Q: Can you explain what the Oxbow project is?

A: This is a really interesting project overall. The Oxbow is a collection of properties that are all valuable ecologically, individually, and when considered as an entire restoration project. The actual Oxbow is a hydrological feature within the Daintree River Delta Valley.

The work we’re aiming to do is involved with the Oxbow wetland itself, as well as the surrounding former agricultural land. It’s a multi-dimensional project that connects the mangrove system, the river system and the degraded permanent wetland that’s surrounded by sugarcane plants. There are a lot of interconnected, but very different ecosystems all in this one spot.

A: This is a project of unprecedented scale, scope and complexity. On one hand, we’ve got a mixture of pellita closed forest, and endemic rainforest that is surrounded by sugarcane plants. Plus, these interconnected river and wetland systems feed into the Daintree River. These are all very different but important ecosystems that need restoration don’t think there is a project scope like that in the country.

If we can bring all of these very important habitats back and connect them, we can get this wetland forest ecosystem rejuvenated which will have a big impact on the area as a whole.

A: The Oxbow wetland has been heavily modified by agriculture over the decades, so it’s had a lot of hydrological manipulation. Over time, it means that the wetland has become completely filled with invasive aquatic grasses. But they can’t survive in a saline environment.

Once we’ve restored the natural tidal balance, it will kill the grass that’s choked out the wetland which will have massive benefits to the Daintree River.

But doing work at that scale, determining exactly the order of things when doing hydrological manipulation is a unique challenge. Once we’ve done that ecological restoration work, we’ll be helping nature and I expect that it will roar back.

A: This is a long-term project. It’s on a scale that does affect multiple properties and will involve multiple landowners. At the moment we’re really taking our time. We’ve got a pretty complicated technical analysis going on, and some incredibly competent ecological scientists helping us to understand the hydrology and its impact.

We’ve also got the sea level rise to factor into all of this. Whether people want to admit it or not, the sea level is going to be rising in the coming years.

A: Between the terrestrial restoration and wetland restoration, we’ve got two different things to consider. With terrestrial tree planting, our challenges are definitely soil related. We’ve got various different substrates and a very complicated geology. There’s a lot of alluvial sediment deposits and as we’re about two metres above sea level, we’ve got very impeded drainage in a lot of areas.

A: Rainforests grow on mulch. So when you cut down the rainforest, there’s no biomass left to recycle. We’re starting from scratch with added invasive species, metres of annual rainfall and blazing sun coming down and drying the whole place out.

We need to act as quickly as possible by shading out the site and then selecting the right species of plant that can handle the conditions. They’ll start producing their own biomass, and then kickstart the whole soil mulch into the restoration equation. Once we remove the competitive advantage of the grasses and the sugarcane, and tip the balance back in the forest’s favour, the forest will thrive.

A: To be able to do such a complex landscape restoration project, is exciting. I mean, just consider how unique this ecology and restoration is; we’ve got a wetland located right next to the Daintree river, which is an important mangrove system in itself, which runs into the Great Barrier Reef—it doesn’t get better than this—and that’s special.

Plus, we’ve got a range of these incredible forest types all in the one spot, all physically connected to each other and which will create a truly unique and biodiverse place.

The legacy we create is going to be unbelievable.