Growing ever better

A WILDLIFE corridor from the coast of Wonga Beach to the Daintree Rainforest is growing 50,000 trees.

NightWings Rainforest Centre founder Annie Schoenberger began planting trees three years ago on cane land bordering the Mossman-Daintree Rd and Daintree National Park. The largest trees are now four metres high.

“The wildlife is slowly coming back – first the insects, then the lizards and birds,’’ she said. “The biodiversity has increased so much.”

Her NightWings project, in partnership with Rainforest Rescue and with funding from Terrain NRM and the Australian Government, is one of the largest rainforest revegetation initiatives in Far North Queensland.

Once completed, it will be an important wildlife corridor from forest to mangroves.

Ms Schoenberger said the first stage, funded in 2015, was a leap of faith.

“Getting a community grant gave us the kickstart we needed and a huge amount of confidence that it could happen,’’ she said.

“Our first tree planting was with 20 to 30 people and we haven’t looked back. The most recent one involved over 70 people – interstate visitors and lots of locals.

“With Rainforest Rescue’s help, we’ve welcomed volunteers from Perth, Sydney and other places who have arranged holidays in the Wet Tropics around tree plantings.”

“Together we have planted over 160 tree species that were typically here before logging and then wholescale clearing in the 1960s.

“We’re hoping this corridor will be the first complete connection in many decades between lowland rainforest and the mangroves south of the Daintree River.”

Ms Schoenberger’s aim is to reach the 100,000 mark for trees planted in the corridor.