We've provided answers to the most frequently asked questions for the purchase, protection and integrated restoration of Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road at Forest Creek in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.
Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road at Forest Creek.
Where is the Daintree Rainforest?
The Daintree Rainforest is a large area of tropical rainforest in Far North Queensland that extends from Mossman Gorge (80km north of Cairns) to Cape Tribulation (110km north of Cairns). It includes large areas of rainforest-clad mountains. Between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation, the rainforest is continuous from the mountain to the sea and when many people speak of the Daintree, they are often referring to this area, which is known as the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.
Why is the Daintree important?
The Daintree Lowland Rainforest is the oldest rainforest on Earth, having existed continuously for over 120 million years. It holds exceptionally high biodiversity and conservation value and is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest remaining in Australia. Rainforests once covered much of Australia, however, as conditions became drier the rainforest contracted to remnants along the east coast. The flora of the Daintree contains an almost complete record of the evolution of plant life on Earth, including extremely ancient flowering plant families found nowhere else. The Daintree Lowland Rainforest also provides a refuge for many unique species of fauna including the Southern Cassowary, Bennett's Tree-kangaroo, and Musky Rat-kangaroo.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature had this to say about the Daintree Lowland Rainforest: "Within the region, the Daintree River to Cape Tribulation coast has a special status. It is the last surviving, essentially intact, tropical lowland rainforest in Australia. It has one of the highest diversity of plant families anywhere in the world. Its rarity, fame and superlative beauty make it one of the foundations of the region's economy. It is the only place in the world where two World Heritage Areas meet." - IUCN
In November 2021, the Australian Government listed the Lowland Tropical Rainforest of the Wet Tropics ecological community, in the Endangered Category under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The listing is effective as of Friday 26 November 2021 and includes the Wet Tropics of North Queensland, from near Ingham (just south of the Cardwell Range) in the south to north around Cape Tribulation. While now listed as endangered, the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is still not fully protected. The freehold properties in the Daintree lowland remain at risk from rural residential development.
An Endangered Ecological Community.
Isn't the Daintree protected as a National Park and World Heritage Area?
Two-thirds of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest land between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation was excluded from inclusion in the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area that was declared in 1988. In 1982, a pro-development Queensland State Government rezoned leasehold and freehold land in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest, enabling a developer to subdivide it into 1,136 blocks. This resulted in the building of over 50km of roads and the clearing and development of high conservation value rainforest for housing. The freehold land between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation has World Heritage values and should be protected in the Daintree National Park.
Preceding this, Daintree Village was established on the Daintree River in 1883, with the road link from Mossman completed in 1933. The village began as a base for the timber industry, followed by agricultural settlement on both sides of the river. This agricultural land is freehold and is not included in the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area. Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road is located 5 kilometers from Daintree Village.
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Canopy trees in the rainforest at Forest Creek.
Recovering from the impacts of fragmentation
Fragmentation occurs when continuous forest is broken into smaller sections that become disconnected from the whole. Rainforest ecosystems function best as an unbroken whole, and connectivity is one of the most critical requirements for maintaining ecological health. Disturbance paves the way for invasive weeds and pests to colonise the exposed and degraded areas.
Common human-induced causes of fragmentation include road construction, housing, infrastructure, and other forms of development. When fragmentation occurs, wildlife are hindered in their natural movements and may lose the ability to navigate through the landscape. This affects seed distribution and other ecological processes that sustain biodiversity.
Past developments in the Daintree for agriculture, housing and roads have led to significant clearing, fragmentation, and degradation of this ancient ecosystem, breaking up once-intact rainforest into smaller, disconnected patches. As a result, a significant percentage of the remaining lowland rainforest now occurs within 100 metres of a rainforest edge—exposing it to the damaging "edge effect."
By addressing fragmentation and restoring wildlife linkages, we can strengthen the health and resilience of rainforest ecosystems. Connected rainforests are better equipped to respond to climate flux and natural disasters. Biodiversity security and forest connectivity are intrinsically linked.
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Lot 2 provides critical habitat for the Southern Cassowary.
About Lot 2
Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road (RP733653) is a freehold property that was once part of a larger farm. A previous owner recognised the land was not well suited for agriculture, being very flat and poorly drained so they subdivided and sold off Lot 2 as a small block.
The property is 12 hectares (120,000 sqm) in total. Approximately 5 hectares is remnant vegetation. Some decades ago, 7 hectares of the property was cleared for grazing, however, attempts at agriculture were abandoned in the 1990s and it has fallen into an overgrown state. This previously cleared land will be the focus of a integrated regenerative restoration project beginning in 2025.
The acquisition of the land will prevent the potential for inappropriate development and ensure it is managed for conservation. The funds raised for this project will be used for the purchase and protection of the land, and also the regeneration and restoration of the rainforest where clearing and disturbance has occurred in the past.
Conservation values of Lot 2
A survey of the property by our ecologist and botanist identified 233 species of native plant. This includes nine that are listed as threatened species. → View Survey Summary
The vegetation on Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road offers a linkage across the landscape in way of vegetated waterways from the mountainous foothills to the floodplain. The property is situated within the Daintree River catchment draining south into the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef. It has habitat connectivity with the Alexandra Range that borders Thornton Peak (1374 m asl) to the immediate north. The terrain is for the most, flat with two creeks dissecting the property. A small creek borders the north and eastern boundaries with another slightly smaller creek at the western perimeter.
Lot 2 is important in maintaining a vegetated wildlife corridor across the landscape, as the property is a component of a significant and extensive tract of forest that runs from the mangrove wetland delta of the Daintree River to the Alexandra Range, and the Thornton Peak mountains to the immediate north.
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Daintree River: Two creeks on Lot 2 are tributaries.
Endangered Ecological Community
As of November 2021, the entire lowland tropical rainforest of the Daintree was listed in the endangered category of the threatened ecological communities list under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) (EPBC Act). This listing is reserved for ecological communities that the Commonwealth Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) considers to have a high or greater chance of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future or earlier. Revegetated or replanted sites or areas of regrowth are not excluded from this listed ecological community provided they meet key diagnostic characteristics such as soil type, rainfall, elevation, diversity, canopy features and structure. The members of the TSSC are appointed by the Minister for the Environment. As of February 2022, the TSSC consists of 12 experts from relevant academic fields.
Critical habitat for the Southern Cassowary
The vegetation of Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road provides essential habitat for the Southern Cassowary which is listed as Endangered under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992.
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Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road at Forest Creek.
How are properties assessed for acquisition?
Properties are assessed by a trained ecologist who has tertiary qualifications in horticulture, botany, and rainforest science. Our target list of properties has been developed by an ecologist who holds a Bachelor of Environmental Science (Hons) specialising in Wildlife Ecology and Threatened Species Management. Each property we negotiate to purchase has been given a priority acquisition score based on regional ecosystem classification, biodiversity status, protected area connectivity, canopy coverage, corridor function, proximity to settled lots, settlement risk, the existence of encroachments and encumbrances, likelihood of being added to Queensland's Protected Area Estate and value for money in the current market. We are also mindful of the cultural significance of the land and how it complements the broader landscape. We only purchase properties freely offered to us for sale or that are available on the open market.
Do you purchase properties that have regrowth rainforest on them?
Yes. Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road has both regrowth and remnant native vegetation on the property.
What about feral animals?
The main feral animal problem in the Daintree is pigs. The Douglas Shire Council has a trapping program that removes 600 pigs per year. There are very few if any feral cats in the Daintree due to the number of large pythons that prey on them.
What about weeds?
The environmental weeds on Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road will be removed once the property is acquired as we are raising funds for both land acquisition and management.
What about the risk of bushfires?
The risk of fires in this location is low as this is one of the wettest places in Australia and rainforest vegetation is less likely to burn. This is managed by removing exotic grasses and other flammable plants.
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Noah’s Corduroy Tamarind (Mischarytera megaphylla).
Who is managing this project?
This project to purchase, protect and regenerate Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is managed by Gondwana Rainforest Trust.
We are registered with the Australian Government (ASIC) as a Company Limited by Guarantee (a non-profit organisation) and with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC).
Integrated Regenerative Restoration
We will establish 37,000 trees to regenerate degraded land and create native vegetation buffers to important waterways and wetlands in the Daintree's Great Barrier Reef Catchment. This work with be undertaken through our Rainforest Rangers program.
Who will own the land?
Properties are acquired by Gondwana Rainforest Trust (ABN 49 628 358 323). We are registered with the Australian Government (ASIC) as a Company Limited by Guarantee (a non-profit organisation) and with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC). Our Constitution details that we must use all money raised for charitable purposes. Our constitution restricts our activities to rainforest conservation activities. We ensure the land has the highest level of protection and that they are managed for conservation. To achieve this the properties are assessed for being declared a Nature Refuge or for inclusion in the Daintree National Park (CYPAL - Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal Land) estate.
Creek on Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road.
What about neighbouring properties?
The property shares a boundary with two freehold properties and is adjacent to the Daintree National Park (CYPAL) and World Heritage Area. We have also purchased four other nearby properties at Forest Creek for conservation.
Will I be able to visit the properties?
The property at Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road does not have direct access from a public road. It is accessed via a road shared with the neighboring farm. We will be pleased to manage visitation, however, this must be arranged well in advance.
Has this type of buyback been done successfully before now?
Yes, in the past six years, we have purchased 34 Daintree Rainforest properties for conservation. Since 1992, non-profit organisations have purchased ninety properties for conservation.
Carbon credits
This property is not eligible for carbon credits issued under the avoided deforestation method and the restoration planned is not large enough to qualify for sequestration methodologies.
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Noah's Walnut (Endiandra microneura) is found on Lot 2.
How will the land be purchased?
Properties are acquired in the same manner as other freehold properties in Australia. A contract for sale is exchanged, a deposit paid and a settlement date set. The purchaser and the seller will both have a conveyancer acting on their behalf.
The land title for Lot 2 was transferred to Gondwana Rainforest Trust in September 2024 and $600,000 of the funds raised for this project will be added to the Trust’s Revolving Fund to finalise the acquisition of the property and to support the purchase of other high conservation value land. The balance of $360,000 will be used to support regenerative agriculture and to enhance and protect the environmental values of the property through regeneration.
As a charity, we are providing the opportunity for people to make donations to support the purchase and protection of land. We are unable to structure an opportunity for people to be joint owners, to have a share, or to have their name on the title.
Gondwana Rainforest Trust Revolving Land Fund
The Gondwana Rainforest Trust Revolving Land Fund (the Revolving Land Fund) is supporting the acquisition of Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road. The Gondwana Rainforest Trust Revolving Land Fund exists for one purpose: to acquire and hold land in order to prevent damaging land use and secure it for conservation.
The Revolving Land Fund was created to address the financial challenges faced by conservation non-profits when purchasing land, including:
When more properties are available than funds immediately on hand
When long-term planning is needed beyond a typical fundraising cycle
When land prices are high and time is required to raise the necessary funds
When sales require fast settlement that outpaces standard fundraising efforts
By overcoming these barriers, the Revolving Land Fund provides finance for land purchase where we where we would otherwise miss out on protecting critical properties. Learn more about the Revolving Land Fund here.
How much will it cost?
The funds raised will be used for the purchase and protection of the land and to enhance the environmental values of the property. To purchase and protect Lot 2 Old Forest Creek Road we need to raise $600,000. The property is 12 hectares (120,000 sqm in size), so the cost to purchase and protect the property is $5 per square metre. We are raising an additional $360,000 to support regenerative agriculture and to enhance and protect the environmental values of the property through restoration.
We receive pro-bono support for conveyancing and we are exempt from government transfer fees (stamp duty).
What happens if the target is exceeded?
All monies raised in excess of the target will go straight toward the purchase of an additional property. There are another 150 properties in the Daintree Rainforest that we would like to purchase and protect.
If the fundraising target is not achieved what will happen to my donation?
All funds raised will be spent on Daintree Rainforest land purchase, protection and regenerative restoration.
We have been successful in purchasing land in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest for conservation 34 times in the last six years. We feel confident in reaching the fundraising target for this property. We want to be successful, now and in the future, so we carefully choose the properties we want to purchase for conservation. We have a plan to reach the fundraising target needed to buy each property. We purchase them one at a time, we space out the acquisitions and we give consideration to the total cost and the success of past fundraising. Of course, nothing is guaranteed and if we are unable to reach the target for a specified property purchase the donated monies will be used for a future land purchase in the Daintree Rainforest, or if necessary for other conservation projects in the Daintree Rainforest, for example, planting trees. The Gondwana Rainforest Trust is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and we are required to only spend the donations we receive on the cause as specified in our constitution.