Tarwin River
Rainforest Refuge

 
A new community led proposal for a biolink to protect Cool Temperate Rainforest and Mountain Ash forest and the extraordinary species who call these forests home.






We need your help to save this forest from becoming a pine plantation.



Protecting this biolink will create a Koala Corridor and a Slender Tree-fern Sanctuary and provide hollows and habitat for many of our most threatened species.



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Where is the Tarwin River Rainforest Refuge?

Turtons Creek - South Gippsland - Victoria

Just 15 minutes north of Foster, this vital biolink will connect the Turtons Creek Scenic Reserve to the Mirboo South Bushland Reserve through Crown land licensed to HVP.

Landscape Scale Connection

The Tarwin River Rainforest Refuge (orange) will provide an important link north to the Brataualung Forest Park and connect to the south toward the Hoddle range and Cape Liptrap.

Adjacent Conservation Properties

To the south are Trust for Nature properties, protected forever with a conservation covenant.

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A Refuge for Endangered and Iconic Australians

This Rainforest Refuge will be an important location for many of our most loved species and some of our most threatened. 

We are in a biodiversity extinction crisis, and forestry is a major contributor to this. HVPs intentions are to 'clear fell' the existing forest of native species on this land and replace it with pine trees, a disaster for biodiversity.

The Refuge will protect the Mountain ash forests that are habitat for Gang-gangs, Pilotbirds, Lyrebirds and the Strzelecki Koala, to name but a few. 

Biodiversity - Learn more
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A Slender Tree-fern and 
Rainforest Refuge

Recent surveys have found that the Turtons Creek area including the proposed Rainforest Refuge contains the largest population of Slender Tree-ferns in Australia.  One third of the known population are found here.

They are critically endangered - this means they are facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future.

Slender Tree-ferns are found in Cool Temperate Rainforest, this is also the most rare and threatened forest type in Victoria. We need to give these areas the best protection possible.

HVP are harvesting up to 20 meters from these delicate Slender Tree-ferns, whereas our conservation scientists have recommended 200m.

The Rainforest Refuge will provide the buffer zones needed for the Slender Tree-ferns' survival.

More about Slender Tree-ferns
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Creating safe passage for the Strzelecki Koala

The Tarwin River Rainforest Refuge will provide a connecting corridor for the Koala and will retain the ridges of Bluegum and Mountain ash to sustain them.

HVP are planning to log this forest on our Crown land (above) and turn it into a pine plantation. If HVP progresses with their logging and planting of pines, where will the Koala’s go?

In February 2024 HVP drone surveys identified Koalas in the northern part of the refuge. This area has now been logged. These Koalas have been told to move on...

Is is estimated that over 10,000 hectares of Eucalyptus plantation in the Strzelecki Ranges will be converted to pines, reducing the amount of suitable habitat for the Koala.

Retaining a small area of Eucalyptus in the Rainforest Refuge will be important for the Koala as a connecting link.

Read More
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Protection and Connection


We call on HVP to retain the remaining unlogged areas of the Fella’s Track Coupe as a ‘rainforest refuge’.

This will protect the Cool Temperate Rainforest, Slender Tree-Ferns and other endangered species that are on that land and also increase buffer zones for other already protected land. 

We believe HVP's plan to log and replant with pines in the middle of this significant conservation area is not in line with community expectations, HVP's own environmental and sustainability statements or the Forestry Stewardship Councils standards. 

What are the benefits?

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Ecological
Benefit
The Tarwin River Rainforest Refuge is a connective park that will reduce the impacts of habitat fragmentation.

Victoria lost 30% of  it's Cool Temperate Rainforest in the Black Summer fires, which makes increased protection for our remaining rainforest the highest priority.

Creating habitat and safe corridors for species movement and fire refuges is vital to reverse species extinction. This sanctuary will do both.

Learn more...
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Climate
Benefit
Mountain Ash forest stores more carbon than any other forest type on Earth. Retaining these forests will eventually store up to 5 times more carbon than plantations.

The park will also secure pure and uncontaminated water supplies from the protected Tarwin Catchment providing better quality water for the towns of Dumbalk and Meeniyan downstream.

Learn more...
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Economic
Benefit

    Research in similar forest in the central highlands has shown that agriculture, water supply and tourism industries contribute more than twenty times that of forestry to the economy. 

Visitors to South Gippsland don't come to see pine plantations. 

Using Crown land for pine plantations takes valuable water from our catchments. This means less water for households and farms downstream.

The ecosystem services provided by retaining this area for conservation are many. 

Learn more...
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Community
Benefit

 Having a healthy environment and spending time in nature is good for our wellbeing.

Research has shown that spending time in nature lowers blood pressure, reduces stress and boosts wellbeing.

South Gippsland's stunning parks, coastlines and forests play an important role in fostering happy, healthy and active communities and will be essential to future economic growth and vibrant and healthy communities.

Learn more...

Frequently Asked Questions

The Rainforest Refuge is situated on Crown land that is owned by DEECA and licensed to HVP for forestry. We have discussed with HVP the idea of retaining the area for a Rainforest Refuge but sadly HVP have rejected our proposal and plan to go ahead with planting pines in the middle of this important conservation area.

Areas within the Crown land that are not being used for plantation are protected native vegetation. However, they are being damaged and are under threat due to inadequate buffer zones and forestry practices that negatively impact the conservation values of these areas.

Local councils are currently the regulating authority but we believe they do not have the capacity to effectively regulate HVP forestry across hundreds of thousands of acres in the Strzeleckis. 

HVP are certified under the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) scheme. We are talking with FSC Australia about how they can ensure the protection of our critically endangered Slender Tree-ferns, so that consumers can have confidence that when buying FSC labelled products they are not supporting practices that harm out threatened species. FSC are investigating but we are yet to have any details of their investigation.

Unfortunately, HVP have told us they don't have to follow the Action Statements under the FFG Act that are designed by our government scientists to protect our threatened species like Slender Tree-ferns. HVP plan to harvest the Eucalyptus species and replant with pines which is detrimental to biodiversity. We propose that the best conservation advice and management actions be applied to protect all threatened species, regardless of tenure.


We are currently talking with all stakeholders toward a community response to looking after this important reserve. We are working with Council, DEECA, Trust for Nature, neighbouring landholders and community groups to create best practice management and legal protection for our threatened species across land tenures.

The Rainforest Refuge would be an important community resource and add to the Turtons Creek Scenic Reserve and the popular Turtons Creek Falls. The Rainforest Refuge is Crown land and was once part of the Strzelecki State forest.  Community access and connection is important if we are to protect these areas for future generations. 

Sure does!

We are a small not-for-profit group that incorporated in early 2024 to protect critically endangered Slender Tree-ferns and rainforest on our local Crown land.

Group members consist of neighbouring landholders and local families who know the importance of this area for conservation and have seen first-hand the impacts of industrial forestry on our rainforests and threatened species.

We work with the community to promote positive conservation initiatives, to share information and support the regulators responsible for protection of our endangered species.

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