The Daintree Rainforest, Australia
The Daintree rainforest is in northern Queensland, Australia and is part of a huge stretch of rainforest known as the Wet Tropics which runs parallel to the Queensland coast this coats runs alongside the Great Barrier Reef. The Daintree takes up less than 0.2% of the landmass of Australia. The Daintree forest, at 135 million years old, is the oldest rainforest in the world. There are plant species living there which are older than human life making The Daintree one of the most fragile and important ecosystems in the world.
The Daintree is home to the greatest number of plant and animal species which are rare or threatened with extinction than any other places in the world. It is home to one of the Highsted populations of primitive flowering plants families on Earth 12 are found here Contains over 3500 vascular plants. Has Australias largest range of ferns. Has the highest number of endemic mammals of any region in Australia. Has almost half of Australias bird species. And 13 species found nowhere else in the world. Has nearly a quarter of Australias frog species, more than 20 of which are endemic. Has a greater diversity of freshwater fish than any other regions in Australia. Has over 65% of Australias butterfly and bat species. Has 28 of Australias 36 mangrove species.
ClimateThe Daintree Forest has an equatorial climate: A Low daily range of temperature the temperatures rarely drop below 22oC at night or go above 32 oC during the day. A low annual temperature range High annual; rainfall over 2000mm in intense conventional storms with 120 days of rain per year High humidity A year-round growing season.
Vegetation: Trees in the Daintree Forest are deciduous but look evergreen due to the year-round growing season allowing them to shed their leaves at any time. The vegetation also grows in distinct layers with the tallest emergent growing up to 50m in height.The Daintree Rainforest has become a world heritage site due to it having:
An outstanding example of the major stages in the Earths evolutionary history An outstanding example of significant ongoing ecological and biological processes An example of superlative natural phenomena significant habitats for the conservation of natural biodiversity
Only about 1% of sunlight reaches the forest floor. Shrubs and other plants are adapted to the lack of sunlight. There are as many as 200 species of tree per hectare Rainforests are the most productive terrestrial ecosystem. Mangroves fringe the coast of the Daintree rainforest.
The wet tropical rainforests of North-East Queensland contain the richest fauna in Australia. This region represents little more than 0.1% of the area of Australia, but contains:
30% of Australias frog, marsupial and reptile species 65% of Australias bat and butterfly species 20% of Australias bird species There are 70 animals endemic in North East Queensland
How is the area threatened??
The most dangerous threat The Daintree is facing is tourism. The Daintree is situated in the Far North Queensland tourism region of Douglas Shire the tourism in the Daintree Region being worth A$141.7 million a year and the creator of 3500 jobs.
Many people come to Daintree for the scenery, the views and the rainforest itself. They take part in a range of activities including: bush walking, four-wheel drive tours, river cruises, fishing and reef diving. Tourism contributes to a range of threats:
Feral animals:Feral animals impact on the values of the Daintree Rainforest through predation on native species, competition for food and habitat, degradation of habitat, soil erosion, disease and weed transmission, and changes in fire regimes.
Weeds:Clearing of rainforest habitat for residential development has led to an alarming increase in the number of known weed species in the Daintree. Weeds disrupt ecosystems, compete with and replace native plants, reduce food and shelter for native species, change fire regimes and create soil erosion.
Climate change: Climate change is becoming a major concern to the biodiversity of the Daintree Rainforest. Global warming could decrease the habitat of many endemic vertebrate species which live in the cooler upland and montane rainforests, leaving only isolated pockets of rainforest for them to live in. It is predicted that seven frog species, five mammal species, three bird species and three skink species would lose over half their present habitat with only a 1 degree temperature increase.
Rural residential development: Clearing of the rainforest for residential development remains the greatest threat to the Daintree Lowland Rainforest leading to fragmentation, displacement of wildlife and susceptibility to invasive weeds all which threaten the biodiversity values which makes the Daintree Rainforest so unique.
Fragmentation:Habitat fragmentation caused by rural residential development and clearing for farming makes it difficult for plants and animals to move from one rainforest patch to another. It can also limit breeding populations and make species more vulnerable to extinction, particularly in small, isolated pockets.
Services provided by the Daintree and ecosystem services
Medicine- 25% of drugs include products that come from the rainforests e.g. chemicals to treat diabetes, malaria, heart conditions, rheumatism and arthritis; some anti-cancer properties.
Carbon sequestration- Trees absorb CO2 removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and storing it- helping to reduce pollution and regulate climate
Tourism- The Daintree attracts nearly half 1 million visitors a year, both from home and abroad due to the scenery- unique combination of coast, rainforest and mountains- the biodiversity in terms of the huge range of plant and animal species in the Daintree and to visit the Great Barrier Reef
Rainforest aboriginal people are the original owners of the Wet Tropic rainforests and to them its a series of complex living cultural landscapes. Therefore the natural features of the rainforest are interwoven with the peoples religion, spirituality, economic use (food, medicines, tools) and social and moral organisation
Logging- The commercial timber industry began in 1930s however during 1980s the Daintree rainforest was at the centre of arguments between conservationists and the timber industry. The conservationists argued that continued logging was unsustainable.PORT DOUGLASPort Douglas is close to the Daintree and has been affected by the increasing numbers of tourists to the regions. Its population is only about 4000 but as visitor numbers have grown, the village has changed and this has affected its character. The type of accommodation in the village has changed and grown rapidly.Increasing numbers of visitors have caused other changes:
A large supermarket was built in the centre of the village in 1999. Small local shops said that people no longer shopped with them. A property boom led to rising house prices. Some people benefited from selling their land to developers, whilst others find it difficult to buy a house or apartment. There are increasing numbers of proposals to build new resort complexes. In 2008, five new resorts were either being built, or were planned.There is a real fear that the development will spread, and some people worry that it is only a matter of time before hotels, restaurants and shops spread further into the Daintree.
Management Strategies
The Wet Tropics Management Authority The Wet Tropics Management Authority was formed in 1990, and is responsible for managing the Wet Tropics as a World Heritage site. The authority is based in Cairns and its main functions are:
Developing and implementing plans and policies Researching and monitoring enhancing understanding of the importance of the world heritage area and monitoring the state of the wet tropics. Developing management agreements with landholders and aborigines Education through visitor centres and education programmes Funding for particular outcomes Promoting the wet tropics.
Douglas Shire CouncilUntil 2008, Douglas Shire Council was the local council for the Daintree determining issues like planning permission. In the late 1990s, the local council, land developers and farmers wanted more development in the Daintree. In 2000, the council voted to gradually reduce the population in the Daintree, as a way of balancing economic growth and diversity. To achieve this:
In 2003, it increased the price of the ferry crossing by $4 to finance land buy-back. Tour operators objected, saying that tourists would be unwilling to pay the extra fee however tourist numbers continued to increase. It rejected proposals supported by tour operators to build a bridge across the Daintree River or introduce an extra ferry, on the grounds that additional tourists would threaten the rainforest.
However a Queensland review of local government abolished the Douglas Shire Council in 2008 and the Daintree became part of Cairns Regional Council. Local people fear that the kind of commercial development which has occurred in Cairns will take place in the Daintree.
Were they successful?The Rainforest Co-operative Research Council produced a report on the future of the Daintree in 2000, which is still current. Their findings were that unless action was taken, the area would see an increase in residential development, a loss of biodiversity, and a reduction in its attractiveness to tourists.
