This is the big one. Lot 3.
On the banks of the Daintree River, a great wetland forest once thrived.
With your help, we can begin to bring it back to life.
Are you in?
Are you in?
Instant impact. But the time to act is now.
Instant impact. But the time to act is now.
Realising our massive vision for a thriving wetland forest ecosystem along the edges of the Daintree River – a place that increases flood resilience and creates a refuge for threatened wildlife – means we need to take a huge step forward.
This is it: Lot 3, over 65 hectares of floodplain, connecting the McDowell Swamp (Daintree Oxbow) to the Daintree River and the most biodiverse mangrove system in Australia.
Donate Now
Help us Protect Lot 3 Forever
xx donation of $xx to Rainforest Rescue.
xx donation of $xx to Rainforest Rescue.
I'm donating as
I'd like to donate
How much would you like to donate?
Keep me updated with good Rainforest news
Make my donation anonymous
I'd like more information on how to leave a gift in my Will
Restoring the Oxbow.
You may recall that late last year we purchased 110 Cape Tribulation Road adjacent to the heartland of the Daintree Oxbow. We couldn’t have done this without you, thank you. We have now begun restoration work, by clearing invasive weeds and planting the first wetland forest trees on site.
Since then, a second strategic parcel of floodplain land within the McDowell Oxbow wetland forest system has been offered to us for purchase. It’s flood-prone, underproductive, and a Good Quality Agricultural Land assessment formally stated that this area is ‘Unsuitable for Agriculture’.
However, this land’s role in the broader ecosystem is just too important, too vital.
Right now, we’re aiming to raise $987,000 to acquire and restore this critical site. This is more than we’ve ever attempted to raise, and we’re both excited and hopeful that with your support we can buy this key property.
Yet, this is not aspirational nor misplaced ambition. We know it’s a big call, but we believe that this is what Rainforest Rescue was designed to do.
Lot 3 – Safeguarding nature’s buffer zone.
Due east of the faltering floodplain plantations is a protected area of immense significance. These mangrove forests are the most biodiverse in the world; representing the majority of Australia’s mangrove species in one ancient network of tidal creeks and estuaries. This is a place of ecological inspiration and a vital refugia that works hard to buffer the offshore reef from floodwaters and sediment outflow. Fortunately, they are protected, but their own buffer zone of wetland forest is long gone.
Lot 3 is a massive block of weathered cane fields, dwarfing our nearby restoration work at Lot 110 Cape Tribulation Road. Some of the last wetland forests to be cleared on the Oxbow floodplain would have stood at the edge of this prominent location, giving the mangroves that vital buffer from flood sediment and nutrient runoff.
Lot 3’s land has given so much to the regional economy over the years, but its position makes it flood-prone and difficult to manage. Now it is ready to return to Nature.
Map of the Daintree Oxbow wetlands, located on the lower Daintree River floodplain and part of the larger Daintree lowlands ecosystem complex.
The Oxbow. Waiting for a magnificent return.
Viewed from the air, the verdant sweep of the Oxbow is striking against the uniform tone of the farmlands. Fields push right up against the river’s edge. Mangroves—nature’s ‘cleansers’—are under immense pressure without the buffer of the wetland forest to slow down sediment deposits. Extensive dieback is evident, which in turn impacts the river and reef ’s resilience. Close-up, the weed-choked swamp is heartbreaking to see.
If we can restore life across the floodplain and into the Oxbow, hopefully this image will one day be a distant memory.
Tree by tree, step by step, let’s make this happen!
A changing landscape, a disappearing wonder.
In less than 50 years, hundreds of hectares of wetland forest were transformed into farmland to support the thriving sugarcane industry. Times have changed, so this threatened and degraded ecosystem could once again return to the ecologically rich and significant habitat it once was—if only we can fulfil our vision.
Every restoration journey starts with a single tree.
Despite its precarious position, the Oxbow is still listed as being a High Ecological Significance wetland and it is the true gateway to the Daintree.
Restored, it could greet every visitor to this World Heritage region with a living, breathing example of renewal—lush rainforest shading clear waters, birds wheeling overhead, life returning in abundance and a rich destination for keen birders and wildlife enthusiasts.
But to achieve our vision, the project rests on achieving this crucial next step.
“While the Oxbow represents our first major wetland–rainforest connectivity restoration, we bring extensive habitat regeneration expertise, strong community relationships and a track record of delivering measurable ecological outcomes.”
– Branden Barber, CEO of Rainforest Rescue
We are sure you know that across the globe biodiversity is in steep decline. Since 1970, global wildlife populations have fallen by nearly 70%, with freshwater species suffering an even sharper drop of more than 85%. Far too many wetlands and rainforests—two of the most biodiverse and interdependent ecosystems on Earth— have been drained, cleared, and fragmented.
But this story of environmental degradation does not have to end this way.
Whilst the life that was once part of the Oxbow has gone quiet, restoring it and the surrounding floodplain is not only possible; it is essential.
Please help us purchase a key parcel of land beside the Oxbow wetlands and watch a magnificent ancient ecosystem return!
PURCHASED PROPERTIES
It’s in our nature to protect. With the help of Rainforest Rescuers – people like you – we are significantly protecting pristine habitat for Nature and achieving strong wins for biodiversity. Visit our Protection Portfolio page for a full list of properties protected by Rainforest Rescue since 1999.
