Daintree Conservation Story
Understand the conservation story of the Daintree where the 1983 road-building controversy that brought international attention to the threat to the ancient rainforest, the 1988 UNESCO World Heritage inscription, and the ongoing buyback program to remove freehold land from the national park represent one of Australia most significant environmental battles.
- 1
Timber Industry History
Learn about the timber industry history of the Daintree where the 19th and early 20th century logging of the red cedar, the kauri pine, and other valuable rainforest timbers dramatically reduced the extent of the original forest, the industry that brought European settlement to the region also setting the stage for the later conservation battles.
- 2
Cape Tribulation Road
Understand the 1983 Cape Tribulation road controversy where the Queensland government bulldozed a road through the rainforest despite protests from conservationists, the construction triggering a national and international campaign that ultimately led to the World Heritage listing of the Wet Tropics in 1988.
- 3
World Heritage Listing
Learn about the 1988 UNESCO World Heritage listing of the Wet Tropics of Queensland that protected the Daintree rainforest from further development, the listing made over the objections of the Queensland state government and representing one of the first times a federal government used World Heritage to override a state government planning decision.
- 4
Rainforest Buyback
Understand the Daintree Rainforest Buyback program coordinated by the Rainforest Rescue organization where private fundraising purchases freehold properties within the national park boundaries to return them to protected status, the program recognizing that the World Heritage listing did not acquire all the privately owned land within its boundaries.
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Climate Change Threat
Learn about the climate change threat to the Daintree where the warming temperatures, the changing rainfall patterns, and the increased cyclone intensity threaten the ancient ecosystem that evolved over 135 million years in a stable climate, the coral bleaching of the adjacent Great Barrier Reef visible evidence of the accelerating change.
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Sustainable Tourism
Understand the sustainable tourism model of the Daintree where the limited visitor infrastructure, the emphasis on small-scale ecological accommodation, and the involvement of the Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people in guiding and interpretation create one of the best examples of responsible wildlife tourism in Australia.
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