The Daintree is a spectacular rain-forest that is one of the prettiest and diverse places on our biosphere! It is an amazing ecosystem that we need to protect!
SIZE: Daintree Rainforest is situated north of Cairns in tropical North
Queensland is approximately 1200 square kilometres in size it supports over 3000 species
of plant, over one third of Australia’s mammalian species including 13 of
which are found nowhere else in the world.
AGE: An estimated 180 million years old! It is the oldest rainforest in the world.
LOCATION: Covering 1200sqkm between Mossman Gorge and the Bloomfield River, north of
Cairns, the World Heritage-listed Daintree is the largest continuous rainforest
area in Australia!
HUMAN USAGE: My description of human usage and conservation is included in a blog post below!
HISTORY: The Daintree rainforest is named after Richard Daintree was a pioneering Australian geologist and photographer. The Daintree has had a long history of attempts at human
settlement since the beginnings of the 1900's. After the Great Depression,
settlers were encouraged to go there as leasehold farmers, to "fill the north,”
clear the forests and set up farms. Luckily, this ancient forest proved tougher
than the farmers, and their leaseholds were bought out by an enterprising local
real estate agent, and freeholded, and subdivided into over 1100 two to four
acre blocks with the blessing of the then Queensland Government, in the late
1970's.
INTERESTING FACTS:
Well, firstly this tropical rainforest ecosystem is one of the most complex
on earth. Its plant diversity and structural complexity is unrivalled on the
Australian continent and represents the origins of our more familiar
‘Australian’ flora.
80% of the flowers in Australian rain-forests are not found anywhere else in the WORLD!
Around 2000 trees per minute are being cut down in rainforests :(
Many millions of years ago Australia was warm and humid and rainfall was
plentiful. During this time rainforest thrived in places such as the Ayers Rock
region. It’s hard to believe this would be possible as anyone who has visited
our red centre will tell you not much rain falls there now. However this is a
good example of how old our continent is and just how much change has
occurred.
1 our of 4 ingredients in our rainforest is from rainforest plants!
50% of the worlds animals live in the Daintree!
SIZE: Daintree Rainforest is situated north of Cairns in tropical North
Queensland is approximately 1200 square kilometres in size it supports over 3000 species
of plant, over one third of Australia’s mammalian species including 13 of
which are found nowhere else in the world.
AGE: An estimated 180 million years old! It is the oldest rainforest in the world.
LOCATION: Covering 1200sqkm between Mossman Gorge and the Bloomfield River, north of
Cairns, the World Heritage-listed Daintree is the largest continuous rainforest
area in Australia!
HUMAN USAGE: My description of human usage and conservation is included in a blog post below!
HISTORY: The Daintree rainforest is named after Richard Daintree was a pioneering Australian geologist and photographer. The Daintree has had a long history of attempts at human
settlement since the beginnings of the 1900's. After the Great Depression,
settlers were encouraged to go there as leasehold farmers, to "fill the north,”
clear the forests and set up farms. Luckily, this ancient forest proved tougher
than the farmers, and their leaseholds were bought out by an enterprising local
real estate agent, and freeholded, and subdivided into over 1100 two to four
acre blocks with the blessing of the then Queensland Government, in the late
1970's.
INTERESTING FACTS:
Well, firstly this tropical rainforest ecosystem is one of the most complex
on earth. Its plant diversity and structural complexity is unrivalled on the
Australian continent and represents the origins of our more familiar
‘Australian’ flora.
80% of the flowers in Australian rain-forests are not found anywhere else in the WORLD!
Around 2000 trees per minute are being cut down in rainforests :(
Many millions of years ago Australia was warm and humid and rainfall was
plentiful. During this time rainforest thrived in places such as the Ayers Rock
region. It’s hard to believe this would be possible as anyone who has visited
our red centre will tell you not much rain falls there now. However this is a
good example of how old our continent is and just how much change has
occurred.
1 our of 4 ingredients in our rainforest is from rainforest plants!
50% of the worlds animals live in the Daintree!
