Rainforest Restoration at Maalan Cloud Forest

Rainforest Restoration at Maalan Cloud Forest is a significant environmental restoration project located in the Maalan locality on the Atherton Tablelands, approximately 15km southeast of Millaa Millaa in Far North Queensland. Registered in September 2024, the project covers 37.58 hectares of land that was historically cleared for cattle grazing. The site is situated between the Maalan National Park and Wooroonooran National Park, acting as a critical "missing link" wildlife corridor in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings, FullCAM methodology, which credits carbon sequestered by permanent plantings of native tree species. While the baseline requirement for such projects is often a stocking density of around 200–400 stems per hectare to achieve forest cover, this project is undertaking a much more intensive restoration. Public reports indicate the proponent intends to plant approximately 120,000 trees across the site (roughly 3,200 stems per hectare) to recreate a complex, high-altitude rainforest ecosystem rather than a simple woodland.

The region is characterized by high rainfall and fertile red basaltic soils, conditions ideal for the "cloud forest" ecosystem (Regional Ecosystem 7.8.4) being restored. This cool-climate rainforest environment is vital for threatened species such as the endangered Spectacled Flying-fox, the Southern Cassowary, and Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo, which require high-altitude refuges as temperatures rise. The land is owned and managed by the conservation non-profit South Endeavour Trust, which acquired the property in early 2024 with fundraising support from the Gondwana Rainforest Trust.