WHO WE ARE
The RN crew have brought a new wave of energy and passion to regeneration in Australia. We are always ready and willing to take on the next big project.
We've created a not-for-profit model that meets all of it's own service needs and thus genuinely achieves large-scale outcomes without diluting the funding we receive from our supporters.
We enable people and businesses to not just have their voice heard, but to have Earth saving actions taken on their behalf.
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WHAT WE DO
Rainforest nursery
We grow over 130,000 rainforest trees and plants per year of over 115 varieties. Our professional seed collectors have a strong focus on species and genetic diversity, with priority for those that are threatened with extinction. We have everything from creekside shrubs to emergent trees that grow 60m tall and extend high above the rainforest canopy, allowing our plantings to establish into complex, diverse rainforests.
Maintenance
A vital component of our projects, plantings are maintained by our team until they are established and self-sufficient at fighting weed competition.
andholders contribute to maintenance costs which are required for at least 3 years.
Logistics
Covering the needs of; bush regeneration, camphor drilling, tree planting, maintenance, administration, nursery and seed collectors is quite a challenging role.
As such, we have a department that manages, supply, repair, logistics and requisitions of all those needs.
Tree planting
We engage landholders of suitable sites that need reforestation. After site inspections, preparation and ecological planning, our reforesting team gets to work.
Landholders typically contribute funding and are met with a percentage of support via our donors.
Rainforest regeneration
Bush regeneration is the rehabilitation of bushland from a weed affected or otherwise degraded area to a healthier community of native plants and animals. We are working within critically endangered rainforest, including remnants of the original Big Scrub, of which only 1% remains.
Reporting & Administration
Our organisation upholds strong reporting, accountability and transparency for our supporters and partners. Donors can see their name and the location of all trees planted in our detailed tree register called Find My Trees.
Our organisation’s small but qualified administration team covers everything from strategy and planning, to partnership management, grant writing, financial management, donor engagement, scientific research, and communications.
WHERE WE WORK
RAINFORESTS OF EASTERN AUSTRALIA - THE BIG SCRUB RAINFOREST
The sites we work on in northern NSW were once part of the Big Scrub rainforest, Australia's largest expanse of subtropical rainforest. After extensive clearing only 1% remains today. These sites when reforested will connect fragmented remains and expand the size of the existing rainforest.
THE BIG SCRUB RAINFOREST REGION -
A CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ECOSYSTEM
The Big Scrub is the name of the remnant rainforest in the Bryon Shire region of northern NSW. Before agricultural clearing it was the largest expanse of lowland subtropical rainforest in Australia; covering an area of approximately 75,000 hectares where an incredible array of species grew from rich volcanic soils of mount Wollumbin between Byron Bay, Ballina and Lismore.
Tragically European settlers cleared almost 99% of this magnificent rainforest because the government required them to clear the forest before they could gain freehold title. By 1900 all that remained was less than 33 remnants of this now critically endangered rainforest with a combined area of less then 556ha.
By the beginning of the 1990s most of the remnants were degrading under the impact of 140 environmental weeds. Governments were doing little or nothing to save the priceless remnants.
ENDANGERED SPECIES CONSERVATION
The Big Scrub may today be small, but it is home to a bountiful biodiversity, many species of which are incredibly rare and endangered.
Maximo (Reforest Now co-founder) has complied data and research to identify 128 endangered species of this rainforest. To address this, we grow over 150 species in our nursery and prioritise endangered and critically endangered tree, shrub, and vine species.
REFORESTING CLEARED LAND
We work to restore cleared land in this region back into rainforest. Byron Shire relies on this rainforest for the rain, streams, creeks, and rivers and we hope to play a part in protecting it for generations to come.
We currently have over 35 planting sites that are key to supporting the entire rainforest. Planting on these sites will connect fragmented rainforest and build wildlife corridors.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Maximo Bottaro
Cert III nar, Bsc, Bclin, Hons 1st
Chairperson
Josh Fry-Hall
Deputy Chairperson
Kallen Marecic
BEnvSc (Hons)
Secretary
Tashi Maizey
Cert IV Veterinary Nursing
Kim O'Sullivan
Odin Runga-Covington
Founding Director
Founding Director
Founding Director
A key component of any conservation work is understanding the science behind our complex ecosystems and Earth.
ReForest Now produces a range of scientific materials. We collaborate with scientists in conservation genetics and environmental science to produce resources to further our understanding of working with endangered species, increasing genetic diversity, and understanding bioprecipitation (How Forests Make it Rain).
SCIENTIFIC RESOURCES
