‘Overwhelming support’ in favour of Daintree Oxbow restoration hinges on Council decision

Daintree Oxbow floodplain as it looks today, a mosaic of remnant habitat, regrowth and agricultural land. ©Rainforest Rescue/Martin Stringer

By the time you read this, the future for hundreds of hectares of land close to the Daintree River, mangrove forests and an ecologically significant wetland could be determined.

An extensive proposal from Rainforest Rescue to undertake long-term conservation and restoration of a dozen floodplain land lots surrounding the Daintree Oxbow (McDowell Swamp) has so far met with incredibly positive encouragement, including endorsement from local landholders.

At least 40 letters of support, including several from Wet Tropics Restoration Alliance members, were submitted to Douglas Shire Council by residents, businesses and ecological organisations in favour of the planned development project.

Mark Cox, Communications Manager at Rainforest Rescue, said “We’re overwhelmed by the feedback our proposal has received locally and nationally. It means so much for this project to be recognised by the Wet Tropics conservation and restoration community as a matter of importance. The Daintree Oxbow is an ecologically significant wetland that desperately needs rehabilitation, it can once again become a vital fish nursery, a flood-sediment filter and a place of refuge for threatened species.”

With the closure of Mossman’s sugar mill, the future agricultural viability of the area surrounding the Oxbow has come into question. Over 400 hectares of former sugarcane land on the Lower Daintree floodplain could instead be returned to wetland forest habitat if the proposal goes ahead. This would relieve the pressure on some of the world’s most biodiverse mangroves which are at risk from tidal surges and sea level changes. The conservation of the Oxbow would also align with major riparian restoration projects intended to reduce runoff reaching the Great Barrier Reef.

But to realise this vision requires approval from Douglas Shire Council to accept a change to the use of the land lots in question. Rainforest Rescue’s DA includes a GQAL which shows that the land shouldn’t be classified as high quality agricultural and is better suited to restoration and the benefits that come with increased employment, carbon and biodiversity markets engagement and income, and helping release beleaguered farmers from their stranded assets. The decision is pending, following a detailed and extensive Development Application process. Rainforest Rescue expects an outcome from the council any day now, hopefully in favour of native flora and fauna.

Rainforest Rescue CEO, Branden Barber, says, “This is more than just trees; it’s the Daintree River, the wildly biodiverse mangroves, the Great Barrier Reef—an entire network of habitats and the biodiversity they could contain. It’s an opportunity to create new regional employment in ecological services and a crucial indicator of this Shire’s commitment to sustainable development. It’s about nature-positive activities that bring in new income streams through emerging environmental markets in Carbon and Biodiversity. Tourism is 100% behind this – and in a region where 80% of its income is through that industry, this could be a win, win, win situation for everyone…and for Nature.”

To learn more about Rainforest Rescue’s ‘next big step’ in their long-term plan for the mosaic of habitats forming the Daintree Oxbow floodplain, visit their website.