By Branden Barber, CEO, Rainforest Rescue

When people around the world consider our region, they tend to think of two living treasures: the breathtaking Great Barrier Reef and the ancient Daintree Rainforest. Together, they help to sustain our local economy, attract visitors from every corner of the globe and fill our community with pride. 

Adjacent to these two World Heritage-listed wonders and just south of the Daintree River ferry lies McDowell Swamp and the Daintree Oxbow - an ecologically significant wetland of national importance that could become a key chapter in a story of natural and local economic renewal.

Rainforest Rescue, alongside local partners, has submitted a proposal to restore around 400 hectares of land in this forest and wetland complex.

For over a century, cane farming has been part of the identity of the Douglas Shire. Many local families have worked on this land for generations. Today, some cane growers are choosing to sell specific parcels of land that are less productive, low-lying, and increasingly flood prone.

Expert assessments recommend the reclassification of this marginal land as “not suitable for agriculture.” Rather than leaving these areas underutilised, Rainforest Rescue and local partners see a chance to put them to work in a different way - through ecological restoration. 

Restoring the Oxbow initially is about recreating habitat that was removed when the land was cleared in the 1950s

Ultimately, it could mean reconnecting the swamp to the Daintree River, thus improving water quality, and creating habitat for fish, birds, and wildlife. More than 70 bird species are expected to return if we can revegetate the wetland.

That’s not just good for nature - it’s also good for tourism. Visitors come to Douglas to experience the Reef and the Daintree Rainforest, where they are increasingly seeking stories of regeneration and resilience. This project gives them a new reason to stay, explore, and spend in our region. 

The economic benefits are real and immediate. Restoration creates local jobs in seed collection, native plant nurseries and on-ground revegetation.

Longer term, new eco-tourism opportunities emerge, along with income from biodiversity and carbon credits. The project will be a pilot site for Cassowary Credits, a new program developed by our local NRM group, Terrain. The Federal Government’s Nature Repair Market and the state government’s Land Restoration Fund are also designed to channel investment into exactly this kind of work. Douglas has the chance to lead. 

Equally important is the health of our waterways. This wetland and surrounding area can act as a natural filter once again, trapping sediment and nutrients before they reach the Daintree River and flow out to the Reef. With the most biodiverse mangrove system in the world right next door, protecting water quality here is safeguarding another of the Shire’s precious assets.

This project is not about taking away productive farmland. Farming remains central to the Shire’s community, and we recognise that good fertile land should stay in production. Our proposal is focused on flood-prone, underproductive blocks that landholders want to sell. By restoring these marginal areas, we strengthen the whole landscape - reducing pressures on wildlife and ecosystems and creating new opportunities elsewhere. 

Douglas Shire has also made strong commitments through its own Climate Change and Sustainability Policies, and Reef protection initiatives. Those policies acknowledge that climate change, biodiversity loss, and declining water quality are real threats to our community’s future.

The Daintree Oxbow gives Council and the community a practical and positive way to deliver on those commitments: by storing carbon, buffering floods, improving water quality, increasing essential habitat and protecting biodiversity while creating new jobs and economic opportunities. 

Neighbouring councils are already advancing bold restoration initiatives. Douglas has a way to join that regional momentum - with a project that delivers cleaner water, stronger tourism, new local jobs, and a more resilient landscape. 

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The Daintree Oxbow is a chance to show the world what’s possible when the community, council, landholders, and nature all thrive together. 

Want to know more about Rainforest Rescue’s proposal? You can contact us by emailing [email protected]