On the eve of National Volunteering Week, 10 sustainability champions selected from across TTC’s travel brands travelled to the Daintree to join in an annual community planting day hosted by TTC’s nature-based solution partner, Rainforest Rescue.
On May 18, the team travelled in style to NightWings Rainforest Centre in a newly liveried Down Under Tours coach, joined by their Cairns based colleagues. The planting was the largest yet with nearly 150 local and eco-volunteers enjoying a celebratory atmosphere marking Rainforest Rescue’s 25th birthday. Working together in the mud, a magnificent 2,400 native trees of varying species were planted.
Rainforest Rescue work hand-in-hand with traditional landowners to purchase, protect and restore parts of the Daintree Rainforest. The TreadRight Foundation’s 2023 investment directly contributed to the purchase and protection of Lot 17 – almost 8,000 sq meters of threatened Daintree rainforest. As another piece of the Cape Kimberley wildlife corridor, this ensures forever access to essential habitat for rare and threatened Daintree species. Moreover, the land secures the storage of approximately 207 tonnes of carbon in the above-ground forest biomass.
To lend support to TTC’s net zero journey and Climate Action Plan, the TreadRight Foundation prioritizes projects that restore the planet and protect biodiversity. This is achieved by supporting nature-based solutions that are addressing the climate crisis and show strong co-benefits for both community and wildlife, such as Rainforest Rescue.
Tomas Malmberg, TTC Tour Brands Head of Trade Sales & Partnerships:
“It was such a rewarding experience to work alongside my TTC colleagues at Rainforest Rescue’s annual tree planting day and see people from many walks of life come together with a common goal, to reforest the Daintree. Observing more established tracts of rainforest planted by past volunteers brought home the positive impact of our collective effort for native wildlife, the local community and indeed our climate!”
Shannon Guihan, TTC Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of The TreadRight Foundation:
“The TreadRight Foundation is delighted to partner with the Australian-based Rainforest Rescue, our 4th nature-based solution partner. As the oldest tropical rainforest in the world, the Daintree is estimated to have been evolving for as many as 185 million years. TreadRight’s support will enable Rainforest Rescue to further its protection and restoration of fragmented lowland rainforest, while supporting local Indigenous practices and knowledge sharing.”
