CONSERVATION PROJECT SNAPSHOT
Location: Daintree Lowland Rainforest, Queensland, Australia
Action: Remove an old bus, rubbish, and environmental weeds from Lot 43 Cape Tribulation Road, Diwan
Threatened Species: Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii), China Camp Laurel (Beilschmiedia castrisinensis), Noah's Walnut (Endiandra microneura), Climbing Pandan (Freycinetia percostata), and Gray’s Walnut (Endiandra grayi)
Habitat: Lowland Tropical Rainforest. Regional Ecosystem 7.3.17: Complex mesophyll vine forest on well-drained alluvium of high fertility is listed as “Endangered” under the Vegetation Management Act 1999.
This old bus needs to be removed
Let’s tidy up the Daintree Lowland Rainforest by removing this old bus! It was left behind by a previous landowner along with a concrete slab, assorted rubbish, old bottles, and cans. They also introduced 25 species of exotic plants, so we'll remove them too. All we need is your help.
We will engage local people living in the Daintree as contractors to do this work. They have a truck and equipment to take the bus, concrete, and rubbish away. We'll have another local person with experience in weed control take on that job. We need a total of $6,250 for the contractors, transport to the nearest town (Mossman), and the dump fees.
The bus was used for a campsite
Helping Daintree landowners.
We are helping landowners in the Daintree lowlands manage their properties for conservation. Some landowners need assistance with the expense associated with restoration and others benefit from the help we provide in identifying weeds and understanding the best methods of control. We manage projects that are difficult for absentee landowners.
The bus is located on Lot 43 Cape Tribulation Road at Diwan, an 8-hectare property that’s been purchased for conservation and is in private ownership. We began assisting the landowner by conducting a vegetation survey which identified a total of 221 native plant species and 25 exotic species.
Singapore Daisy is one of the 25 exotic species found on Lot 43
The vegetation on Lot 43 is significant, being:
Regional Ecosystem 7.3.17: Complex mesophyll vine forest on well-drained alluvium of high fertility is listed as “Endangered” under the Vegetation Management Act 1999. “There is a high population density of Cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii) listed as "Endangered" under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992) in this Regional Ecosystem. . . "
For this Regional Ecosystem, the Queensland government indicates a pre-clearing amount of 26,000 ha existed with 4,000 ha remaining in 2019. About 15% remains today.
Four species found on Lot 43 are listed in the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992.
China Camp Laurel (Beilschmiedia castrisinensis) NCA: Near Threatened
Noah's Walnut (Endiandra microneura) NCA: Near Threatened
Climbing Pandan (Freycinetia percostata) NCA: Vulnerable
Gray’s Walnut (Endiandra grayi) NCA: Vulnerable
There are 546 freehold properties with dwellings (2022 Census) in the Daintree lowlands (Daintree River to Cape Tribulation) and over 150 undeveloped freehold blocks in private ownership. Landowners interested in obtaining assistance with rainforest restoration can contact us at [email protected].
Kelvin Davies with Gray’s Walnut (Endiandra grayi) on Lot 43