Big Scrub Rainforest Conservancy

15/10/2026

Just listen.

Ever wondered what a bird monitoring project looks like? 🎙️🌿

In this behind-the-scenes look, follow ecologist Georgia Beyer as she uses acoustic recorders to capture the sounds of Big Scrub birds and uncover what they can tell us about forest recovery as part of our bioacoustic bird monitoring project.

🎧 Setting up recorders and collecting hours of rainforest sound
🔍 Analysing recordings to identify bird calls and species
🌱 Using the data to better understand how bird communities respond to restoration

From fieldwork to sound analysis, discover the science behind the project and how we're listening in on the recovery of the Big Scrub.

🔗 Read the story: https://bigscrubrainforest.org/a-look-into-the-bioacoustic-bird-monitoring-project/

10/10/2026

What are the 'Demonstration Restoration Sites'?

The first trees planted through Science Saving Rainforests at the Living Seedbank Plantation in March were an important beginning. Now, the next phase is taking shape across the landscape at our Demonstration Restoration Sites:

🌳 Distributed across the historic Big Scrub landscape, close to existing rainforest fragments

🧬 Designed to promote cross-pollination, and act as a blueprint for how to use the genetically optimal trees in restoration plantings

🌿 Helping reconnect fragmented rainforest and introduce genetically diverse seed straight into the landscape

🔗 Read the article to find out how they work: https://bigscrubrainforest.org/science-saving-rainforests-update-what-are-the-demonstration-restoration-sites/

08/10/2026

🎟️ SOLD OUT - thank you for the overwhelming response and interest! Missed out on a ticket? The waitlist is open and the event will also be filmed, so stay tuned for more details on how to watch!

A rainforest in fragments, a changing climate and a future that depends on resilience. How do we ensure restoration efforts of the Big Scrub build the genetic diversity and ecological resilience needed to thrive for generations to come? 🌿🧬

Join us for Science in the Distillery to explore the science shaping the future of the Big Scrub, with an exciting lineup of leading researchers from the Botanic Gardens of Sydney and local conservation practitioners. 🔎🌳

Grab a drink from the Cape Byron Distillery bar, order food from the on-site food truck and mingle with fellow rainforest enthusiasts while taking in the sunset over Brookfarm’s regenerated rainforest before settling in. ✨

📍 Cape Byron Distillery
📅 Wednesday 28 October
🕠 From 5:30pm

**Capacity is very limited, so secure your spot!**

🎟️ https://events.humanitix.com/building-resilience-how-genetic-science-is-future-proofing-the-big-scrub-rainforest

01/10/2026

🦇 New research published from the Big Scrub!

Acoustic surveys as part of our bioacoustic bird monitoring project detected the Eastern Tube-nosed Bat (Nyctimene robinsoni) at 11 rainforest remnants and restoration sites, including locations more than 25 km from their core habitat in the Nightcap Range.

The recent findings from the project, led by ecologists David Milledge and Georgia Beyer, have been published in Australian Zoologist.

The research highlights the importance of revegetation and habitat connectivity, with bat activity highest in larger, better-connected areas of regenerated forest. 🌿

A reminder that every restored patch can become part of something much bigger.

🔗 Read the full story: https://bigscrubrainforest.org/new-research-from-the-big-scrub-bats-connectivity-and-a-forest-in-recovery/

📸 Reiner Richter

24/09/2026

Mixed-species “feeding parties” (flocks of birds moving and foraging together) are being recorded across restored and remnant rainforest sites. 🐦🔬

This is just one of the insights from our bioacoustic monitoring program and these moments tell us something deeper:

Complexity is returning and ecosystems are reconnecting.

This kind of insight doesn’t happen by chance. It takes time, expertise, and sustained support. Your support helps ensure bird ecologist, Georgia Beyer, can continue to listen, learn, and support these forests as they come back to life.

🐦 📸 Bird photography by David Milledge: Yellow-throated Scrubwren, Large-billed Scrubwren, Red-browed Finch and Lewin’s Honeyeater

17/09/2026

Every species has a role to play in a healthy rainforest. 💚

The Tawny Frogmouth may be famous for its remarkable camouflage, but it’s also an important predator that helps keep insect populations in balance.

Protecting and restoring rainforest habitat helps ensure unique species like this continue to thrive across the Big Scrub landscape.

Have you seen a Tawny Frogmouth in your local area?

📸 Iain Stych

10/09/2026

Behind Science Saving Rainforests is a remarkable collaboration. 🔬

Leaf samples analysed at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney are revealing where genetic diversity exists across the landscape, helping direct propagule collectors to the most important populations. 🍃

This is Science Saving Rainforests in action: field expertise and cutting-edge science working together to rebuild rainforest resilience from the genetic level up. 🧬

From rainforest to laboratory and back again, your support makes the dream work. 💭

03/09/2026

Every tree in our Science Saving Rainforests program carries a story. 📖

Shout out to the Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience (ReCER) at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney for their development of the ReCER Field Collection App. That label allows us to trace this tree all the way back to its parent tree out in the wild, along with a wealth of detailed genetic and collection data gathered through our Science Saving Rainforests program. ✨

Behind every planting is years of fieldwork, science and careful record-keeping, giving us confidence that each planting decision is backed by robust genetic and ecological data. 🔬🧬

01/09/2026

🌿 JOB OPPORTUNITY: Daintree Native Nursery Manager 🌿

Calling our conservation community! 🌱

Our friends at Rainforest Rescue are looking for their next Daintree Native Nursery Manager to join their team in Cow Bay, Far North Queensland.

The role is an opportunity for someone with strong native plant and nursery experience to lead the Daintree Rainforest Native Nursery 🌳

Know someone who would be a great fit? Or perhaps it’s you! 👀

Please help spread the word through your networks and share this opportunity with anyone who might be interested.

👉 Find out more and apply:
https://www.rainforestrescue.org.au/about-us/jobs/

Good people growing good forests. 💚

Interested in joining the Rainforest Rescue team & helping to Protect Rainforests Forever? View current jobs available at Rainforest Rescue.

27/08/2026

Australia's largest subtropical butterfly has a surprisingly specific diet.

Richmond Birdwing caterpillars feed on the native Richmond Birdwing Vine, making them a specialist species with a dependence on certain host plants.

This is just one example of the unique and intricate biodiversity relationships that need to be understood for effective rainforest restoration. 🦋🌿

📸 Iain Stych