| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 Forest nearDaintree.Queensland | |
 Interactive map of Wet Tropics of Queensland | |
| Location | Queensland,Australia |
| Includes | components:
|
| Criteria | Natural: (vii), (viii), (ix), (x) |
| Reference | 486 |
| Inscription | 1988 (12thSession) |
| Area | 893,453 ha (3,449.64 sq mi) |
| Coordinates | 17°12′S145°48′E / 17.2°S 145.8°E /-17.2; 145.8 |
  1 7 13 14 Components in Queensland | |
 Wet Tropics of Queensland Location of Wet Tropics of Queensland in Australia | |
TheWet Tropics of QueenslandWorld Heritage Site is an area of approximately 8,940 km2 (3,450 sq mi) of very wet forests on parts of the coast and adjacent ranges of tropicalQueensland, Australia. The area meets all four of thenatural heritage selection criteria for a World Heritage site.[1] World Heritage status was declared in 1988,[2] and on 21 May 2007 the Wet Tropics was added to theAustralian National Heritage List.[3]
Thetropical forests have the highest concentration of primitiveflowering plant families in the world.[4] OnlyMadagascar andNew Caledonia, due to their historical isolation, have humid, tropical regions with a comparable level ofendemism.[2]
The Wet Tropics rainforests are abiodiversity hotspot and are recognised internationally for their ancient ancestry and many unique plants and animals. The area covers 0.1% of the Australian landmass but contains 50 per cent of all the nation's species.[5] Many plant and animal species in the Wet Tropics are found nowhere else in the world. The Wet Tropics has the oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforests on earth.[6]
On 9 November 2012, the Australian Government also acknowledged the Indigenous heritage of the area as being nationally significant. The Aboriginal Rainforest People of the Wet Tropics of Queensland have lived continuously in the rainforest environment for at least 5000 years, and this is the only place in Australia where Aboriginal people have permanently inhabited a tropical rainforest environment.[7]
The Wet Tropics of Queensland stretches in part fromTownsville toCooktown, running in close parallel to theGreat Barrier Reef (another World Heritage Site).[8]
The terrain is rugged. TheGreat Dividing Range and a number of small coastal ranges, highlands, tablelands, foothills and an escarpment dominate the landscape.
The heritage site contains the northern section of theQueensland tropical rain forests including theDaintree Rainforest. Sixteen different structural types of rainforest have been identified.[9][10]
The World Heritage area includes Australia's highest waterfall,Wallaman Falls. In total it spans 13 major river systems including theAnnan,Bloomfield,Daintree,Barron,Mulgrave,Russell,Johnstone,Tully,Herbert,Burdekin,Mitchell,Normanby andPalmer River.[10]Copperlode Falls Dam,Koombooloomba Dam andPaluma Dam are found within the World Heritage Area.[10]
15% of the area is protected asnational park.[9] Among the national parks included within the Wet Tropics are:
and over 700protected areas including privately owned land.
The Wet Tropics Management Authority was established in 1983; it is responsible for managing the site according to Australia's obligations under the World Heritage Convention.[12] The agency employed 20 staff in 2012 as a unit within theDepartment of Environment and Heritage Protection. It is headed by a board of directors responsible to the Wet Tropics Ministerial Council which contains both Queensland and Federal Government representatives.[12]
The site contains many unique features such as over 390 rare plant species, which includes 74 species that are threatened.[8] There are at least 85 species that are endemic to the area, 13 different types of rainforest and 29 species ofmangrove, which is more than anywhere else in the country.[8] Of the 19 families of primitiveflowering plants worldwide, 12 are found in the Wet Tropics including two families found nowhere else.[13] This includes at least 50 individual species which are endemic to the area.[2]
90 species oforchids have been noted.[14] The large rare trees Stockwellia or Vic Stockwell's PuzzleStockwellia quadrifida (Myrtaceae) grow only in restricted areas of "well developed upland rain forest" in the Wet Tropics.[15] They continue living today as descendants of, and very similar to, the ancientGondwanan ancestors of theEucalypts, which diversified into so many different species forms of all the Eucalypt plants today.[16] 65% of Australia'sfern species are protected here, including all seven of the ancient fern species.[9]
| Animal type | Species | Endemic species | Monotypic genera |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bird | 370 | 11 | 0 |
| Mammal | 107 | 11 | 2 |
| Reptile | 113 | 24 | 3 |
| Amphibian | 51 | 22 | 0 |
| Butterfly | 225 | 6 | 0 |
| Sources:[1][17][18] | |||
370 species of bird have been recorded in the area.[14] 11 species of those are found nowhere else.[1]
Thesouthern cassowary and rarespotted-tailed quoll are some of the many threatened species, while themusky rat-kangaroo is one of 50 animal species that are unique to this area.[4] The musky rat-kangaroo is significant because it represents an early stage in the evolution ofkangaroos.[2] Other rare animals include theyellow-bellied gliders andbrush-tailed bettong.[14] 107 mammal species have been identified.[1] Australia's rarestmammal[dubious –discuss], the insectivorousFlores tube-nosed bat (Murina florium), is also found here.[14] One quarter of Australia'srodent species are found within the Wet Tropics.[9]
113 species of reptiles including 24 endemic species are found in the area and there are 51amphibian species, of which 22 are endemic.[1] One reason for the very high level of endemism is that thegeomorphology is diverse, resulting in habitat islands where distinct subspecies have evolved.[2] Some species are endemic to a specific mountain or groups of mountains.[19]
Around 225 species ofbutterflies have been discovered in the area, with six endemic species and 14 endemic subspecies. It constitutes approximately 57% of the entire Australian butterfly fauna.[18]
Rainfall in the area varies considerably, with elevation and orientation of the coastline being the major influences.[10] Rainfall averages from 1,200 millimetres (mm) to over 8,000 mm annually.[9] The highest mountains along the escarpment between Cairns and Tully receive the highest rainfall, mainly owing toorographic factors.Mount Bellenden Ker is the wettest recording station in the area with other high peaks and eastern slopes favouring high rainfall.[9] Most of the rainfall occurs from November to April. Tropical cyclones may impact the area.
The expansion of thesugarcane industry in lowland plains poses a significant threat to some endangered ecosystems. Some arefragmented and their natural vegetation is degraded.[9] Invasive pest species are another concern along with internal fragmentation by road and power lines.[9][19] Insect and mite species are of particular concern because some of them are hard to detect.[19] Some areas are off-limits to the general public to prevent the introduction ofPhytophthora.[19] The southern cassowary is often killed by motor vehicles.[19]Feral cats prey on native species. The cats compete with spotted-tailed quolls for food and habitat.[20]
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