How to Save the Rainforest and While Enjoying a Cuppa!

by Spencer Shaw

In aworld in which we are bombarded with images and stories of environmentaldestruction, it’s all too easy to feel powerless and shut off from how we canmake the world a better place. We are however a fortunate generation, in thatwe can make a real difference to the preservation of our local rainforests andall of the animals that call them home.  Best of all you can enjoy the benefits ofsaving our local rainforests while reclining in the comfort of your favouritechair on your back verandah with a cuppa and a good book!

Yourbackyard is the frontline when it comes to saving our local rainforests. Ourlocal rainforests are unique, but they are under threat due to the isolation causedby the clearing for farmland in the past. Our rainforest remnants such as MaryCairncross Scenic Reserve are precious remnants of the great rainforests thatonce covered large areas of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.  

Now tosave you some time… while saving the rainforest. Too many backyards on thehinterland have too much grass. All of that grass needs mowing, which takestime, uses precious resources and of course contributes to the increase carbonin the atmosphere. As a result of all this grass our local rainforests havebecome fragmented islands, isolated by oceans of grassland.  So here is a win-win situation for theenvironment and you, the time poor landholder. By revegetating or landscapingwith local rainforest plants, we see an increase in the amount of habitat forour local flora and fauna and you reduce the time you spend as a slave to yourmower.

Propertyboundaries are a good place to start planting, just make sure you don’t pickanything too big or plant too close to the boundary. A Strangler Fig planted ametre off the fence line and ripping up foundations and septic systems in theyears to come, may not be conducive to neighbourhood harmony!

Ourlocal rainforests are also home to an awesome range of beautiful andinteresting plants that include groundcovers, vines, shrubs and small trees. Thereare local natives, for all situations, all gardens, even small town blocks!

So doyourself and the environment a favour, ask yourself do we realy need all thatlawn (and if you decide no), then come and visit us at Forest Heart LocalNative Plants and hunt down some of our great local rainforest plants and anamazing array of plants from a range of other ecosystems from the coast tomountain tops and from across South East Queensland.