Getting you closer to the rainforest

Celebrating a champion of Rainforest Rescue

 

 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then it’s safe to say that we’re honoured to be working alongside someone who has ‘written’ millions on the majesty of the Daintree, bringing you closer to the rainforest.

Throughout our 25th year, we’re highlighting special moments, themes and people who have contributed to Rainforest Rescue’s success in achieving its mission.

Today, we’ve asked a long-time friend of ours to step out from behind the lens, so that we can recognise his efforts and allow him to share an exclusive look at a long-term habitat restoration project.

Many of you will have met him at our Annual Community Tree Plantings or at our annual community involvement at Cairns EcoFiesta.

He is of course, videographer and photographer, Martin Stringer (or Marty, as he’s known to us).

I’ve known Marty personally for almost a decade, and he’s been involved in Rainforest Rescue’s work for even longer than that, bringing an infectious enthusiasm for caring about the biodiversity and value of Australia’s rainforests.

Marty’s innate talent is in taking the vibrancy and changing energy of the rainforest and sharing it with you up-close, wherever you are in the world. For Rainforest Rescue, this is essential – to ensure that the deep connection we have with the rainforest is there for you to connect with too, through video, photography and storytelling.

Above the canopy, down amongst the root systems, close to the leaves and bark, Marty is there with his camera. Capturing the details of ancient trees, precious new growth and glimpses of the unique wildlife that inhabit these wild places. Marty’s work allows us all to develop an intimate relationship with the rainforest ecosystem.

Intertwined with this sense of wonder and beauty is the passing of time. Despite their heritage, rainforests never stand still. Marty’s lens is a means to place a bookmark on a moment amongst the trees.

Which is exactly what he has chosen to share with you today.

 

Volunteers planting in 2014 at Rosewood Road. The fan palm behind the volunteers is seen alongside Marty in his latest video.

 

Roeswood Road – a rainforest reborn

For our latest entry in Rainforest Rescue’s 25th series, Marty has added his narration to a story that spans over a decade. Earlier this year, Allen Sheather shared some of the chronology of Baralba Corridor Nature Refuge. Now, Marty has enriched this timeline with stunning imagery from the initial restoration and subsequent regrowth of 82 Rosewood Road, one of the parcels of land that forms the wildlife corridor connecting National Park-protected rainforest in the Cow Bay area.

This is the first time this footage has been shown – as a valued supporter we want you to witness the difference you’ve made before anyone else does.

In Marty’s short video you’ll see the amazing growth of the rainforest plants in a decade, re-closing the tree canopy to allow a rich diversity of slower growing flora to flourish. Once this was a cleared lot, where volunteers removed rubbish, weeds and dumped domestic waste to reveal a ‘moonscape’ ready for restoration.

 

 

Please share the story with your friends and family. It’s concrete (or rather, organic!) proof of what a little time, effort and focus can do for our natural world.

 

Worthy recognition

I’m sure we’re not alone in wanting to thank Marty for his valuable commitment, dedication and generosity to Australia’s rainforests.

In fact, he was the deserving recipient of the Wet Tropics 20th Anniversary Cassowary Award for World Heritage Presentation, presented to him recently in recognition of his ongoing documentation of the Daintree Rainforest. Very well-earned, Marty!

I can’t imagine what Rainforest Rescue would look like without Marty’s contributions. Our planet is full of wonder and fragile, irreplaceable beauty. Thanks to Marty, we’re able to share this with you as we collectively fight for its future.

When I spoke with Marty about his recent award, he said that:

Growing a rainforest community is more than just planting a rainforest, it’s about reconnecting through culture, nature, and each other.

His videos and photos are a means for us all to connect. Postcards from an incredibly special place.

For the rainforests,

Branden

 

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