This June Intrepid Travel will be making a dollar matching donation up to $50,000 to its The Intrepid Foundation partner Rainforest Rescue.Donations will support Rainforest Rescue’s ability to scale larger restoration projects of degraded rainforest in Far North Queensland – including planting native trees, removing invasive species and protecting habitat for threatened wildlife like the Southern Cassowary and Bennett’s Tree Kangaroo. Donations can be made here www.theintrepidfoundation.org/
The Daintree Rainforest is the world’s oldest living tropical rainforest, with a legacy stretching back 180 million years. But decades of lowland clearing and development have left parts of it fragmented – like a puzzle missing critical pieces.
Rainforest Rescue is working with the Eastern Kuku Yalanji Traditional Owners, volunteers and local communities to replant and reconnect these broken pockets of forest. Already, more than 400,000 native trees have been planted, and 46 properties – over 1.6 million square metres of rainforest – have been rescued.
One of their most inspiring restoration stories is Kurranji Bubu, a once-degraded plot of land transformed into thriving rainforest and now protected forever as a registered Nature Refuge.
“This is about more than planting trees,” says Branden Barber, CEO of Rainforest Rescue. “It’s about restoring ecosystems, working with Traditional Owners and land owners, engaging with meaningful tourism, removing carbon from the atmosphere and protecting the incredible biodiversity that’s unique to the Daintree. Quite literally, we are growing the Daintree Rainforest.”
Biheng Zhang, The Intrepid Foundation General Manager, said with minimal government funding available for rainforest restoration in Australia, community support is critical.
“This EOFY, donations are tax-deductible for Australian donors and have global impact – helping bring back to life one of the most extraordinary ecosystems on Earth.”
Intrepid’s Daintree Ecolodge partners with Rainforest Rescue to offer guests the chance to visit restoration sites, learn about conservation, and even plant a tree. The property’s signature cocktail, the Daintree Defender, also supports the cause – with proceeds donated to the Rainforest Rescue.
In 2024, The Intrepid Foundation gave away over AUD $260,000 in impact grants, largely thanks to thousands of Intrepid travellers who chose to make small donations.
When you book a trip at intrepidtravel.com, you’ll see an option to donate one per cent of your trip cost to Intrepid’s non-profit, The Intrepid Foundation. Of all those people who booked their trip online in 2024, almost ten per cent – that’s over 5300 travellers – checked that box.
