Emily’s Ideas for Taking Action for Rainforests

Emily (centre, wearing green ‘Plant a Rainforest’ t-shirt), Kurranji Bubu 2015 © Martin Stringer

 

In the fifth of our series of stories marking our 25th Anniversary you’ll catch up with Emily Silverstone, Rainforest Rescue’s Daintree Supporters Coordinator. Emily recalls how taking action, wherever we are, is what makes change happen.

“The photo at the top of this post is from my first-ever tree planting with Rainforest Rescue, back in 2015. I was excited to be a part of a community making a difference through rainforest action. And being in such a place as the Daintree Rainforest gave me an extra special glimpse of our planet in its most ‘natural’ state.

I’m so lucky to live near to the rainforest so that I get to see what happens next. After my first tree planting, I was able to keep an eye on the trees as they started to mature and create a canopy. 9 years later and I’m still tree planting and still seeing the difference!

Some of the trees I originally planted have been succeeded by slower-growing species. I’m witnessing one of the cycles in the ecosystem, life supporting new life. I’m seeing the results of my actions.

As not everyone gets to live near to the Daintree Rainforest, I’ve made a list of simple actions that you can take which I know will help to make a difference for our rainforests too. Check them out below:

 

Celebrate a Special Day with a Forest Fundraiser

Birthdays and Anniversaries are great! They’re the perfect time for people to pay attention to someone (or something!), so, it’s also a nice way to draw attention to a cause you care about.

If you’ve not had a go at Fundraising before, that’s OK. It’s quite easy to do. You just need to decide how you want to raise funds, then pick how you would like to get those funds to Rainforest Rescue.

For example, you might decide that your 50th birthday is the best time for suggesting to people that you’re raising funds for rainforest conservation and restoration. Then you might ask people to donate through a Facebook Fundraiser. Simple!

Check out this page for more ways to Fundraise for Rainforest Rescue 

 

Encourage Native Plants in your Backyard

Seeing native wildlife visit your part of the world is really special. Where I live in Far North Queensland, we get visits from beautiful Cairns Birdwing butterflies. They love the Aristolochia vines (specifically, Aristolochia acuminata) which we have trained to grow as food sources for the butterfly caterpillars.

By encouraging native plants to grow in your own backyard, you’re giving nature a chance to thrive in places that have become like ‘deserts’ for native species. Introduced plants compete with native ones for resources and can upset the balance of local natural ecosystems. There’s also another benefit to these plants – your environmental learning!

Reading more, trialling different plants and getting firsthand experience of seeing insects, intervertebrates and other species deepens your understanding of nature.

Learn more about growing native plants in your backyard

 

Contribute to Citizen Science

Wherever you live, you will be surrounded by plants and animals. Sometimes it can be hard to find them, especially in the centre of our cities! But, in spotting them and identifying what species they are, you can make a simple but profound difference.

Citizen Science is a way to collect data that allows researchers to highlight patterns and trends in the populations and distribution of animals and plants. This is really important for conservation work and gauging the impact of human actions on the natural world.

Our team, volunteers and partners look out for signs of species on our protected sites and restoration projects. You can take similar action where you live or visit, adding to an ever-growing body of information that gives the environment a chance of a better future.

Get involved with Australian Citizen Science projects

 

Donate to ‘Growing the Native Nursery’ Appeal

All those amazing trees that we get to plant in the Daintree soil are given a head-start at our native nursery in Cow Bay. The Rainforest Rescue team uses an ethical seed collecting practice, then carefully grows a mix of native rainforest species ready for planting.

I had a peek at all the plants out in the hardening area the other day. It’s like a mini jungle! They look beautiful.

Right now, Rainforest Rescue is raising funds to make the nursery even more productive. They have a goal of 150,000 plants a year, which is immense. A million trees in ten years for restoration projects is possible. The difference will be very noticeable!

If you can support their goal, then donate to the appeal here.

 

Involve someone you know to Take Action with you

Sounds a bit obvious, doesn’t it? Telling a friend or relative about taking action for the rainforests. But, it’s surprisingly easy to forget that not everyone cares like you do. However, with a little encouragement, they might!

Think about how you first learned about Rainforest Rescue’s work in the Daintree Rainforest, about what inspired you to start taking action. Maybe you can share a link to a video or tag someone with a social media image. Every conservation movement started with a few people getting involved and then spreading the word.

The difference that more people make will compound over time. Just imagine how your actions and those of people you suggest could combine. Doubling, tripling, quadrupling and more. It’s really exciting to imagine what a long-lasting difference we have the potential for.”

 

Let’s make it happen together!

Emily.

 

 

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