Rainforest restoration to complete the Rock Road Wildlife Corridor

Rainforest restoration to complete the Rock Road Wildlife Corridor is an environmental planting project located in Tarzali on the Atherton Tablelands, approximately 15 kilometers south of Malanda in Far North Queensland. Registered in November 2022, the project covers 63.79 hectares of former agricultural land. The site is strategically positioned to bridge a critical gap in the landscape, linking the World Heritage-listed Herberton Range and Mt Hypipamee National Parks with a large remnant rainforest outlier.

The project operates under the Environmental Plantings methodology, which involves establishing permanent forest cover on land that has been clear of forest for at least five years. This specific project utilizes a high-density planting strategy, planting over 200,000 trees, to rapidly recreate the complex structure of the surrounding high-altitude tropical rainforest. The planting mix consists exclusively of native species endemic to the local area, designed to sequester carbon while maximizing biodiversity value.

Environmentally, the region is characterized by high rainfall and fertile, red volcanic basalt (krasnozem) soils, conditions that historically supported dense upland rainforest before being cleared for dairy farming and grazing. These fertile conditions allow for rapid tree growth and canopy closure. The area is considered a "cool wet refuge," vital for climate-sensitive species that cannot survive in warmer lowland areas.

Managed by the conservation charity South Endeavour Trust, this project is a significant biodiversity initiative supported by the Queensland Government's Land Restoration Fund. Its primary ecological goal is to facilitate the movement of wildlife across the fragmented landscape. The restored corridor is specifically intended to support threatened species such as the Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo, Lemuroid Ringtail Possum, and the Southern Cassowary.