RAISING AWARENESS.
PROTECTING RAINFORESTS.
REFORESTING LAND.

Southern cassowary standing on grass in the Daintree rainforest

Rainforest Conservation Foundation

Safeguarding and restoring rainforests in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland for more than 25 years.

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Rainforest Conservation Foundation (RCF) is an Australian not-for-profit dedicated to restoring Nature’s balance by focusing on the reforestation and extension of rainforests in Far North Queensland.

Partnering with the local community and other organisations, RCF conducts large-scale revegetation of the land to restore the natural habitat of Australia’s wildlife in Far North Queensland, extending the Cassowary Corridor and establishing nature refuge covenants for the permanent protection of rainforest for future generations.

Our Impact: 25 years in the making

  • 153,997 trees planted

    Rainforest Conservation Foundation has successfully reforested 68 acres of now protected land throughout the Daintree region.

    More than 20,000 seedlings are propagated, nurtured, and hardened at Benella Nursery each year for use in reforestation projects.

  • Line icon of a hand holding a seedling and coins, for funds invested

    $7,459,829 invested

    Thanks to our supporters, Rainforest Conservation Foundation has invested more than $7 million into restoring the unique ecosystem that is the Daintree, the oldest tropical rainforest on Earth.

  • Line icon of a CO2 symbol resting on a leaf, for carbon stored

    2,760,108 t carbon stored

    More than 2 million tonnes of carbon have been stored thanks to the conservation and reforestation efforts of the Rainforest Conservation Foundation.

  • Line icon of hands holding the Earth, for acres protected

    45,575 acres protected

    Rainforest Conservation Foundation has worked with the local Governments, Councils and Community to establish Nature Covenants on land throughout the Daintree region protecting it from future development.

Learn More About Our Impact

  • Southern cassowary with its blue neck and tall casque

    Raising Awareness

    Raising awareness on the importance of conservation and the impact our rainforests have on the Planet.

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  • Open red beech seed pod held in a hand

    Protecting Rainforests

    Working with local councils, governments and the community to protect land against deforestation.

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  • Bandicoot berry seedling leaves in the nursery

    How We Reforest Land

    Pioneering new and inventive methods of seed cultivation and planting to establish large scale reforestation projects.

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Red seed pods of a peanut tree with black seeds
Wompoo fruit dove feeding among palm fruit
Blue quandong fruit on the branch
Orange fruit of the tar tree
Bumpy satinash flowers on a rainforest tree trunk
Ribbonwood seedlings growing in the nursery
Fan palm seedlings growing in the nursery
Female olive-backed sunbird perched on a branch
Butterfly with translucent wings and red spots resting on grass
Purple water lily in bloom
Green and brown patterned butterfly on a leaf
Metallic starling with red eyes feeding on palm fruit

Frequently asked questions

  • Rainforest Conservation Foundation (RCF) is an Australian not-for-profit that protects and restores rainforest in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, with a focus on the Daintree. RCF was established in 1996 as the Australian Rainforest Foundation and took its current name in 2020. Its work covers raising awareness, protecting land from deforestation and reforesting cleared land.

  • RCF’s conservation headquarters is Benella Rainforest Reserve at 2274 Cape Tribulation Road, Diwan, in the Daintree region of Far North Queensland. The team collects seed there and propagates, grows and hardens thousands of plants each year for reforestation projects in and around the Daintree.

  • Since 1996, RCF and its supporters have planted more than 150,000 trees and invested more than $7 million in restoring the Daintree. Working with governments, councils, landowners and the local community, RCF has helped place nature refuge covenants over more than 18,000 hectares of land, protecting it from future development.

  • The Daintree is the oldest tropical rainforest on Earth and the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest in Australia. It is estimated that half of it was lost to clearing after European settlement, before it gained World Heritage status. Rainforest Conservation Foundation works to protect what remains and to reforest cleared land around it.