Rainforest Reforestation and Biodiversity Benefits: A Case Study from the Australian Wet Tropics

Robert  Harrison,; Grant  Wardell-Johnson,; Clive  McAlpine,

Rainforest Reforestation and Biodiversity Benefits: A Case Study from the Australian Wet Tropics

Robert Harrison | Grant Wardell-Johnson | Clive McAlpine

Abstract:

This paper examines the effectiveness of a rainforest reforestation program (the Community Rainforest Reforestation Program in n01th-eastem Queensland, Australia) in providing amenity and biodiversity benefits. This program involved small areas of mainly mixed native timber species on private farmland. Government support was provided for the program, for both timber production and environmental reasons. Survey results reveal that landholders have planted trees, and intend to manage plantations, for diverse reasons, including conservation purposes. The plantings appear to be of environmental value, forming wildlife corridors and buffer areas. In this respect, the CRRP has achieved a limited success in meeting the implicit goal of biological conservation.

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