As the ‘Festive Season’ is upon us and we look back on 2025, I want to acknowledge what has been another productive and important year for C4.
This year, we have secured funding to revegetate significant pockets of land across key wildlife corridors stretching from Mission Beach to Smiths Gap. This work is vital for strengthening habitat connectivity and supporting the long-term survival of cassowaries and other rainforest species. Alongside revegetation, we have continued to focus on targeted weed control in strategic areas where intervention makes the greatest difference. There is still a great deal of work ahead, but the progress made this year gives us confidence and momentum.
Our Environmental Display Centre has continued to showcase the environmental importance of Mission Beach in the Wet Tropics landscape to a range of travellers and local residents, schools, universities and kindergartens. The nursery volunteers have again propagated thousands of plants for gardens and habitat restoration projects, providing food and homes for our local wildlife.
This year has also been significant for our cassowary rehabilitation work in conjunction with the DETSI Wildlife Officers. At the Garners Beach Cassowary Rehabilitation Facility, our volunteers have worked tirelessly to care for injured and recovering birds. Thanks to their dedication and expertise, Arthur, Martha, Friday, and Alice were all successfully rehabilitated and returned to the wild.
Looking ahead to 2026, C4 is entering a period of planning and growth. We are currently developing our strategic plan, setting out what we want to achieve and how we will get there. This plan will give C4 a clearer understanding of goals and priorities for the years ahead. We will be sharing this with our members and community and actively seeking feedback. Your input matters, and we encourage you to tell us what you would like C4 to focus on and achieve.
With the scale of work ahead, we are actively building a dedicated work crew to help deliver some of our larger projects in 2026. This includes revegetating close to 4.5 hectares of land, undertaking weed management across 45 hectares of private land, and 22 hectares within national park. If you are interested in working for C4 and contributing directly to on-ground conservation outcomes, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch with us or complete a Contractor Expression of Interest form.
We are also keen to strengthen engagement with the next generation. Protecting our local environment is a long-term effort, and it is essential that young people feel connected, empowered, and involved in shaping its future.
I would like to sincerely thank the entire management team for their dedication and hard work throughout the year. My thanks also extend to our members and volunteers, whose ongoing commitment and passion continue to drive C4 forward.
Your ideas and involvement are always welcome. Please feel free to email us at hello@cassowaryconservation.org or stop by the Environment Centre for a chat.
Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to what we can achieve together in 2026. Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.
Peter Rowles
President
Community for Coastal and Cassowary Conservation