The
Daintree Rainforest is a
tropical rainforestA tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
on the north east coast of
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia, north of Mossman and Cairns. At around 1200 square kilometres the Daintree is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest on the
Australian continentAustralia is the world's smallest continent, comprising the mainland of Australia and proximate islands including Tasmania, New Guinea, the Aru Islands and Raja Ampat Islands...
. Along the coastline north of the
Daintree RiverThe Daintree River runs through the Daintree Rainforest in the Cape Tribulation region of Queensland in northern Australia. It is located about 100 kilometres northwest of Cairns in far north tropical Queensland and drains an area of 2,125 square kilometres. The river, along with the Daintree...
tropical rainforest grows right down to the edge of the sea.
The Daintree Rainforest contains 30% of the
frogFrogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
,
reptileReptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
and
marsupialMarsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
species in Australia, and 65% of Australia's
batBats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
and
butterflyA butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
species. 18% of
birdBirds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species in the country can be found in this area. There are also over 12000 species of insects. All of this
diversityBiodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
is contained within an area that takes up 0.1% of the
landmassA landmass is a contiguous area of land surrounded by ocean. Although it may be most often written as one word to distinguish it from the usage "land mass"—the measure of land area—it is also used as two words.Landmasses include:*supercontinents...
of Australia. Part of the forest is protected by the
Daintree National ParkDaintree is a national park in Far North Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane and northwest of Cairns. It was founded in 1981 and is part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland. In 1988 it was granted listing as a World Heritage List...
and drained by the
Daintree RiverThe Daintree River runs through the Daintree Rainforest in the Cape Tribulation region of Queensland in northern Australia. It is located about 100 kilometres northwest of Cairns in far north tropical Queensland and drains an area of 2,125 square kilometres. The river, along with the Daintree...
. The roads north of the river wind through areas of lush forest, and have been designed to minimize impacts on this ancient ecosystem.
The rainforest area, named after
Richard DaintreeRichard Daintree was a pioneering Australian geologist and photographer. In particular, Daintree was the first Government geologist for North Queensland discovering gold fields and coal seams for future exploitation...
, is loosely defined as the area between the Mossman Gorge and the
Bloomfield RiverThe Bloomfield River is a river situated in Queensland, north of Daintree. The river enters the sea north of Cape Tribulation and is noted for its Bloomfield River cod fish species, found only in the river...
. The name is believed to have come about as a result of conservationists, who during the building of a coastal road linking the Daintree area near
Cape TribulationCape Tribulation is a headland and locality in northern Queensland, Australia north of Cairns. It is located within the Daintree National Park and the Wet Tropics World Heritage area. At the 2006 census, Cape Tribulation had a population of 101....
to Cooktown (the Bloomfield Road) in the early 1980s proposed the 'Greater Daintree National Park' which would have encompassed all of the forest in the area, including the
Cape TribulationCape Tribulation is a headland and locality in northern Queensland, Australia north of Cairns. It is located within the Daintree National Park and the Wet Tropics World Heritage area. At the 2006 census, Cape Tribulation had a population of 101....
and
Daintree National ParkDaintree is a national park in Far North Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane and northwest of Cairns. It was founded in 1981 and is part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland. In 1988 it was granted listing as a World Heritage List...
s. Recent extensions to the Daintree National Park have realised this.
The area includes the Daintree National Park, some areas of State Forest, and some privately owned land, including a residential community of upwards of 500 people. Some of the privately owned land north of the Alexandra Range is being progressively purchased for conservation purposes under a $15 million government scheme involving equal contributions from the municipal (
Cairns Regional CouncilThe Cairns Region is a Local Government Area in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, centred on the regional centre of Cairns. Established in 2008, it was preceded by two previous local government areas which dated back to the 1870s....
, which includes the former Douglas Shire council), State (
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
) and Australian Federal governments. As of May 2011, 72% of the properties earmarked for buyback or compensation had been secured. These 'buyback' areas of tropical rainforest included 215 blocks of land purchased by the Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service, and 13 purchased by private conservation agencies.
Wet Tropics World Heritage Site
Much of the Daintree Rainforest is part of the
Wet TropicsThe Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km² of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range, stretching from Townsville to Cooktown, running in close parallel to the Great Barrier Reef...
of Queensland
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, being listed by
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 1988 in recognition of its universal natural values highlighted by the rainforest.
The Australian Government lists these attributes, amongst others, as evidence for the Wet Tropics' World Heritage values, including the Daintree rainforest:
They preserve major stages of the earth's evolutionary history -
- ancient plants representing some of the earliest land plants, the Psilotopsida
Psilotopsida is a class of fern-like plants. It should not be confused with the obsolete class Psilophytopsida. As circumscribed by Smith et al. Psilotopsida contains two families, Psilotaceae and Ophioglossaceae, placed in orders Psilotales and Ophioglossales, respectively...
(whisk ferns) and the Lycopsida (club mosses or tassel ferns);
- 7 ancient families
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of true fernA fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s, including the Marattiaceae (giant or king ferns), OsmundaceaeThe Osmundaceae is a family of four genera and 15-25 species. It is the only fern family of the order Osmundales; an order in the class Pteridopsida or in some classifications the only order in the class Osmundopsida...
(royal ferns), SchizaeaceaeSchizaeaceae is a family of 35 to 40 species of small ferns, chiefly tropical.Genera historically treated as belonging to this family include Anemia, Lygodium, and Mohria...
(comb ferns) and GleicheniaceaeThe forked ferns are the family Gleicheniaceae. They are sometimes – like all ferns and the related horsetails – placed in an infradivision Monilophytes of subdivision Euphyllophytina, allowing for more precise phylogenetic arrangement of the tracheophytes. More conventionally, the name...
(coral ferns);
- fern genera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
of East Gondwanan origins, including PolystichumPolystichum is a genus of about 260 species of ferns with a cosmopolitan distribution. The highest diversity is in eastern Asia, with about 120 species in China alone; the region from Mexico to Brazil has nearly 100 additional species; Africa , North America , and Europe have much lower diversity...
(shield ferns), LeptopterisThe fern genus Leptopteris is a small group of plants found growing in the Pacific Islands, New Guinea and Australia. They are similar to ferns in the related genus Todea.Species include:* L. alpina* L. fraseri - Crepe Fern, Australia...
, TodeaThe fern genus Todea is known from only two living species. Todea barbara L., known as the king fern, is native to South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia while Todea papuana H. is known only from Papua New Guinea...
, TmesipterisTmesipteris the "hanging fork fern", is a genus of fern-like vascular plants, one of two genera in the family Psilotaceae, order Psilotales, and class Psilotopsida ....
(fork ferns), LycopodiellaLycopodiella is a genus in the clubmoss family Lycopodiaceae. The genus members are commonly called bog clubmosses, describing their wetland habitat. There are 38 species; the distribution is cosmopolitan, with centres of diversity in the tropical New World and New Guinea...
and Huperzia (club mosses and tassel ferns);
- the ancient, fern-like cycad
Cycads are seed plants typically characterized by a stout and woody trunk with a crown of large, hard and stiff, evergreen leaves. They usually have pinnate leaves. The individual plants are either all male or all female . Cycads vary in size from having a trunk that is only a few centimeters...
Bowenia spectabilisBowenia spectabilis is a species of plant in the Stangeriaceae family. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-Range:...
(zamia fern) and other cycads including CycasCycas is the type genus and the only genus currently recognised in the cycad family Cycadaceae. About 95 species are currently accepted. The best-known species is Cycas revoluta, widely cultivated under the name "Sago Palm" or "King Sago Palm" due to its palm-like appearance although it is not a...
, and the giant Lepidozamia hopeiLepidozamia hopei is a species of plant in the Zamiaceae family. It is endemic to Australia.-References:* Hill, K.D. 2003. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007....
(zamia palm);
- ancient conifers such as Podocarpus
Podocarpus is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. The 105 species of Podocarpus are evergreen shrubs or trees from 1-25 m in height...
(plum pine or brown pine), PrumnopitysPrumnopitys is a genus of conifers belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. The eight recognised species of Prumnopitys are densely-branched, dioecious evergreen trees up to 40 metres in height. The leaves are similar to those of the yew, strap-shaped, 1-4 cm long and 2-3 mm broad, with a...
(brown pine or southern yew), AraucariaAraucaria is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. There are 19 extant species in the genus, with a highly disjunct distribution in New Caledonia , Norfolk Island, eastern Australia, New Guinea, Argentina, Chile, and southern Brazil.-Description:Araucaria are mainly...
(hoop and bunya pines), and AgathisThe genus Agathis, commonly known as kauri or dammar, is a relatively small genus of 21 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient Araucariaceae family of conifers, a group once widespread during the Jurassic period, but now largely restricted to the Southern Hemisphere except for...
(kauri) which are living counterparts of Jurassic-age fossils (i.e., age of the dinosaurs);
- 12 primitive angiosperm (flowering plant) families
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, including small, primitive, relict angiosperm families such as AustrobaileyaceaeAustrobaileyaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants. This family is recognised by most plant taxonomists.The APG II system, of 2003 , does recognise such a family and places it in order Austrobaileyales. This order is accepted as being among the most basic lineages in the clade...
, Idiospermaceae, EupomatiaceaeEupomatiaceae is the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family has been recognised by most taxonomists.The APG II system, of 2003 , also recognizes this family, and assigns it to the order Magnoliales in the clade magnoliids...
and HimantandraceaeHimantandraceae is the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family has been recognised by most taxonomists.The APG II system, of 2003 , also recognizes this family, and assigns it to the order Magnoliales in the clade magnoliids...
;
- relict angiosperm plant families that are known as fossils from the Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
(last age of the dinosaurs) including CunoniaceaeThe Cunoniaceae is a family of 26 genera and about 350 species of woody plants in the Antarctic flora, with many laurifolia species with glossy leaves endemic to laurel forest habitat. The family is native to Australia, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New Zealand, southern South America, the Mascarene...
, ProteaceaeProteaceae is a family of flowering plants distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises about 80 genera with about 1600 species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae they make up the order Proteales. Well known genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea,...
(banksia and macadamia family), WinteraceaeThe Winteraceae are a family of flowering plants. The family includes 120 species of trees and shrubs in 9 genera.The Winteraceae are a mostly southern-hemisphere family associated with the Antarctic flora, found in tropical to temperate climate regions of Malesia, Oceania, eastern Australia, New...
, MyrtaceaeThe Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...
(eucalypt and lilly pilly), MonimiaceaeMonimiaceae is a family of flowering plants, which includes 150-220 species of shrubs and small trees in 18-25 genera. They are native to the southern hemisphere tropics and subtropics. The largest genus is Tambourissa, with 50 species in Madagascar, the Mascarene Islands, and the Comoros...
, RutaceaeRutaceae, commonly known as the rue or citrus family, is a family of flowering plants, usually placed in the order Sapindales.Species of the family generally have flowers that divide into four or five parts, usually with strong scents...
, SapindaceaeSapindaceae, also known as the soapberry family, is a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales. There are about 140-150 genera with 1400-2000 species, including maple, horse chestnut and lychee....
, Aquifoliaceae (holly family), ChloranthaceaeChloranthaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants. The family consists of four genera, totalling several dozen species, of herbaceous or woody plants occurring in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, Madagascar, Central & South America, and the West Indies...
, TrimeniaceaeTrimeniaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants. Such a family has been recognized by most taxonomists, at least for the past several decades....
, Epacridaceae (heath family), OlacaceaeOlacaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Santalales. They are woody plants, native throughout the tropical regions of the world....
and LoranthaceaeLoranthaceae is a family of flowering plants, which has been universally recognized by taxonomists. It consists of about 75 genera and 1,000 species of woody plants, many of them hemi-parasites, all of them except three having the mistletoe habit...
(mistletoes);
- 153 genera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
in 43 families of angiosperms believed to represent the longest continuous history associated with the Gondwanan landmass.
They preserve unique, rare or superlative natural phenomena, formations or features of exceptional natural beauty -
- exceptional coastal scenery unusual in the world (and Australia) where tropical rainforest extends to white sandy beaches with fringing coral reefs just offshore;
- rugged mountain peaks and gorges with swiftly flowing rivers and spectacular waterfalls (e.g., Thornton Peak
Thornton Peak is a prominent mountain that rises above the Daintree Rainforest to a height of 1374 m. The mountain is located about 32 km northwest of Cairns within the catchment of the Daintree River....
, Mossman Gorge, Roaring Meg Falls);
- extensive vistas of undisturbed forest and valleys.
The Daintree rainforest contains important and significant habitats for
conservationConservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important to...
of biological diversity.
Approximately 430 species of birds live among the trees. The primitive flowering plants
Austrobaileya scandensAustrobaileya is a genus of flowering plants native to Queensland state in northeastern Australia, consisting of two species of evergreen lianas, A. maculata and A. scandens. Austrobaileya is the sole genus in the family Austrobaileyaceae.Austrobaileya are woody vines. Its main stem is loosely...
and
Idiospermum australiense are also endemic to the Daintree.
The Daintree Region is home to a number of rare and endangered species, including the
Southern CassowaryThe Southern Cassowary, Casuarius casuarius, also known as Double-wattled Cassowary, Australian Cassowary or Two-wattled Cassowary, is a large flightless black bird...
(
Casuarius casuarius) and
Bennett's Tree-kangarooBennett's Tree-kangaroo, or Dendrolagus bennettianus, is a large tree-kangaroo. Males can weigh from 11.5 kg up to almost 14 kg , while the females range between about 8 to 10.6 kg...
(
Dendrolagus bennettianus).