What could possibly convince eighteen college students and dozens of Australian retirees to spend their weekends sweating in the hot summer sun? Rebuilding an endangered rainforest!

The School for International Training (SIT) is a Vermont-based organization with over sixty-five different study abroad programs on six continents. The Rainforest, Reef, and Cultural Ecology semester program in Australia focuses on the history, conservation, and protection of Australia’s unique ecosystems and biodiversity. While on the program, students take a two-week long trip to the Atherton Tablelands, a fertile plateau in Far North Queensland. On this trip, we explored different types of rainforests, taking in stunning views, and learning more about the flora and fauna of Australia.

We also had the opportunity to volunteer with a local organization, Trees for the Evelyn and Atherton Tablelands (TREAT). TREAT was founded in 1982 by a botanist and a rainforest ecologist with the goal to repopulate areas of rainforest that were affected by deforestation. The organization attracts many volunteers of all ages to aid their mission.

At one TREAT event, we had the pleasure of speaking with Kathy, a retired miner who moved to Queensland and immediately joined TREAT. She told us that she must’ve taken down “10 trees for every 1 that [she is] replanting,” and that she wants to give back to the environment. Every weekend, she and a couple dozen volunteers can be found at the TREAT nursery, germinating seeds, planting, repotting, organizing information, and preparing for the plant the next day. Then, bright and early on a Saturday, they can be found putting plants in the ground, watering them, and then enjoying a barbecue with their neighbors after to celebrate their hard work reforesting Mabi forest.

Mabi forest is a type of rainforest in North Queensland, Australia, that can only be found in small patches on the Atherton Tablelands. It is most easily characterized by diverse deciduous and semi-evergreen trees, and a dense shrub and vine layer. This forest type is named after and home to the elusive tree kangaroo. The nutrient-rich basaltic soil of the Mabi Forest allows it to support folivores (leaf eaters) that live in the tree canopy. The trees and eucalypts in this fertile rainforest also grow a selection of fruits, nectars, and pollen for various pollinators, including the threatened Spectacled Flying-fox, to feed on.

As of October 8, 2002, the Mabi Forest has been listed as a critically endangered ecological community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999. Of its original range, only 2-4 percent of Mabi Forest still remains, totaling 1,050 hectares throughout a series of isolated patches. Isolation is a repercussion of the historical land clearing and fragmentation that continues to threaten the survival of the Mabi Forest.

Fragmentation leads to complications involving the "edge effect." The edge effect is when forest edges become exposed to more direct sunlight and harsh winds than interior areas, which can be destructive to the plants that are not adapted to these conditions. The ecosystem within faces changes from these edge effects as well, getting warmer, drier, and more infertile. Any animals hoping to stay have to deal with habitat alteration and genetic restrictions. Any animals looking to leave face the challenge of crossing the busy state highway that dissects Mabi Forest.

The impacts of the declining Mabi Forest can already be seen in the changing flora and fauna within it. Musky rat-kangaroos and the endangered southern cassowary used to live in Mabi Forest, but the remaining patches of rainforest are too small for these animals to survive in. They have since become locally extinct. Several species of plants found in Mabi Forest are listed as endangered, and many others as vulnerable or restricted.

But reforesting, and planting 2,500 trees is no easy feat. It takes countless volunteers to prepare the land for reforestation. Even after the nursery prep is complete, volunteers are still needed to dig holes, add water and fertilizer to each of the 2,500 holes, and place the plants in.
Important Mabi rainforest species, like fig trees and bleeding-hearts, were planted at the reforestation site in Wongabel State Forest. The species that were planted were not just picked by chance, but chosen with a purpose, just like TREAT’s slogan “the right tree in the right place for the right reason.”

TREAT, as advised by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), uses two methods in their reforestation efforts to lead to a successful replanting. The High Diversity method utilizes large varieties of species to be planted, recreating the diversity of organisms found in the rainforest. The Framework method focuses on highly valued species that can increase diversity, like the fig with its ability to provide large amounts of shade and the bleeding-heart which attracts birds and encourages seed dispersal.

Collaboration has proven to be a foundational factor in the conservation of the ecosystems around us, whether it be the plants, or the community. The partnership between volunteers and professionals is not only inspiring, but essential to the success of reforestation efforts. TREAT members showed us the passion individuals can hold for their local environment, and the QPWS rangers brought a level of expertise necessary for the success of the project.

The product of a community working together can be astounding. Sometimes, all it takes is one married couple with a lot of determination. Don and Jill bought the land that is now known as Maroobi Park Nature Refuge in 1998 and grew their own saplings to plant an impressive number of roughly 40,000 trees on their property with some help from TREAT. Now, this area is rife with diverse plants and animals. Their dedication to reforestation is not only a beautiful accomplishment, but serves as a prime example of what people can do to combat habitat loss with time and work.

For the past ten years, SIT students have been assisting TREAT to rebuild Mabi forest. While we were planting, we could see the work of past students, now meters tall, surrounding us. The growth that happens just in the first year, unlike what we have seen in America, completely changed the landscape, giving it a new life. Being a part of this reforestation gives larger meaning to this program and the work we have done. More than just learning about these ecosystems, we are giving back to it. It is more than any of us expected, with a greater impact than we could ever have hoped for.
 

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