Celebrating 25 Years of Protecting and Restoring Rainforests

Today is a very special day.

Like us at Rainforest Rescue, you’ve probably been occupied with thoughts of how we can better help our environment, especially in the face of intense pressure from human interference

Amid it all, we sometimes miss the opportunities to recognise and celebrate the good things, such as that 25th March 2024, today, marks the 25th Anniversary of Rainforest Rescue.

Wow. 25 years!

And doesn’t 1999 feel like an eternity ago?

I want to say that all of us here at Rainforest Rescue thank you for your ongoing, unwavering support to protect and restore our precious rainforests.

Thank you. You and your commitment to Nature truly are amazing.

A lot of good, Nature-positive things happened over these 25 years. With your help, Rainforest Rescue has planted over 300,000 trees to restore the Wet Tropics rainforest. Together we now protect 45 rainforest properties – 32 of which are protected forever through Nature Refuge Conservation Agreements. And you helped to build the Daintree region’s most productive native plant nursery to restore rainforest habitat while catalysing and supporting the growth of the local restoration economy.

You did this. You have every right to feel proud. We do!

We want to use Rainforest Rescue’s 25th year to celebrate the great conservation outcomes we’ve achieved together. It’s also a chance to inspire, and to encourage others to join our cause. Perhaps you know someone who would be inspired by what you’re doing and have done with Rainforest Rescue. Please, share our message with them. We’d love them to join us as together we celebrate. Because today, and over the coming year, we have great reason to celebrate. Rainforest Rescue is an amazing community of like-minded people who have spent a quarter of a century protecting, restoring and caring for a precious part of our planet – its rainforests.

Join us in this celebration.

 

We have two very important dates for your diary.

First, you’re invited to a special supporter webinar.

Rainforest Rescue’s founder, Dr Tony Parkes AO, will be our honoured guest. You can expect stories from our early years as well as Tony’s perspective on the future of Australia’s rainforests. Tony has been an active force in the protection of some of the world’s oldest and most biodiverse rainforests and his perspective brings both gravitas and optimism. If you can make it, it’s really a must-watch. We’ve made it easy to reserve a spot for the webinar.

Then, in May, we have our Annual Community Tree Planting in the Daintree.

This annual event is always a winner for people of all ages and capacities. Every year sees more people involved – and more and more beautiful trees in the ground as together we re–establish Daintree Rainforest. It’s going to be a perfect time to celebrate, plant and make memories.

To help you with your plans for May, check out our dedicated page – so you can save the date, get all the details and reserve your spot. We can’t wait to see you there, enjoy planting trees and celebrating together.

 

What’s next for our 25th year?

Back in 1999, Big Scrub Landcare Group established Rainforest Rescue to help support their efforts to protect the Big Scrub Rainforest. The Big Scrub is a remarkable ecosystem…or was, before it was reduced by as much as 99%. But Rainforest Rescue saw that the Daintree Rainforest was in trouble and under-protected, and so turned its focus to the world’s most ancient rainforest – Australia’s largest and most biodiverse. The latter is now in the care of the recently rebranded, Big Scrub Rainforest Conservancy. The former, well, that’s us! And what mattered then still matters now. Rainforests, as biodiverse, ecologically rich habitats that also fix and store carbon from the atmosphere, are important to our planet’s overall health, and to our common future.

Simply put, trees are the answer.

In fact, as the recent flooding in Far North Queensland demonstrated, it’s clear that trees really are the answer. We witnessed firsthand the difference that trees make to the tropical lowlands, holding soil, retaining watercourse integrity and slowing down the movement of floodwaters.

Together, we will make this year the biggest ever for the rainforests. To build upon a well known proverb, “The better time to plant a tree was 25 years ago. The best time is now.”

See you soon, and I’m so glad we can celebrate with you!

For the rainforests,

Branden
(on behalf of the whole team at Rainforest Rescue)

 

 

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