Tree Kangaroos on the rebound

Tree Kangaroos on the rebound.

Tree-kangaroos are on the rebound with the restoration of rainforest habitat on the Atherton Tablelands. 

Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi)

A big leap forward in restoring cloud forest on Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands is already delivering results for one of Australia’s most unique and elusive marsupials — the Lumholtz’s Tree-kangaroo.

The Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo rarely comes to the ground. They prefer keeping to the tree-tops, spending their days sleeping and their nights eating leaves and bounding about in the canopy. A rare species, they are seldom seen, which wouldn't be so true if they had more of their essential habitat. Historical clearing of rainforest has contributed to them being listed as a Threatened species. 

The Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo is restricted to the higher altitude cloud forest of the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland. They need a little help from us to survive. The good news is we've found a simple solution and trees planted in the last few years have already had leaves nibbled by hungry tree-roos.  

Trees planted for the Tree-kangaroo habitat are growing quickly.

In May 2025, a fourth and final round of tree planting occurred, bringing the total number of trees planted to 11,900. Since then, the focus has shifted to the care and maintenance phase. Trees thrive only when competition is eliminated, so there will be regular site visits to control weeds until the end of 2027. 

The tree planting site on the Atherton Tablelands is strategically located between Malaan National Park and Herberton Range National Park. In addition to its strategic wildlife corridor value, the project also helps buffer the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area that borders the site.

Ecologist James Barrie said, "The project completes an important wildlife corridor that will support the Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo, and other threatened species, including the Southern Cassowary, Lemuroid Ringtail possum and the Green Ringtail Possum".  

The project site on the Atherton Tablelands in 2025

Thanks to Dairy Farmers 

We now have 3.5 hectares of land planted and well on its way back to becoming a beautiful rainforest habitat. This achievement marks a significant step toward restoring critical habitat on Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands and is the result of a partnership between Rainforest Rangers and the iconic Australian brand Dairy Farmers. Together, we’ve combined resources and a shared vision for a greener future, with Dairy Farmers’ generous $100,000 contribution helping to make this critical work.

The partnership with Dairy Farmers, who are contributing $100,000 to the project, was announced publicly at the site in February 2024. 

Since the launch of our partnership with Dairy Farmers, endangered species such as the Lumholtz’s Tree-kangaroo, Lemuroid Ringtail Possum, and Green Ringtail Possum are already beginning to benefit from the return of these cool-climate cloud forests.

Helena O’hare and Josine Breebaart, Dairy Farmers Queensland Sales Managers, and Kelvin Davies (centre).

“Partnerships like this play a critical role in our collective mission to promote sustainability,” Gondwana Rainforest Trust CEO Richard Christian said. 

“What we are doing with Dairy Farmers is an excellent example of how we can all come together to deliver significant positive environmental outcomes. 

"By doing this work here, we will be rejuvenating and restoring this ecosystem, enhancing biodiversity, and contributing to a more resilient and sustainable future for generations to come.”

Inspecting progress on the site in December 2024. 

All of the planted trees receive a high level of care to ensure they survive. Every few months, there's a site visit and weeds are controlled to eliminate competition with the trees. This continues for 3 years, at that time the trees will be 5-8 metres tall and will have formed a canopy that will shade out the weeds. 

Thank you for being part of this journey — the rainforest is growing, and so is our impact.

Thanks to Dairy Farmers for sponsoring this project and for their commitment to restoring habitat for endangered wildlife.

We’ve partnered with South Endeavour Trust, who own and manages the Nature Refuge.