Cairns has one of the highest diversity of mangrove trees and shrubs in the world. The climate and landscape of Far North Queensland provide the perfect conditions that mangroves need to flourish. The highly complex and productive intertidal ecosystems are therefore essential to the ecology of Cairns, protecting the land from the sea, and vice versa, providing a home for many young reef fish in the area.

To the north of the Esplanade the natural landscape of the mangrove forest is abundant however Australia has suffered high levels of mangrove loss both caused by natural and human impacts.Office Feuerman’s proposal, “Grove”, will celebrate Cairns’ mangroves as an irreplaceable community asset and retain Cairns’ connection to its tropical landscape. “Grove” will reinforce this link and carry the unique experience of walking through a mangrove forest into the Seafront Parklands and along the Esplanade Dining Strip.