Wet Tropics of Queensland
Encyclopedia
The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site
consists of approximately 8,940 km² of Australia
n 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
(another world heritage site).
The Wet Tropics of Queensland were also added to the Australian National Heritage List
in May 2007. The rainforests have the highest concentration of primitive flowering plant
families in the world.
and over 700 protected areas
including privately-owned land.
.
The site contains many unique features such as over 390 rare plant species, which includes 74 species that are threatened. There are at least 85 species that are endemic to the area, 13 different types of rainforest and 29 species of mangrove, which is more than anywhere else in the country. 370 species of bird have been recorded in the area.
The endangered Southern Cassowary
and rare Spotted-tailed Quoll
are some of the many threatened species, while the Musky Rat-kangaroo
is one of 50 animal species that are unique to this area. Other rare animals include the Yellow-bellied Glider
s and Brush-tailed Bettong.
90 species of orchids have been noted. Australia's rarest mammal, the tube nosed insectivorous Murina
florious bat is also found here. Stockwellia or Vic Stockwell's Puzzle tree Stockwellia quadrifida—rare large trees, the present–day descendants of the ancient Gondwanan
ancestor species of all Eucalypts—still live today only in restricted areas of "well developed upland rain forest" in the Wet Tropics.
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
consists of approximately 8,940 km² of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland
Queensland
Queensland 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...
portion of the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
, stretching from Townsville
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
to Cooktown, running in close parallel to the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
(another world heritage site).
The Wet Tropics of Queensland were also added to the Australian National Heritage List
Australian National Heritage List
The Australian National Heritage List is a list of places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia. The list includes natural, historic and indigenous places...
in May 2007. The rainforests have the highest concentration of primitive flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
families in the world.
Reserves
Among the National Parks included within the Wet Tropics are:- Barron Gorge National ParkBarron Gorge National ParkBarron Gorge National Park is a national park in Queensland , 1,404 km northwest of Brisbane and 2 km from Kuranda. Barron Gorge is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The Kuranda Scenic Railway line passes through the park with a station at Barron Falls. One train runs from...
- Black Mountain (Kalkajaka) National Park
- Cedar Bay National ParkCedar Bay National ParkCedar Bay is a national park in Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane, south of Cooktown and accessible only by boat or foot. The park is one of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area series of national parks, and is a gazetted World Heritage site. It is also known as Mangkal-Mangkalba in...
- Daintree National ParkDaintree 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...
- Edmund Kennedy National ParkEdmund Kennedy National ParkEdmund Kennedy is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1269 km northwest of Brisbane. The national park is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. It was named after Edmund Kennedy, a mid-nineteenth century explorer....
- Girringun National ParkGirringun National ParkGirrungun National Park is a National Park in Queensland , approximately 50 km southwest of Ingham, 110 km north of Townsville and 1,290 km northwest of Brisbane. The park was formerly named Lumholtz National Park when it was created in 1994. The Blencoe Falls Section was gazetted as...
- Wooroonooran National ParkWooroonooran National ParkWooroonooran is a national park in Queensland , 1367 km northwest of Brisbane, between Innisfail and Cairns.The park is one of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area series of national parks, and is a gazetted World Heritage site...
and over 700 protected areas
Protected areas of Queensland
Queensland is the second largest state in Australia. It contains 470 separate Protected Areas with a total land area of 69,388 km² . 223 of these are National parks, which is the highest number of any Australian state or territory, totalling 65,871 km²...
including privately-owned land.
Features
The World Heritage Area includes Australia's highest waterfall, Wallaman FallsWallaman Falls
The Wallaman Falls are notable for their single-drop of 268 metres, which is Australia's highest permanent waterfall. The pool at the end of the waterfall is 20 metres deep....
.
The site contains many unique features such as over 390 rare plant species, which includes 74 species that are threatened. There are at least 85 species that are endemic to the area, 13 different types of rainforest and 29 species of mangrove, which is more than anywhere else in the country. 370 species of bird have been recorded in the area.
The endangered Southern Cassowary
Southern Cassowary
The Southern Cassowary, Casuarius casuarius, also known as Double-wattled Cassowary, Australian Cassowary or Two-wattled Cassowary, is a large flightless black bird...
and rare Spotted-tailed Quoll
Tiger Quoll
The tiger quoll , also known as the spotted-tail quoll, the spotted quoll, the spotted-tailed dasyure or the tiger cat, is a carnivorous marsupial of the quoll genus Dasyurus native to Australia...
are some of the many threatened species, while the Musky Rat-kangaroo
Musky Rat-kangaroo
The Musky Rat-kangaroo is a marsupial species found in the rainforests of northeast Australia. Although some scientists place this species as a subfamily of the family Potoroidae, the most recent classification places it in the family Hypsiprymnodontidae with prehistoric rat-kangaroos.It is the...
is one of 50 animal species that are unique to this area. Other rare animals include the Yellow-bellied Glider
Yellow-bellied Glider
The Yellow-bellied Glider is an arboreal and nocturnal gliding possum that lives in a narrow range of native eucalypt forests down eastern Australia, reaching from northern Queensland to Victoria.-Habitat:...
s and Brush-tailed Bettong.
90 species of orchids have been noted. Australia's rarest mammal, the tube nosed insectivorous Murina
Murina
Murina is a genus of vesper bats.-References:* Kuo, H.-C.; Fang, Y.-P.; Csorba G. & Lee, L.-L. 2009. Three New Species of Murina from Taiwan. Journal of Mammalogy 90 : 980-991....
florious bat is also found here. Stockwellia or Vic Stockwell's Puzzle tree Stockwellia quadrifida—rare large trees, the present–day descendants of the ancient Gondwanan
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
ancestor species of all Eucalypts—still live today only in restricted areas of "well developed upland rain forest" in the Wet Tropics.
See also
- Environment of AustraliaEnvironment of AustraliaThe Australian environment ranges from virtually pristine Antarctic territory and rainforests to degraded industrial areas of major cities.- Issues :...
- Forests of AustraliaForests of AustraliaAustralia has many forests of importance due to significant features, despite being one of the driest continents. Australia has approximately 147 million hectares of native forest which represents some 19% of land use....
- List of World Heritage Sites in Asia and Australasia