After more than 13 years contributing to the conservation of the Daintree lowland rainforests between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation, the Daintree Rainforest Foundation (DRF) has elected to merge with Rainforest Rescue.

Under the terms of the merger the assets of the DRF will be transferred to Rainforest Rescue. These include properties north of the Daintree River that form the Baralba Corridor and Rainforest Rescue Nature Refuges. Read the rest of this entry »

Another Excerpt from Kaleigh and Jon’s Daintree Regeneration Experience:

Towering Fan Palm galleries, ancient flowering trees, and prehistoric looking cassowaries—it’s easy to forget what century you are in while walking though the Daintree Rainforest. The Daintree has one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, housing some of the most beautiful and ancient plant and animal life I have ever had the privilege of seeing—and I know I’m not the only one who finds it beautiful.

As human beings who appreciate nature’s beauty, it’s a natural reaction to want to settle in a place like the Daintree, but it’s important to stop and think about what it means to clear away these ancient lots of land to build and develop—it’s just not worth it. After being in the Daintree for two weeks, I felt truly privileged to have experienced all that the Daintree has to offer and I began to understand how important it is that we work to protect it.  Read the rest of this entry »

Rainforest Rescue is calling on Byron Shire residents to get growing on National Tree Day by helping to plant another 500 native rainforest plants.

The local National Tree Day event is taking place on Sunday 2 August and the planting site is the Crystal Castle at 81 Monet Drive, Montecollum, near Mullumbimby. Activities start from 10 am and all residents are invited to volunteer for a few hours by planting, watering and mulching the plants.

“We held our first National Tree Day event in 1999 and since then we’ve planted over 100,000 trees”. said Kelvin Davies of Rainforest Rescue. The trees have been planted on farms and rural properties and also in partnership with other community groups in and around Byron Bay and Mullumbimby. Read the rest of this entry »

Visitors to the Discovery Centre over the July school holidays will be treated to a new temporary display courtesy of the students from the local Alexandra Bay State School. The students, in composite grades 3 to 7, were invited to research their favorite rainforest creature and to provide an illustration. The artwork coincides with the Discovery Centre celebrating 20 years since its official opening by former Senator Graham Richardson on June 26, 1989. The Centre has also recently opened a new Reptile and Amphibian Display. Read the rest of this entry »

Words by Kaleigh Wisman, Images by Jon Sturge

The sweat! The sun! The bugs! But the trees, my goodness, the trees! Tree planting isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.

This June, my partner Jon and I had the opportunity to do some re-generation work in the Daintree for Rainforest Rescue. We worked alongside David Cook, the Daintree Conservation Project Officer (a lovely man), as well as Conservation Volunteers Australia (a diverse group of eager planters) as we planted 4,000 trees over two weeks. We planted two sites: one of which was a residential property that had been bought back by the Queensland Government; the other site was a privately owned and inhabited site that was mostly covered in Guinea Grass, a weed which the owner was more than happy to replace with rainforest trees. Read the rest of this entry »

Researchers have discovered a new sub-species of monkey in a remote part of the Amazon rain forest, a US-based wildlife conservation group says.

The newly-found monkey was first spotted by scientists in 2007 in the Brazilian state of Amazonas and is related to the saddleback tamarin monkeys, known for their distinctively marked backs, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said. Read the rest of this entry »

Your chance to see Orangutans in the wild!

Go on an adventure that can help protect the forests, save the orangutan and change the world.

To mark the launch of The Burning Season film, you are invited to join us on an amazing fundraising trek through the jungles of Sumatra. Visit the orangutan rehabilitation program in Gunung Leuser National Park, trek through the stunning rainforests of Indonesia and contribute toward the protection of this vital ecosystem.

You can take part by fundraising $6000. The money raised covers the trip costs and the rest goes to Rainforest Rescue to help reafforest and protect the Orangutan habitat. Read the rest of this entry »