1. A bio-diverse area under
threat
The Daintree Rainforest,
Queensland Australia
2. • This is a CASSOWARY it’s my
height of marginally bigger- about
1.75 m tall!!!
• It is a relation of the more well
known Emus, like which it
CANNOT fly!!!
• It can ONLY be found in the
Daintree forest
• It is severely threatened close to
wild extinction- only 500 left
• Vital to ecosystem as scatters
seeds of over 100 species of
plants
• Without this bird eating seeds and
then dropping them further away
seeds would not spread through
large areas of forest
• It is a protected species and since
Why worry about me?
1999 numbers have increased from
Surely there are more 54 to 500 in wild!!!
important things in the world!
3. Where?
• The Daintree forest lies on the
North East coast of Australia
in the area called Queensland,
it's a part of the larger area
known as the wet tropics.
• It runs parallel to the other
Australian wonderland the
Great Barrier Reef
• The wet tropics are a world
heritage site, covering an area
of 900,000 hectares (1/2 size
of Wales)
5. Why is the Daintree so special?
• 135 million years old- oldest in
world
• Has plants there older than human
life on Earth!!!!
• Home to greatest no. of plant/
animal species that are rare,
threatened anywhere in world!
• Of world’s 19 primitive plants 12
are found here
6. Low daily temp range-
rarely below 22 at
night or above 32 in
day
High annual rainfall (2000m+)
in intense convectional storms
Low annual
temp range 120 days
with rain per
year
High
humidity
7. Vegetation
• Deciduous tress, but look evergreen, as year round
growing season means trees shed leaves at different
times
• 1% of sun reaches floor- shrubs etc adapt to lack of
light
• About 200 species of tree in an area size of football
pitch
• Soil has thick litter layer, as leaves continuously fall,
but humus is thin due to rapid decomposition in humid
conditions
• Nutrients are rapidly leached (drawn down into and
lost in soil)
• Reddish in colour due to high concentration of iron
and aluminium
8. The IDIOT
• Has Australia’s largest range of FRUIT- a
ferns primitive plant
• Highest no. of ENDEMIC mammals species –
anywhere in Australia ENDEMIC to the
• Has near ½ Australia’s bird region
species- 13 ENDEMIC
• ¼ of Australia’s frogs- 20+ of
which are ENDEMIC
• Greater diversity of freshwater
fish in Australia
• Has 65% of Australia’s butterfly
and bat species
• 28 of 36 mangrove species
Ulysses butterfly-
symbol of the
rainforest
9. Ecosystem services
Timber, food, medicines,
• Provisioning- things that can be obtained- commodities like rubber,
pets, clothing, fruit,
species
• Regulating- benefits obtained by regulating the ecosystem-
Climate regulation, intake of Carbon, prevention of soil
erosion, waste treatment, protection of water quality
Ecotourism, local cultures,
traditional lifestyles
• Cultural- non material benefits
• Supporting- necessary for all other services cycle impacts, nutrient
Level of photosynthesis, water provided
cycling
10. Services provided by the
Daintree
• Carbon Sequestration- Daintree plants and trees store carbon in
leaves which reduces pollution and regulates climate
• Medicine- 25% of drugs are from rainforests, including
chemicals to treat diabetes, heart disease, malaria, arthritis and
traditional headache tablets. Many Daintree plants are
identified as containing cancer fighting properties
• People of the rainforest- rainforest aborigine people are the
original owners of the forest- the natural rainforest and its
processes are integral to these people and the way they live
• Tourism- ½ million tourist visits a year from home and abroad,
come for scenery- unique combo of forest, coast and mountains
and the GBR all together- nowhere else like this on Earth
• Logging- began in 1930s in the 80s arguments ensued between
conservationists and timber industry- decided continued logging
at then rate UNSUSTAINABLE.
11. Tasks
1) Group task
• Group 1- draw a spider diagram or like to show how a
tourist would view the Daintree
• Group 2- same but from logging company viewpoint
• Group 3 same but from conservationist viewpoint
• Group 4 same but from Cassowary viewpoint
• Group 5 same but from a local governor from Douglas
Shire Council view
• Group 6 same but from a local person perspective
• You have 5 minutes then feed info back to other
groups
2) Which of the above mentioned conflict with each
other? In what ways? Come up with a conflict matrix
to highlight these.
12. What are the threats to the Daintree?
Tourism-
a) Worth 141.7 million Australian $ a year
b) Most come to see the scenery and the forest
c) Many partake in destructive activities there- such as fishing, 4
wheel drive tours, walking, reef diving, horse riding
d) Ferry carries 700 vehicles across river daily
e) 0.5 million visitors annually
f) Stay an average of 3.8 days
g) Increased accommodation since 1991- 20 b+bs, 1278 beds
nightly, 176 camping places actually in Daintree AND 58 b+bs,
8822 beds and 770 camp itches in local area
h) 70% of tourists visit independently- 30% with registered
coach companies
i) Recent improvements- road tarmac increasing visitor numbers
j) Visitors think there’s too much accommodation and enough
walking tracks already in place
13. Growth and change in Port Douglas
a) Population 4000
b) Large visitor numbers have led to decline in small local shops
replaced by a small supermarket
c) Property booms- some sold land to developers others priced
from market
d) 2 new resorts just nearing completion, 2 underway and 2 more in
process of planning
e) Small forest areas have been divided up and sold to developers-
some have been built on and environmental concerns have been
addressed others have been turned to cattle ranches
f) Red cedar became extinct in 2000 after builder removed all
g) If land clearing isn’t stopped 85 rare plant species stand to be
lost
14. Limits to development
1) Ferry capacity limits traffic,
population and visitor levels
2) No Mains electric north of river-
so people there have to generate
own through RAPS, own
generators or solar power
3) Local services only support small
local population- no mains water
or sewer disposal system
4) In 2000 planners gained
permission for a McDonalds on
site, but now it has been
withdrawn- citing a destruction
of local values and too much
change as reasons
15. Deforestation
• Began in late 1860’s to
cultivate sugar cane
production continued to
early 1990s
• Most clearance today,
for pasture (86%), with
remainder cleared for
crops (10%), mining
infrastructure and
settlement (4%)
• Shift from central to
southern Queensland
away from Daintree
16. Tasks
• Which threat/s to the Daintree do you
perceive to be the biggest? Why?
• What are the causes of deforestation?
Classify into social, economic and
environmental
17. Managing the
Daintree
Who is involved in the
management? Key
players
1) Wet tropics
management authority
2) Douglas Shire Council
(till2008) then Cairns
regional council
3) Australian Rainforest
Foundation
4) Wildlife preservation
society of Queensland
5) Australian Tropical
Research Foundation
6) Rainforest
cooperative research
council
18. Wet tropics management authority
• Formed 1990
• Based in Cairns, main functions-
• Developing and implementing plans and policies
• Researching and monitoring enhancing understanding
of the importance of the heritage area- monitoring
state of wet tropics
• Developing management agreements with landholders
and aborigines’
• Providing education through visitor centres
• Funding
• Promotion of the area
19. Douglas Shire council
• Aims were to gradually reduce
population in Daintree
• Increased ferry coasts to limit
numbers, but numbers still increasing
• Rejected plans for a bridge across river
to replace ferry and rejected another
ferry option- on grounds that extra
visitors and pop. Would endanger
rainforest
20. Rainforest cooperative research council
Report from 2000- found unless action was taken, area would
see increase in residential development, loss of biodiversity and
reduction in attractiveness to tourists. They implemented these
strategies to try to build a SUSTAINABLE future for the area
1) Community development-
• 12-1400 people to live in area and be involved in stewardship and
conservation of land
• Base employment on tourism, organic Farming, tropical
horticulture and small business ops.
• Settle about 600 blocks of land
2) Biodiversity conservation-
• adopt settlement and land management practices on private land
to protect the outstanding biodiversity
• Identify biodiversity hotspots for conservation for no
development
• Identify threats from wild animals
• 540 blocks remain unsettled
21. 3) Douglas Shire Council/ Cairns regional council-
• Introduce planning controls for biodiversity conservation
• Ensure settlement densities are sustainable
4) Electricity supply-
• When settlement densities are at sustainable level, use
underground cables to extend supply far north as copper
creek
• People north of copper creek remain on RAPS
5) Indigenous people-
• Recognise the rights of aboriginal peoples to own land and
promote their culture within the forest
6) Water supply and waste management-
• Keep water extraction from streams and underground supplies
within sustainable limits
• Use best available domestic tech for waste disposal
22. 7) Roads and ferry
• Ferry to remain gateway to area as essential access
• Improve tourist facilities south of river and recreation
facilities north of
• Reduce forest cut backs- the road to cap tribulation should be
a green tunnel with windows through the forest to mountain
and coast scenery
8) Tourism-
• Increase tourist numbers to 550,000 to boost and maintain
local economy
• Increase no. of tourists staying for 7ral nights or more and
revisiting area
• Monitor tourist impacts and ensure sustainability
9) Financing
• Use ferry income to assist community services infrastructure
and conservation
• Establish Daintree Land trust to support land acquisition and
pay compensation for lost land
• Meet cost of priority purchase and financial incentives for
conservation
• Subsidise electricity supply
23. Australian Rainforest Foundation (ARF)
• Not for profit organisation dedicated to education,
research and habitat rehabilitation- involved in
variety of projects-
• Operation Big Bird- creation of 250km wide wildlife
corridor to help protect the Cassowary- path will link
Cairns too southern coast town of Cardwell- these
help biodiversity by enabling species movement to
feed, breed and colonise
• Australian govt has funded ARF for range of
conservation initiatives- including BUY BACK, process
of buying back land from developers who previously
purchased it to reduce development.
• Encourages remaining developers to do so in an eco
way through education
24. Wildlife Preservation Society of
Queensland
• Community based not for profit conservation group.
Committed to a sustainable future for people and
wildlife
• Support ban on development in the area
25. Australian Tropical Research
Foundation
• Created 1993
• Oversee operation of visitor centres and education
facilities at the Cape tribulation tropical research
station and the wet tropics visitor centre- highlight
global importance of the tropical forest ecosystem
26. Tasks
1) Read through the previous slides about managing the
Daintree, complete the following-
2) On an A3 page draw a 4 circled Venn diagram. The 4
circles should contain the following headings-
i. Biodiversity protection
ii. Limiting development
iii. Education
iv. Economic incentives
3) Put all the aforementioned proposals into your Venn
diagram, some may apply to multiple areas add
accordingly
27. Tasks
• There are obviously conflicts in the ways
different groups want to manage the Daintree
• How far are the conflicts a case of economic
v environment? Is anything as important?
Why?
• How would you manage it? Which ideas would
you keep/ discard? Why? Other ideas?
Sustainability?
