowaries, attracting them to human habitation and greater exposure to death and injury from cars and dogs. Between February 1986 and September 1988, 17 cassowaries died as a result of road accidents in the Mission Beach area. After that the statistics did not get much better. In the same Mission Beach area, between 1989 and 1998 there were a total of approximately 40 cassowaries recorded dead due to traffic. Given that cassowaries are long-lived, slow-reproducing animals with lengthy parental care and low juvenile survival, each road death of an adult bird may potentially influence population dynamics and the population’s reproductive fitness.

Dogs: In packs, dogs usually harass cassowaries to exhaustion and sometimes even injury or death. Older birds, chicks and sub-adults often fall prey to dogs, due to the fact that they are not strong enough to protect themselves. Dogs may also chase cassowaries away from potential food and water sources. A great many people living around and within cassowary habitat own dogs. It is essential that dog owners do not allow their dogs to roam free where they might impact on native fauna. 5 cassowaries were the victims of dog attacks, between February 1986 and September 1988 in the Mission Beach Area. Dog attack is the second most drastic recorded source of cassowary mortality. Dog attacks also affect the feeding, movements and behaviour of cassowaries. The last cassowary to survive on Mt. Whitfield – a hill right behind Cairns, was killed by dogs.

Feral Pigs: Feral (introduced) pigs are ground feeding animals and they require much of the same food as the cassowaries do. Apart from having a similar diet (and therefore causing drastic effects in times when food is scarce) the pigs also destroy many cassowary nests, eat their eggs and are potential predators of chicks and young birds. Feral pigs also often contaminate water sources, and may potentially be major dispersal agents for die-back – a fungal-type disease which kills off patches of forest, further reducing food and habitat.

Disease: Although disease is only a small problem when compared to traffic accidents, it is still a valid threat. There is growing concern that diseases are being spread to the cassowaries through domestic animals and contaminated food. When cassowaries forage in rubbish dumps the contaminated food may cause them to get Tuberculosis or fungal diseases, which spread rapidly through cassowary populations. In addition, most animals become more prone to illness if they are under stress from such factors as increased exposure to potential predators and loss of habitat.

How do you go about putting a damaged rainforest ecosystem back together? Surely a very big question but one that’s come some way towards being answered by Rainforest Rescue’s project partner The Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group.

The Big Scrub, formerly 75,000 hectares now only survives as scattered isolated remnants heavily impacted by weeds. Fortunately the practical efforts of The Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group have assisted in saving the remnants of the ecosystem from extinction and along the way have also provided many answers to the question of rainforest repair. This information is now documented in The Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group’s manual, ‘Subtropical Rainforest Restoration’ and has been revised and updated in 2nd edition launched on the 23rd of July 2005.

Rainforest Rescue wishes to thank our business supporters who have assisted with the republishing of the Manual.

The Beach Hotel, The Australian Macadamia Society, ReGenesis Pty Ltd, Rous Water, Environmental Training and Employment (EnviTE), Richmond Landcare Inc

The manual is a must have for anyone interested in understanding rainforest restoration. You can to order your copy of ‘Subtropical Rainforest Restoration’ from the Rainforest Rescue by phoning 1300 763 611

Mark Forbes, Herald Correspondent in Jakarta
September 21, 2007

A MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR plan to protect forests and reduce global warming is to be backed by an alliance of nations that are home to more than 80 per cent of the world’s tropical rainforests.

The grouping of up to 20 countries will be announced during United Nations talks on climate change in New York on Monday, following a meeting chaired by Indonesia’s President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The alliance will claim negotiations on a post-Kyoto protocol are not adequately addressing deforestation, which contributes up to a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. It is expected to call for billions of dollars of funding to be allocated to nations that preserve forests.

The alliance is expanding rapidly. A month ago, eight countries were to participate. The number has now risen to 12 and another eight countries have requested invitations, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirayuda, said.

Critically, the alliance includes Brazil and Indonesia, which are the world’s fourth and third largest greenhouse gas emitters once deforestation is taken into account. Other members are Costa Rica, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea and Peru.

With Indonesia hosting the pivotal UN meeting in December to determine a new formula to combat global warming, Dr Yudhoyono is in a unique position to shape the debate.

Indonesia’s UN representative said Dr Yudhoyono’s trip to New York demonstrated his personal commitment to the issue.

As well as heading the meeting of rainforest nations, Dr Yudhoyono will attend a leaders’ global warming summit called by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, and a UN General Assembly session on climate change.

Indonesia’s Environment Minister, Rachmat Witoelar, said the rainforest nations would commit to sustainable forest management and develop an action plan at the New York meeting. The alliance aimed to increase the bargaining position of rainforest nations at the December negotiations in Bali, to shape the successor to the Kyoto protocol, he said.

In an effort to swing attention away from reducing industrial carbon emissions, Mr Witoelar said tropical forest management had to become part of the post-Kyoto agenda.

The concept of “avoided deforestation” must be recognised and rewarded, he said. Essentially, countries with tropical forests are asking to be compensated for not logging them, probably with “carbon credits”. Under the Kyoto protocol, a carbon credits scheme of financial incentives excludes forest protection. Only replanting is eligible for assistance.

Indonesia’s Forestry Minister, Malam Kaban, speaking from Beijing, said Indonesia could sell 14 million cubic metres of logs a year, but was selling only 9 million to promote sustainability. “Who pays? We are saving the forest but taking an economic loss,” Mr Kaban said. “The demand is there, so there is no reason not to cut.”

A recent World Bank report is highly critical of continued logging in Indonesia, estimating that more than 2 million hectares are lost to illegal logging and forest fires each year.

By Julio Godoy

VIENNA, Sep 20 (IPS) – Instead of providing positive incentives to tropical nations to conserve their rainforests and so reduce greenhouse gases emissions, the world indirectly gives “perverse incentives” to destroy them by demanding goods produced by intensive logging, a leading environmental activist says.

“The Kyoto protocol does not give incentives to rainforest nations to protect their forests,” Kevin Conrad, special envoy of the environment and climate change permanent mission of Papua New Guinea to the United Nations told IPS.

The Kyoto protocol is the international agreement that establishes how industrialised countries should reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by an average of five percent relative to 1990 levels. The treaty does not assign targets to developing nations.

One of the instruments of the Kyoto protocol is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), an arrangement that allows industrialised countries with a GHG reduction commitment to invest in projects in developing countries that reduce emissions. This then counts towards their domestic ‘clean’ record. Conservation of rainforests is not included in such projects.

Between 1989 and 1995, global emissions as a result of deforestation amounted to 5,000 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide, studies show.

“Instead of giving us incentives to protect our forests, the world gives countries like mine incentives to destroy them,” Conrad said. Coffee, soy beans, sugar, flowers and wood furniture, he said, can only be produced in developing countries through systematic deforestation.

“Tropical rainforest nations deserve to be treated equally,” Conrad said. “If we reduce deforestation, we must receive fair compensation for reductions. A tonne (of carbon dioxide) is a tonne is a tonne.”

Conrad is also executive director of the Coalition of Rainforest Nations (CRN), a worldwide coalition of developing countries with significant rainforests cover. The coalition has a secretariat at Columbia University in New York, and facilitates development of proactive strategies towards environmentally sustainable economic growth.

Among the causes of deforestation in developing countries, other than the production of export goods, appear to be the need for cheap energy, and infrastructure projects, such as roads, mining and power lines.

Deforestation is particularly dramatic in Brazil and Indonesia, where some five million hectares of forest are lost every year due to such causes, and more recently, the plantation of palm trees to produce bio-fuels.

Other tropical countries such as Sudan, Burma and Zambia lose more than 400,000 hectares per year of forest. Africa is losing the most forest, with some five million hectares lost every year between 1990 and 2000, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA).

The RFA, produced by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in cooperation with governments and specialists in the field, is a comprehensive assessment of forests.

Conrad told IPS that loss of rainforest has a large environmental impact, from degradation of the quality of water in lakes and rivers to decimation of biological diversity, damage to ecosystems, and prevention of natural processes such as pollination.

According to CRN, deforestation threatens to annihilate some 60 percent of all species.

Conversely, protecting rainforests represents major benefits for the environment, since it is a significant source of carbon emission reductions outside the framework of the Kyoto protocol. In addition, it can create substantial new revenue streams to addresses poverty in rural areas.

Conrad has called for a new approach to conserving rainforests, to be considered in negotiations towards a new international framework on climate change from 2012, when the operative period of the Kyoto protocol ends. The proposal is likely to come up at the conference the United Nations is organising in Bali in Indonesia in December.

According to the CRN, a new approach should begin in 2008. Conrad said new initiatives must consider both aforestation and reforestation. Aforestastion is the artificial establishment of forests in non-forest land, while reforestation is re-establishment of forest in an area previously under forest cover. (END/2007)

Text and photos by Michael Snedic

The tropical rainforests of north-eastern Australia are a haven for a wide variety of wildlife species. The Daintree region, in particular, is brimming with wildlife and many species are unique to the area. The Cassowary, Bennett’s Tree Kangaroo, Musky Rat Kangaroo, Spectacled Flying Fox and Spotted-tailed Quoll are just a few of the diverse variety of wildlife species found in this area that rely heavily on the Daintree for their survival.

Most people believe that due to its National Park’s status and World Heritage Listing, the Daintree is fully-protected. Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case. In the 1980’s, with the assistance of the Joh Bjelke-Petersen Government, a rural residential development comprising more than 1,100 private blocks was established over much of the Daintree lowland rainforest. For this reason the majority of the priceless ancient lowland rainforest area was never listed as World Heritage.

Not-for-profit organisation Rainforest Rescue purchases blocks of land that are up for sale. Even though parts of the Coastal Lowland Tropical Rainforest from the Daintree River to Cape Tribulation are surrounded by the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, they still remain unprotected and endangered. Thanks to donations from members of the public, businesses and organisations, some of these tracts of tropical rainforest have been saved from human settlement. Due to the limited ability of the government schemes to adequately protect the Daintree, Rainforest Rescue has set its aim on buying those blocks of freehold Daintree rainforest having the highest conservation values, but where development is still permitted. The land is bought and placed in purposely created and gazetted Nature Refuges. With development continuing every year, the race is on to save the Daintree. With the support of everyday Australians, Rainforest Rescue has now contributed to the purchase of nine properties in the Daintree and Rainforest Rescuers are now looking forward to purchasing a tenth property.

The vast majority of rainforest blocks have been already privately purchased for either investment or residential/retirement purposes. Whilst some have been cleared, partly cleared or selectively logged, the majority are covered by rainforest, providing essential habitat to the endangered Cassowary. There are only around 1000 of this species left in the wild. Population growth and the popularity of Far North Queensland as a tourism destination are pushing the endangered Cassowary to extinction. Tragically, it’s now estimated that only 1,000 of these large, flightless birds remain. Compared to Giant Panda, of which approximately 3,000 remain in the wild, the plight of the Cassowary is alarming. The Cassowary and the Daintree are mutually dependant. So important is the Cassowary to the Daintree, its extinction would also threaten the regeneration of more than seventy species of plants. Their fruits and seeds are eaten by the Cassowary and eventually their seeds are dispersed.

Another wildlife species that relies on the tropical rainforests of northern Queensland for its survival is the unique Musky Rat Kangaroo. It is the smallest and most morphologically primitive macropod in the world, bounds on all fours (unlike other macropods) and one of only two mammals that is diurnal. The Orange-thighed Green Tree Frog is also an inhabitant of the Daintree rainforest and spends its life in the canopy, only descending to breed. It lives at altitudes of 20 – 130metres and depends on the rainforest for its survival.

I recently visited the Daintree region and spent time in the stunningly beautiful rainforest, including a couple of the properties that Rainforest Rescue had saved from development. It saddened me to see some nearby properties where parts of the rainforest had been stripped down to the bare earth, in readiness to build properties on.

Donations from the public are essential in helping to buy back more rainforest blocks and protecting them forever. Our native wildlife species deserve this chance. To contribute to the ‘Daintree Buy Back and Protect Forever Project’ with your tax-deductible donation, please contact Rainforest Rescue on 1300 763 611 or visit the Rainforest Rescue website at www.rainforestrescue.org.au. Alternatively, you can send a cheque or money order made out to Rainforest Rescue, PO Box 1511 Toowong, Queensland 4066.

What do Trees have to do with Peace?

An African woman, Dr. Wangari Maathai, is this year’s Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate. Her story…

Thirty years ago, in the country of Kenya, 90% of the forest had been chopped down. Without trees to hold the topsoil in place, the land became like a desert. Read the rest of this entry »

Donation Home Loans makes monthly contributions to Rainforest Rescue as part of their Community Partner Program. As a community-minded mortgage broking firm, Donation Homeloans donates 50% of their monthly, ongoing commission to charities chosen by their clients, for the life of every loan. Rainforest Rescue is a listed recipient of this program.

As an award winning brokering service, Donation Home Loans focuses on saving you money by selecting the most appropriate home, commercial, or investment loan for your needs.

As a socially responsible business, Donation Home Loans are committed to financially supporting Australia’s non-profit sector, through their belief that every business has an obligation to support the community in which it operates.

The Community Partner Program at Donation Home Loans facilitates donations of over $12,000 per month to over 200 participating non-profit organisations, charities, schools.

This ongoing monthly contribution enables Rainforest Rescue to carry out Rainforest protection, restoration and research projects that ensure the world’s pristine rainforests, including rare species of plants and wildlife, are preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Socially conscious home buyers and business people can call Donation Home Loans on 1300 30 99 79 or visit www.donationhomeloans.com.au to find out more about competitive loan products.

If you are interested in sustainable housing Rainforest Rescue recommends you check out SALA Homes.

SALA Homes are helping to save the Daintree Rainforest by making a donation from the sale of their plans and information packs. Read the rest of this entry »