Lot 46 Cape Tribulation Road is just under 28 hectares and was purchased by Rainforest Rescue in August 2010. With the incredible effort and commitment of hundreds of supporters, volunteers and staff, this once-degraded land has been restored to thriving rainforest. It’s a remarkable example of what long-term restoration can achieve.

Location

Lot 46 Cape Tribulation Road is located north of the Alexandra Range in the Cooper Creek Precinct. The property adjoins the Daintree National Park and Wet Tropics World Heritage Area along its western boundary, with other conservation properties to the north, east and south. It lies at the base of Thornton Peak, the third-highest peak in Queensland.

Conservation Value

Under the Queensland Government’s regional mapping, the property is located within biodiversity precinct 3B Cooper Creek, one of the three highest-priority precincts in the Daintree Lowlands. The property contains Regional Ecosystem 7.3.10, described as complex mesophyll vine forest and listed as endangered under Queensland’s Vegetation Management Act 1999.

Rainforest Restoration

Following a long history of clearing, grazing and oil palm cultivation, the property required extensive restoration. When Rainforest Rescue purchased the property, vegetation was in varying states of disturbance and regeneration, including remnant rainforest, secondary regrowth and extensively cleared areas.

Between 2010 and 2014, Rainforest Rescue restored the property through our Daintree Plant a Rainforest Project. More than 40,000 native rainforest trees were planted, while weed removal and careful management allowed tens of thousands more to regenerate naturally.

These restoration efforts have increased and improved habitat, strengthened connectivity with the surrounding rainforest and demonstrated what can be achieved when degraded land is given the chance to recover.

Nature Refuge status achieved in March 2021

In March 2021, following a decade of dedicated restoration and management, Lot 46 Cape Tribulation Road was granted Nature Refuge status, permanently protecting the conservation values of this remarkable property.

The property was also given the Traditional name Kurranji Bubu (Cassowary Land) by the Yalanji language committee.

Kurranji Bubu is an ecologically significant parcel of restored rainforest, providing important habitat for species including the Southern Cassowary, Pygmy Possum and Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo.

Rainforest Rescue CEO Branden Barber said this landmark accomplishment is a tribute to the many people who invested time, money and hard work into this special land. “When Rainforest Rescue purchased this lot in 2010, it was a polluted and rubbish-strewn property, neglected and scarred by exotic oil palm production and teeming with weeds,” Mr. Barber said. “Thanks to the hard work and investment of many dedicated volunteers, responsible for removing 180 tonnes of rubbish and planting more than 40,000 trees, and the many supporters who contributed their financial energy, we are now the proud guardians of a thriving Nature Refuge. Having the support of the Traditional Owners who’ve granted the land this beautiful name is a perfect capstone for this achievement.”

The legally binding nature refuge conservation status permanently protects the conservation values of Kurranji Bubu. “Getting this important parcel in the heart of the Daintree well on its way to being restored to its former glory is an incredibly important moment and really speaks to the core purpose of Rainforest Rescue’s work”.

Rainforest Rescue works to protect the unprotected Daintree lowland rainforest by purchasing and protecting properties for conservation and restoring previously cleared land. “We’re extremely fortunate and grateful to share this responsibility and success story of Kurranji Bubu with all our supporters,” Mr. Barber said.

More information about the Naming Ceremony is available in our blog post. This special event was also covered by Sean Davey of The Guardian and we’ve included some images from the day below.

Restoration works!