Proposal developed by Greg Roberts, Sunshine Coast Birds, 2019. 

The Queensland Government is continuing to consider a proposal to restore a large area of subtropical lowland rainforest, a critically endangered habitat, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The proposal being considered by the Environment Minister, Lee-anne Enoch, suggests the stopping of logging hoop pine plantations and grazing in the 21,000ha Imbil State Forest. The plantations would be allowed to regenerate as subtropical lowland rainforest, the habitat that was there naturally before being cleared for the plantations early last Century.

Ecologists and botanists argue that the plantations would easily regenerate as lowland rainforest if let be as hoop pine is a dominant plant naturally in this habitat; plantations would be seeded with other plants growing in remnant rainforest patches in Imbil State Forest. These images show how hoop plantations left unlogged will in time resemble lowland rainforest. It is not the intention to immediately shut down logging in the state forest. Rather, as a first step, it has been suggested that a trial area of 300-500ha of hoop pine plantation adjoining remnant rainforest be allowed to regenerate while it is monitored.

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