 In one of
the most ambitious conservation plans in Australia's
history, the Australian Rainforest Foundation
will bring together all levels of government,
community groups and individuals, scientists,
land managers, the corporate sector and private
citizens from Australia and around the world
to work cooperatively to save the endangered
Southern Cassowary.
Under the
working banner 'Operation Big Bird' the Foundation
plans to create a 250km wildlife corridor along
Australia's Wet Tropical Rainforest coast in
the State of Queensland.
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| The Southern
Cassowary |
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Wildlife corridors,
while enhancing the aesthetic value of landscapes
also contribute to the conservation of biodiversity
by enabling species to move across the landscape
to feed, breed, disperse and colonise.
The Corridor
will be a living green link between the Far
North Queensland resort city of Cairns and
the southern coastal town of Cardwell, where
World Heritage listed rainforest habitat has
been fragmented by farms, tourism resorts and
urban developments.
Although it
is often called the Cassowary Corridor, cassowaries
are not the Foundation's only concern. The
Foundation aims to protect and rehabilitate
habitat for all rainforest wildlife. Cassowaries
are a good indicator species to focus on -
if we can protect them, we'll also be protecting
a range of other species that share their habitat.
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