Prince’s pledge to save forests

PRINCE Harry declared the importance of protecting the rainforests as he toured Fraser Island yesterday.

The Duke was welcomed by the native Butchulla People to see the 1,000-year-old Satinay trees and shown their sacred Spirit Tree.

Butchulla ranger Conway Burns told him how when they died their spirit “returns to our people in these trees”.

Harry was in the Forests of K’gari to mark its dedication to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy initiative, a collection of protected forests across the organisation’s 53 member states.

Unveiling a plaque, the dad-to-be said: “K’gari means ‘paradise’, and that is certainly what we’ve experienced today surrounded by the towering Kauri pines, 1000 year-old satinay trees and ancient giant ferns.”

Fraser is the world’s largest sand island, boasting 206,970 acres of protected forest.

It became a Unesco World Heritage site in 1992 and earlier this year, the Prince of Wales announced its dedication to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy.

Some 20 million trees are now being planted across Australia as part of the programme.