Restoring lowland forest and mangroves workshop and field trip
- Coordination Team
- Oct 13
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 15
In September, more than 50 participants joined the Restoration Alliance for a workshop and field trip exploring inspiring restoration work led by Cairns Airport and Cairns Regional Council.
Highlights included a look at Queensland’s first on-ground mangrove offset project, where Cairns Airport is rehabilitating degraded cane land into healthy coastal habitat in partnership with Mangrove Solutions and the Yirrganydji People.
Participants also heard from Cairns Regional Council’s Green Space Our Place team, which runs 10 volunteer programs connecting locals to nature, community and learning, and took a deep dive into habitat restoration at Cattana Wetlands.
Following the morning workshop, participants headed to both restoration sites.
Cairns Airport offset project
Lucy Friend (Cairns Airport Environment Manager) and Brian Singleton (Mangrove Solutions)
The mangrove restoration initiative delivered under the Environmental Offsets Act 2014 is the first of its kind in Queensland.
Instead of paying a fee to offset environmental impacts from development works, Cairns Airport chose to invest directly in on-ground restoration. They committed to rehabilitating an area of equal land type to the development site, sourced from Cairns Regional Council.
Working in partnership with Mangrove Solutions and in close collaboration with the Yirrganydji People, the project team is addressing key challenges, including disrupted hydrology, illegal rubbish dumping, and invasive species. Their goal is to restore the degraded cane land into a healthy coastal ecosystem, achieving a restoration ratio greater than 1:6 under the Environmental Offsets Act 2014.
Green Space Our Place
Melanie Constable (Green Space Our Place Team Leader, Cairns Regional Council)
Cairns Regional Council’s Green Space Our Place program originally started with the Down’n’Dirty volunteer group in the Botanic Gardens Precinct and now includes more than 10 volunteer programs across Cairns, including the Jabirus (Cattana Wetlands), Egrets (Edge Hill), Tracks n Trails (Mt Whitfield), Squishies (Botanic Gardens), Stratford Nursery, Sugarworld, and The Green Space. The council also runs several education programs for children aged 4 and up.
The program encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to contribute to the care and improvement of local green spaces, but the benefits clearly extend beyond environmental outcomes; it creates social connections, connects people with nature, and strengthens community pride.
Habitat restoration at Cattana Wetlands
Geoff McClure (Jabiru volunteer, Cairns Regional Council)
Once a sugarcane farm, Cattana Wetlands is now a thriving conservation park that attracts birdwatchers, families, and school groups. More than 200 bird species have been recorded at the site, making it one of the most important birding destinations in the region.
The restoration program at Cattana has two key objectives:
Commercial value – supporting ecotourism through birdwatching, guided tours, and education programs.
Conservation value – maintaining biodiversity through citizen science, habitat restoration, and weed management.
Restoration also focuses on strengthening understorey connectivity and selecting plant species that support insect populations, which are critical food sources for birds and other wildlife.
A special shout-out to all the Jabiru volunteers! Since forming in 2013, their tireless efforts have brought the Cattana Wetlands to life, creating a thriving home for wildlife.
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