Cassowary Conservation Reserve
Property # 13 Lot 46, Cape Tribulation Road, QLD
 Healthy Rainforest Creek on Lot 46 |
Rainforest Rescue is delighted to announce its purchase and protection of Lot 46 Cape Tribulation Road in the Daintree which was achieved on the 30th August 2010. This is the 13th property that has been purchased and protected through our Daintree Buy Back and Protect Forever Project.
Rainforest Rescue has named this new property the Cassowary Conservation Reserve. This recognises the existence on the property of rainforest that is essential habitat for the endangered Cassowary.
Our Cassowary Conservation Reserve is our largest acquisition to date at 27.66 hectares and is being fully funded by individual donors and business supporters.
Rainforest Rescue chose to purchase and protect this specific property as it is part of the Coopers Creek precinct, one of the three highest priority precincts on the Daintree Lowlands for the conservation of endemic species. The vegetation is of high conservation value, containing Endangered regional ecosystems.
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The Cassowary Conservation Reserve has naturally beautiful features with the impressive Thornton's Peak (Queensland’s third highest mountain), looming in the west. Large boulders and rocky outcrops of up to three metres diameter lie along the two creeks that flow through the property.
By purchasing the property, Rainforest Rescue has removed the potential for the development of tourist infrastructure. However, in the 1960's, it was partly cleared and some development for agriculture has occurred. Commercial crops of bananas and pineapples, as well as grazing by cattle have been carried out on the land and a variety of introduced tropical fruit trees and palms persist. Between 1971 and 1983 a commercial plantation of oil palms was cultivated. 
In 1980, the well-known entrepreneur Christopher Skase removed some of the oil palms for use in his Sheraton Mirage Resort at Port Douglas as well as lining the main entry avenue to the town.
Oil palms are an introduced species that have been identified as a potential environmental weed and the seed source of palms found in mangroves downstream in the World Heritage Area. Rainforest Rescue has therefore prioritised removing the remaining oil palms and other weeds from the property.
Rainforest Rescue is already working to replant the cleared areas – not only to provide habitat for the wealth of plants and animals that inhabit the Daintree, but also to generate accredited carbon offsets.
vital role as seed dispersers |
The trees planted are local rainforest species, propagated in our own Daintree rainforest plant nursery from seeds collected from the Daintree rainforest.
Rainforest Rescue is committed to protecting rainforests forever. Thank you once again to those that made the purchase of the Cassowary Conservation Reserve possible.
To help Rainforest Rescue purchase its next property please Make a tax-deductible donation today.
Protected Rainforest Property Maps
Property 1 | Property 2 | Property 3 | Property 4 | Property 5 | Property 6
Property 7 | Property 8 | Property 9 | Property 10 | Property 11 | Property 12 | Property 13 | Property 14 | Property 15 | Property 16
More Daintree Information
- Daintree Properties Saved So Far
- Daintree Buy Back & Protect Forever Project
- Daintree Buy Back & Protect Forever FAQ's
- David Suzuki’s Daintree Message
- The Southern Cassowary
- Daintree Critical Cassowary Habitat
- Save The Daintree Rainforest
- Daintree Self Drive Tour
- Daintree Rainforest Nursery
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