Where the rainforest meets the reef, Lot 1 Cape Tribulation Road is a prime example of a critically endangered coastal rainforest habitat in Australia’s Tropical North Queensland.
Excitingly, it’s now protected from future development! This impressive feat is thanks to the incredible work of Rainforest Rescue and their ongoing charity partners, like BioPak, North Queensland Wildlife Trust and many other individual and business supporters.
A Rare Second Chance for Lot 1 Cape Tribulation Road
We’re proud to announce ‘a real win for the environment’ for one of BioPak’s longest charity partners, Rainforest Rescue.
One of the ways Rainforest Rescue protects vulnerable rainforests is by strategically buying properties of high conservation value – and Lot 1 Cape Tribulation Road is a shining example of that.
This 10-acre property is home to two regionally endangered ecosystems, a Critically Endangered Littoral (coastal) Rainforest and an Endangered Wet Tropics Lowland Rainforest. These invaluable ecosystems provide refuge and foraging grounds for the rare and threatened species of the Daintree, like the Southern Cassowary and Bennett’s Tree-Kangaroo, the latter is found nowhere else on Earth.
This precious slice of rainforest almost had a different fate after entering a contract with a previous buyer whose finances fell through. A sigh of relief for conservationists. With that, Rainforest Rescue jumped on this rare ‘second chance’ to preserve an incredibly biodiverse piece of the world’s oldest rainforest.
Lot 1 Cape Tribulation Road is the 45th property to be protected by Rainforest Rescue.
About Rainforest Rescue – BioPak’s Charity Partners
Rainforest Rescue is a not-for-profit dedicated to protecting and restoring rainforests since 1999. They do this by purchasing rainforest properties of high conservation value, as well as taking part in planting, maintenance and weed removal activities.
Particularly close to their cause is the Daintree Rainforest – the world’s oldest rainforest (thriving for 180 million years!) and one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet.
BioPak is proud to partner with Rainforest Rescue, donating 1% of our profits since 2012. Over this time, we’ve contributed to rescuing nearly 80,000 square metres of unprotected at-risk rainforest and planted or rescued over 90,000 rainforest trees.
While the Daintree isn’t being logged or cleared at dramatic rates like other parts of Queensland, Tasmania and New South Wales, it’s still suffering from development and human activities. Rainforest Rescue’s long-term plan is to create connected corridors to the nearby National Park/UNESCO Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, encouraging greater biodiversity and thriving wildlife. A cause we’re proud to be a part of.
Why Do We Need To Protect Rainforests Like Lot 1 Cape Tribulation Road?
Lungs of The Earth
Forests are often referred to as ‘the lungs of the earth’ because of their ability to draw in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. This plays a vital role in the health of biodiversity and climate patterns. But sadly, the world’s rainforests are under threat.
Rainforest Rescue’s CEO, Branden Barber, explains:
“Less than a quarter of the terrestrial surface of our planet is still wild. It’s estimated that we’ve lost 10% of the planet’s remaining wild places to ‘development’—for housing, agriculture, extraction and industry—in just the last decade.”
By protecting rainforests like Lot 1 Cape Tribulation, we can improve the health of the planet, help fight climate change, mitigate biodiversity loss, regulate local and regional climate patterns, and support essential ecosystem services like water purification, flood control, and pollination.
The Vital Connection Between Rainforest and Coral Reefs
Coastal rainforests, like Lot 1 Cape Tribulation Road, also have a vital connection to coral reefs. Together, these ecosystems support each other. Dr Dean Miller, co-founder of Great Barrier Reef Legacy, a long-term conservation partner of Rainforest Rescue, states:
“The connection between rainforest and reef has never been more apparent or crucial as they rely on each other for their very survival.
Healthy coral reefs provide the molecules that create cloud formation which drive weather patterns and induce rainfall that rainforests depend on. While rainforests act as the kidneys of the land to hold fast the soil and ensure water draining off these magnificent places is clear and nutrient poor, so corals don’t suffocate.
It’s a fine balance that has been going on for millennia, but things are rapidly and profoundly changing. Coral bleaching and drying of the rainforest is happening.”
When we avoid disturbing rainforests like Lot 1 Cape Tribulation Road, the carbon is kept in the soil and therefore minimises any further carbon release that contributes towards CO2 levels. In this site alone, there’s an estimated 876 tonnes of carbon secured in standing trees, soil and vegetation debris.
Recent cyclonic activity in the region highlights the need for retaining the integrity of the land to minimise flood events and slow down the movement of water through the landscape. This will reduce the soil runoff that affects the reef systems.
All Together, For Restoring Rainforests
Rainforest Rescue believes that together, we can protect rainforests forever and preserve this connection between rainforest and reef.
At BioPak, we’re a certified B Corp and proud to donate 1% of profits to Rainforest Rescue, playing a part in the ‘second chance’ of Lot 1 Cape Tribulation Road.
Other Business Partners who Contributed to this save include:
RANT Clothing
This is a real win for the environment and a win for the battle against climate change. Every step we take, no matter how modest or how insignificant it may seem, is a step for preserving what is valuable to all of us; nature.
- Rainforest Rescue’s CEO, Branden Barber
