General News
23 July, 2025
Cassowary Credits rolling out in Daintree wetlands
ON-ground projects have begun in the Daintree and Innisfail as the launch of a biodiversity credit scheme, based in the Wet Tropics region, draws closer.
Terrain NRM is working with Rainforest Rescue and Cassowary Coast Regional Council on ‘beta phase’ revegetation projects for Cassowary Credits, one of the world’s first high-integrity biodiversity credit schemes.
For the past five years, Terrain NRM has been working with private industry, government, scientists, indigenous groups, community organisations and Eco-Markets Australia on the development of this conservation finance scheme to attract more investment into rainforest restoration and protection.
Through Cassowary Credits, land managers can generate quantified units of habitat restoration, known as ‘credits’, to be sold on environmental markets worldwide.
Rainforest Rescue’s chief executive officer Branden Barber sees Cassowary Credits as an essential mechanism for regional restoration of rare and threatened species.
His organisation is in the planning and feasibility stages for restoring 30ha of low-lying land across the road from an ox-bow wetland that connects with the Daintree River as well as Crocodile Creek and adjacent mangroves at the mouth of the Daintree River.
“There are two different ecotones and, if restored, the area would support a range of threatened and iconic species. It’s also an important spot for migratory species,” he said.
“By restoring land like this as part of a Cassowary Credits project, we are helping to protect and improve the Wet Tropics natural environment while also embracing new technology and playing a part in establishing a viable restoration economy for the region.
“Carbon and biodiversity farming are both viable forms of agricultural activities that bring economic and community benefits on top of nature positive returns.”
The Cassowary Credit Scheme’s development was originally funded by the Queensland Government’s Land Restoration Fund, and more recently the Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, and the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia.
For more information, visit www.cassowarycredits.com.au
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