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The Daintree Rainforest

The rainforest straddles Cape Tribulation

The Daintree Rainforest is a tropical rainforest near Daintree, Queensland, on the coast, north of Cairns in tropical far north of Australia. At around 1200 square kilometers the Daintree is Australia's largest contiguous areas of rainforest. Named for Richard Daintree, part of the forest is protected by the Daintree National Park and drained by the Daintree River.

The Daintree Rainforest contains 30% of frog, marsupial and reptile species in Australia, and 65% of Australia's bat and butterfly species. 20% of bird species in the country can be found in this area. All of this diversity is contained within an area that takes up 0.2% of the landmass of Australia.

The Daintree Rainforest's addition to the World Heritage List in 1988 in recognition of its universal natural values highlighted the rainforest.

The Daintree is an outstanding example of the major stages in the earth's evolutionary history, an example of significant ongoing ecological and biological processes, and an example of superlative natural phenomena. It contains important and significant habitats for conservation of biological diversity. The Daintree Rainforest is over one hundred and thirty-five million years old – the oldest in the world. Approximately 430 species of birds live among the trees, including 13 species that are found nowhere else in the world. The primitive flowering plant Idiospermum australiense is also endemic to the Daintree.

Attractions

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There are many different types of attractions to experience in the Daintree Rainforest. One of the most common ways to experience it is through a guided tour that is offered through many outside companies. You can take a walking tour led by the Aboriginals who live in the area, a river wildlife cruise, or a bird sighting tour. You can also explore by going on a safari, or by going fishing, horseback riding, or bike riding. Some of the other top reasons to visit the Daintree Rainforest are its world famous beaches-- some of the most spectacular in the world. Furhermore, there are many hiking trails, like the 1.1 km Marrdja Boardwalk, which are exotic and challenging at the same time.

Transportation

There are numerous ways to reach the Daintree Rainforest, whether it be by rental car, helicopter, plane, boat or Sunpalm Transport. Sunpalm Transport offers bus transfer services from Cairns, Port Douglas, Daintree, Cape Tribulation and Cooktown. It also offers an airport shuttle from Cairns Airport. There is also a Daintree Ferry, the only cable ferry in tropical Australia, which will drop visitors off on the southern part of the rainforest, and runs from 6:00am to midnight every day.

Environmental threats

• Logging is an industry that put the Daintree Rainforest on the map decades ago, and remains a force in the area. Parts of the rainforest are controlled by the Queensland Forestry Department, who could fell ancient trees and sell the timber for high prices. From the mid-late 20th century, logging has been a major factor contributing to the vulnerability of the Daintree. After World War 2, Australia’s economy began to expand rapidly and the demand for timber was high. Numerous timber mills were built to log trees from the Daintree and transport infrastructure was built by such firms to make logging more rapid and efficient. Not only did logging become more rapid but this infrastructure also burnt fossil fuels to fuel the production and transportation which contributed to greater carbon based pollutants in the biosphere and hydrosphere in the surrounding area. For example, in 1954 a steel punt barge was built to carry large logs. However, due to a greater global awareness of logging (especially in large rainforests such as the Amazon) logging has curbed in recent decades and government policies and organisations (such as the Queensland Forestry Department) have aided this. However, on a global scale logging in the Daintree is minor compared to larger rainforests such as the Amazon in Brazil and the Borneo Rainforest in Indonesia.

• Mining is another threat, although has not yet become active. Tin mining leases are held over parts of the area, and if these go ahead many plants and animal species will be lost.

• Tourism also has an effect on the area. More than 400 000 people visit the region each year, which means thousands of buses, 4WD’s, and passenger cars drive through the rainforest. The vast majority of tourism operators are highly aware of their impact on the environment and take steps to minimise their impact. Tourism is arguably the most detrimental environmental force to the Daintree’s vulnerability. The demand for tourism will also increase the amount of cars and infrastructure built in the area. Because of the many people that visit, vehicles such as cars, buses and 4WD’s drive through the rainforest. A major reason for the large number of tourists who visit the Daintree each year is due to its close proximity to another major Australian tourist destination, the Great Barrier Reef. Tourists may stay in nearby Cairns or Port Douglas and visit both the rainforest and the reef in the one holiday. However, most tourism operators are mindful of their negative environmental footprint and take steps to keep their businesses environmentally sustainable.

• Development by private enterprise impacts negatively on the vulnerability of the Daintree. Due to an increasing emigration to Queensland from other states due to a lower cost of living along with tourism, the demand for more public and housing infrastructure has increased in North Queensland. This has caused the creation of many fences, subdivision of land in the area, building of roads as well as sewage and drainage infrastructure taking place. These impacts create dangerous conditions for fauna in the Daintree and may cause animals to cross roads or fences in order to search for food. It will also increase pollution due to the development and creation of new infrastructure. Development will also make the rainforest more accessible to tourists which will increase the number of tourists even more.

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 28 August 2008, at 08:25.

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