Fan Palm

Bush Heritage purchased the outstanding 8.2 hectare block of fan palm forest in the lowland rainforests of the Daintree, Queensland Australia. This unique reserve is situated in the tropical lowland rainforest of the Daintree Coast, about 125 km north of Cairns, just between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation.

The Reserve is small but contains one of the most endangered type of lowland rainforest, a mesophyll vine forest with dominant fan palms (Licuala ramsayi). This type of rainforest occurs on poorly drained soils and the reserve is frequently inundated during the summer wet season.  To the west the Reserve is bordered by a tea plantation which was originally covered by similar vegetation and other rainforest communities.

The Bush Heritage rescued this unique lowland rainforest habitat from subdivision and agricultural use such as sugarcane and secured it for the endangered Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), the Striped Possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata) and the Bennett’s Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus bennettianus) and at least 20 plant species of conservation significance.
Adjacent blocks to the north east and east have been purchased by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. The block to the north is privately owned.

Feral pigs and weeds are the main issues faced by Reserve Overseer Siggy Heise-Pavlov. Her husband, pig expert Peter Heise-Pavlov, regularly traps pigs and removes them from the reserve. Siggy has also been controlling weeds, revegetating the margins of the reserve and conducting research on the impact of pigs on the rainforest.