littoral rainforest

BUILDING FOREST RESILIENCE

WEED BLITZ IN LITTORAL RAINFOREST

JANUARY 2026

Beachside forests are feeling the love, with a blitz on invasive weeds and escaped garden plants and fruit trees at Mission Beach, Kurrimine Beach and Ingham’s Forrest Beach.

Littoral rainforest is critically endangered on the east coast of Australia and work is underway to better protect what is left in the Wet Tropics region.

Work crews target Forrest Beach

Work crews from Hinchinbrook Shire Council have been removing weeds including lantana, prickly pear and guinea grass from the largest patch of littoral rainforest in their region – an 80- hectare strip of council reserve between the ocean and wetlands just north of homes at Forrest Beach.

They are also removing garden plants, and cashew trees believed to have spread from an agricultural trial in the area back in the 1960s.

Removing cashew trees

Biosecurity and Public Spaces Portfolio Councillor Kate Milton said cashew trees had been taking over some areas of forest.

“First our council crews spent time walking through the forest area mapping weed sites, then they treated areas,’’ Cr Milton said.

“There is a lot less now but seed banks are a problem. Our crews are doing follow-up work at the moment and that’s something we’ll keep doing once a year.”

Hinchinbrook Shire Council received funding from not-for-profit organisation Terrain NRM through a project centred on the Wet Tropics region’s littoral rainforest, lowland rainforest, Mabi forest and broad leaf tea-tree woodland – all of them threatened ecological communities. The project is also helping threatened species in wet sclerophyll forest and upland rainforest.

Preserving an endangered forest type

Terrain NRM’s Tony O’Malley said Forrest Beach’s littoral rainforest was in good condition considering its closeness to developed areas.

“The Forrest Beach community and Council are to be congratulated for preserving this outstanding patch of beachfront rainforest with its at least a century-old white apple trees.

“The best investment is keeping these kind of forests in the best possible condition so they are more resilient to threats like erosion, pest species and fire,’’ he said. “As well as its ecological value, including being home to wildlife, this reserve is an erosion buffer and a scenic area for the Forrest Beach community.”

Terrain’s ‘Forest Resilience’ project is also supporting other activities in littoral rainforest, including weed management in 122 hectares of national parkland at Kurrimine Beach by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, and weed management across 22 hectares of council reserve at Clump Point in Mission Beach by the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation which is working with Djiru people.

Our plea: Be responsible with garden waste

Mr O’Malley urged people to be responsible with garden waste and to be on the lookout for plants that might be weeds at the edges of forests.

“It’s a tough gig for beachfront rainforest. On the seaside, weed seeds like pond apple get washed in on extreme tides. On the landside, there is often coastal development where people are introducing a host of exotic plants.”

The Forest Resilience project is funded by the Australian Government’s Saving Native Species program. These patches of littoral rainforests are part of the Eastern Forests of Far North Queensland priority place, identified in the Australian Government’s Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032.

New littoral rainforest information booklet

Download a new booklet here and learn more about littoral rainforest in the Wet Tropics region.