Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Terrain Member with Kate Blank C4 Habitat Coordinator, Peter Trotts Nursery Coordinator(Centre) and Peter Rowles C4 President with Sponsor Terrain. Photo Credit Madeleine Beekman
After six years of dedicated restoration, Community for Coastal & Cassowary Conservation (C4) has entered the final stage of revegetating the 16-hectare Gurrbum Nature Reserve, transforming land once overrun by invasive guinea grass into a thriving native habitat.
With just six planting beds remaining, the first trees of the final stage were planted on Saturday, July 17, by a team of 20 volunteers.
“It’s getting close to completion,” said C4’s President Peter Rowles.
“This is the second-last planting. This area adjoins remnant rainforest and a creek where the revegetation work will have a great impact. We’ve gone from solid guinea grass to trees.”
Restoration work began in January 2020 and, in partnership with the Queensland Trust for Nature (QTFN), C4 secured the property as a protected Nature Refuge, safeguarding it from future development.
Throughout the years their work has been supported by volunteers and sponsors.
The latest planting has been funded through Terrain Natural Resource Management's Green Connections Project, supported by a $2 million Queensland Government investment in forest restoration to expand wildlife corridors and reconnect forests from the Daintree to Ingham.
The Guurbum Reserve sits within the Smiths Gap which is a strategic location for connectivity across the landscape.
“It’s at a pinch-point in Smith’s Gap – the longest and widest rainforest corridor in Australia. This corridor links the coast, at Mission Beach, with the ranges,” shared Terrain NRM’s Tony O’Malley
The restored reserve will act as a vital passage for the endangered Cassowary and other native species.
It will connect Japoon National Park, Tully Gorge National park and the Walter Hill Range Conservation Park. The work will ensure safe passage for Wildlife and will strengthen biodiversity across the region.
More than 6,500 native trees and plants have been installed since the project began.
“Each of the new trees were planted by hand as part of a dense planting layout. This method encourages rapid canopy formation, helping to suppress invasive weeds and reduce maintenance,” said Mr Rowles.
Madeleine Beekman, the secretary for C4 was part of the team planting the final stage.
“On Saturday, we planted the first 800 trees of what will be the final stage of restoring the critical cassowary habitat,” she explained.
Over the last six years there have been a variety of people supporting the project by dedicating their time, resources or money. The final stage of planting is expected to be completed by the end of the month.
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