Over 60,000 trees have been added to an internationally recognised coastal wetland near Innisfail; and the plan is to plant even more.
Eubenangee Swamp's rehabilitation has been a 30-year project. The tallest trees have created a forest canopy while the smallest, planted just six months ago, extend a rainforest corridor to link the coast with mountain ranges on the Atherton Tablelands.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service ranger Chris Roach said the project was a labour of love for rangers and indigenous groups. "The results are pretty amazing; it was hard work at the start but we've got a dedicated team and you can see the difference it's making," Mr Roach said. "With revegetation, weed and fire management and water restoration work, we've seen huge changes over a relatively short period. Areas that were infested with weeds, and silent to work in, are now alive with birds, frogs and all manner of wildlife. Ecosystems that were completely modified are functioning again."
Rangers are working with Terrain NRM and a group of Indigenous people to plant native trees on what was previously marginal farming land. The land was added to national park in 2003 to secure a wetland water source and strengthen the link between coastal areas and mountains.
Terrain NRM's Tony O'Malley said trees had been planted along Casey Creek to widen the corridor as part of Terrain's Building Rainforest Resilience project, funded through the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.
The funding has enabled the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to employ Indigenous people for revegetation maintenance work. "Planting trees is the first step; keeping weeds down so they can grow is an essential part of revegetation projects,'' Tony said.
Mamu's Steve Purcell said the project was bringing younger Indigenous people "back on Country", "We look forward to going out there,'' he said. "It gives them a sense of caring for their place."
This article was originally published in the 2021 May issue of Landcare in Focus.