General News
10 March, 2024
Locals team up to protect endangered ecosystem
OVER a period of three days on the Atherton Tablelands, our study abroad group joined the TREAT (Trees for Evelyn and Atherton tablelands) organisation in planting 2500 trees for the surrounding endangered Mabi rainforest.
According to member and retiree Doug, this reforestation work “gets retirees out of the house.” Ellie, another retiree, joked that “the only problem is that we keep dying”.
The two members went on to explain what draws people to the community-based revegetation group.
Doug and Ellie agreed that the organisation’s inherent collection of like-minded people in the community provided them with strong social connections and benefits that are specifically important for retirees.
In our time spent working alongside the reforestation volunteers, it became clear to us that the foundation’s impact extends far beyond that of local conservation and uniquely inspires a strong sense of community and individual purpose in its participants.
TREAT was founded with the aim of creating corridors between remnants of rainforest. The Wet Tropics, in which TREAT operators, is an incredibly diverse ecosystem that is home to many endemic species that only occur within the bioregion.
When these forests are fragmented by agriculture and development, organisms are unable to move safely between patches.
Some animals can’t leave their habitat at all, while others can but are threatened by cars, people, dogs, and cats when travelling between forests.
When these organisms are restricted to smaller and smaller tracts of forest, they become more susceptible to disturbances that occur within the area, and the habitat they can escape into decreases as well.
Botanist Joan Wright and rainforest ecologist Geoff Tracey set out in 1982 to replant swaths of forest that would allow organisms to move safely between these remnants.
Although TREAT was started by two environmental scientists, the organisation has established deep roots with the surrounding community.
A statement on their website reads: “We come from a huge range of backgrounds, but all with one goal in mind — make a better future.”
TREAT prides itself on its ability to bring people together under the banner of forest regeneration, evident in the numerous volunteering pathways they offer. Those interested can work in the nursery on any Friday and participate in seed prep, seed sowing, plotting, and weeding.
Every Saturday for the entire three months of the wet season, TREAT hosts planting days where up to 100 volunteers will show up and plant 3,000 trees in a single morning.
A $15 annual fee buys a membership that includes 10 free trees a year and up to 300 trees for more complex projects.
By providing so many options, TREAT makes itself accessible to people of all walks of life – young or old, anyone can contribute towards a greener future.
Further affirming the organisation’s philosophy, three-year TREAT member Ellie told us that most of the foundation’s members don’t have environmental science-related backgrounds.
Rather, he explained that the volunteers come from many different professions but all share a common interest in conservation, as well as helping their local community.
Ellie explained that the retired members’ passion for reforestation was partly because they had all experienced the effects of climate change in their past professions.
He added that the members had all seen positive results from their work with TREAT, including decreased riverbank erosion which benefits local farmers.
Diving deeper into a few members’ pasts, one older woman said that before she began volunteering at TREAT, she had never been involved with the environment and rarely ventured into the rainforest.
Now, she volunteers at TREAT weekly, and her favourite pastime is walking around outside with her newfound appreciation of the forest.
Similarly, Simon used to work in a different field but found his passion for the environment after joining TREAT 25 years ago.
His experience even inspired him to go back to school and pursue a degree in environmental science, leading to a fulfilling career change.
After listening to the members’ stories and observing the group interact, the strong sense of community was apparent. Everyone seemed to know each other well and have their own roles within the group.
When a member found an insect on a sapling or seed, for instance, the local entomologist would be called over to identify the species.
Because they know each other so well, the volunteers work together seamlessly to accomplish their goals and support each other.
Just outside the nursery, there's a beautiful stained-glass panel made by a collection of local artists, showing plant and animal species from the area. It's a collaborative effort that reflects the unity within the community.
During a tea break at the nursery, one volunteer mentioned having lots of bananas to spare in his trunk, and others pitched in by taking some or suggesting making smoothies for everyone.
It's moments like these that show how tight knit the group is, which likely helped during tough times like Cyclone Jasper, a recent cyclone that set back not only the reforestation process, but the whole community as well.
This apolitical and seemingly universal care for the local environment is refreshing and unique in its comparison to our experiences in the U.S.
Perhaps this immense care for the environment is a result of the strong connection people in the Atherton and Evelyn Tablelands seem to have with the natural world.
In talking about the real benefits of TREAT’s work, both Doug and Ellie discussed how they have seen more tree kangaroos in their backyards after planting Donaghy’s Corridor, which connected the rainforests of the crater lakes.
How many other people have this closeness to the natural world and can vouch for the immediate results of reforestation?
Both TREAT and the volunteers have an immense respect for nature and the surrounding endangered Mabi forest, and it’s certainly inspiring to have been a small part of their work.
Captions: The three US students and TREAT members prepare for planting.
TREAT's Lake Eacham Nursery where many trees are germinated.
The community curated stained-glass panel was done by a collection of local artists, showing plant and animal species from the area.
