General News
19 November, 2025
Give forest back to folk
ECOLOGIST and sustainable forestry advocate Dr Dan Collins is calling for a new approach to conservation with the launch of the ‘People’s Forest Movement’. This grassroots initiative seeks to reconnect communities with forests and reimagine how Australia manages its natural resources.
Speaking at Cairns’ Sugarworld Adventure Park, Dr Collins described the project as a blend of traditional land use and modern environmental science.
“We used to have a state forest system where people could harvest timber, honey and other forest products sustainably,” he said. “Then that was taken away, and both conservation and communities suffered,” he said.
The People’s Forest Movement proposes two models: one centred on restoring and managing native forests with controlled harvesting of timber, honey, bush foods and medicines, the other, focused on agroforestry, combining agriculture and tree crops such as vanilla, balsa wood, teak and custard apples.
Dr Collins said these methods could diversify local economies and create “thousands of permanent jobs” for North Queenslanders in planting, seed collection and forest maintenance.
“The end of the timber industry really damaged communities in North Queensland,” he said.
“If we allow sustainable harvesting of forest products and plant new high-value timbers, we could rebuild regional towns and provide stable livelihoods for local people instead of relying on seasonal tourism.”
Dr Collins also emphasised collaboration with First Nations rangers and landowners, saying he has worked across Cape York training Indigenous communities in horticulture and land management. He believes the model could be scaled globally, with interest already coming from Papua New Guinea, Peru, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where local groups have offered around 300,000 hectares to trial the concept.
While critical of what he calls “extreme conservation,” Dr Collins argues that re-engaging people in forest management could deliver both social and environmental benefits.
“A forest-based system is far more sustainable than paddocks of sugarcane or bananas,” he said.
“These landscapes can support timber, food, medicine and culture, and they can lock away vast amounts of carbon.”
The People’s Forest Movement is currently seeking partnerships with landholders, local councils and researchers to help develop pilot projects in North Queensland.
“It’s time to get people back into the forest, where they belong,” Dr Collins said.
To find out more about the ‘People’s Forest Movement’ visit: www.bit.ly/47pbBR3
Read More: Cairns