Wawu Dimbi Julaymba (Daintree River) Rainforest Planting Project

Wawu Dimbi Julaymba (Daintree River) Rainforest Planting Project is an environmental planting project located at Forest Creek, on the northern banks of the Daintree River, approximately 12km east of Daintree Village in Far North Queensland. Registered in August 2025, the project covers 2.19 hectares of land within the Wawu Dimbi property, which was formally returned to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people in late 2025. The surrounding region is world-renowned for the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, primarily dedicated to conservation and eco-tourism, though the specific site was historically cleared for cattle grazing.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings-FullCAM methodology. This involves establishing permanent plantings of native tree and shrub species, in this case, lowland tropical rainforest species, at a density sufficient to achieve forest cover (typically well above the minimum 200 stems per hectare requirement to mimic dense rainforest structure). The planting aims to restore the riparian corridor, improving water quality flowing into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon and sequestering carbon in the rapidly growing biomass.

The environmental conditions in this area are characterized by very high rainfall and humid tropical temperatures, supporting rapid vegetation growth. The soils are typically fertile alluvial loams near the river and metamorphic clays in the surrounding slopes, ideal for supporting complex rainforest ecosystems.

A significant aspect of this project is its deep cultural and biodiversity value. "Wawu Dimbi" translates to "spirit in the background" or "place of inner spirit" in the Kuku Yalanji language, referring to the spiritually significant Thornton Peak nearby. The project is often co-managed with partners like Rainforest Rescue to protect habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary. The specific 2.19ha area is part of a larger ambition to reforest 37 hectares of cleared land on the property using seedlings propagated at the nearby Diwan Native Nursery.