Daintree Properties Protected Forever

Today we celebrate a wonderful achievement. One that's occurred only because tens of thousands of people truly believed we should save the Daintree.

Ten Daintree Rainforest properties — more than 28 hectares of endangered Lowland Tropical Rainforest — have been transferred into the Daintree National Park.

Our promise to you and all of our wonderful donors was not only to purchase land in the Daintree Rainforest, we also promised to provide the highest level of protection available. Today that's been achieved.

The beautiful Fan Palm dominated rainforest at Lot 110 Palm Road and the 1,000 year old Hope's Cycads at Lot 398 Maple Road will never again be threatened by development. The essential habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary found on all of these properties is now protected forever.

In 1982, a controversial subdivision carved up two-thirds of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest, creating 50 km of roads and 1,136 freehold properties. This fragmented the rainforest and threatened the world's oldest continually existing rainforest.

With your support we began to purchase these freehold properties one by one. Since July 2019 that's happened 36 times — you can see them all here. Once acquired for conservation the properties are placed on the Pathway to Protection and assessed for inclusion in the national park.

The oldest continuously existing rainforest on Earth. 

The Spirits in the Land.

The Daintree National Park is Cape York Aboriginal Land (CYPAL). This is a unique category of protected area in Queensland where First Nations Traditional Owners hold freehold title to the land while jointly managing it as a national park alongside the Queensland state government. Owned by Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation on behalf of the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people — the Traditional Owners of the Daintree Rainforest — and jointly managed with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

On hearing of this outcome Eastern Kuku Yalanji Elder, Aunty Lyn Johnson, said "The spirits in the land".

"It's what the ancestors would have wanted. It's what I want to see, Bama caring for Bubu."

As a former Chair of the Board at Jabalbina, Aunty Lyn guided the relationship forward.

"Having this Bubu (Country) returned to Bama (Eastern Kuku Yalanji people) allows healing to occur. It gives me hope for the future."

Kelvin Davies with Aunty Lyn Johnson.

This program, Save the Daintrtee Rainforest, is a partnership between Gondwana Rainforest Trust and Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation. At the 2021 Queensland Reconciliation Awards the program won the Premier's Reconciliation Award (the highest honour) and the Partnership Award.

It is described as "the only formalised, non-Government program which purchases land for conservation to be owned and managed by its Traditional Owners."

This transfer is the culmination of more than six years of collaboration between Gondwana Rainforest Trust, Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation, the Wet Tropics Management Authority and the Queensland Government. In 2021, a single property was transferred into the Daintree National Park (CYPAL). Today's transfer of 10 additional Rainforest properties marks a major expansion of that achievement.

One of ten properties transferred to the Daintree National Park.

This outcome is the first time that land purchased by a nonprofit organisation was included in an Aboriginal-owned national park. It took a number of years to establish the process; however, now that that's been achieved I am expecting to see additional properties added to the national park every year. I am very grateful for your patience and ongoing support.

We've demonstrated how healing the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people can be direct and personal. Leadership is not always demonstrated by governments. Reconciliation does not require a referendum.

As we celebrate this milestone achievement, I know one thing for sure. We couldn't have done this without you.

With deep gratitude,

PS. Let's keep this good thing going. The work to Save the Daintree Rainforest continues as we focus efforts on the purchase and protection of Lot 1 Cape Tribulation Road. Every $5 will purchase and protect 1 sqm of Daintree Rainforest. Please donate now.