Restoring rainforest for flying-fox conservation

21 March 2023

In a win for the environment, 3.2 hectares (almost 8 acres) of flying-fox habitat will be restored as part of an 8-year project at Kynnumboon near Murwillumbah.

The project to bring back flying-fox habitat to the Kynnumboon floodplain began last year and involves planting 10,000 native trees, shrubs and groundcovers to create rainforest and wetland habitat on the bank of the Rous River.

The restored forest may eventually provide flying-foxes with a safe place to camp away from urban areas where their presence can cause conflict with their human neighbours.

An ex-sugar cane field, the site is now ready for 150 species of local native plants to go in the ground in the next few months.

The project site will be closely monitored to gain valuable local knowledge of rainforest restoration and flying-fox habitat needs.

Tweed Shire Council received funding of $181,490 from the NSW Government's Flying-fox Camp Habitat Restoration Program and Council will contribute an additional $92,775 to the project.

The community will be invited to get involved throughout the project, including tree planting events and workshops.

Find out more information about flying-foxes or check out the March 2023 edition of Council's Wild Life newsletter to read more about the history of the site and the family who has lived there since 1862 and recently worked to restore the forest.

Image: The site at Kynnumboon has been ploughed to remove the last ever crop of sugar cane and is now ready to plant 10,000 native trees, shrubs and groundcovers over the next 8 years to create rainforest and wetland habitat.