Daintree rain forest is the largest tropical lowland rain forest in Australia. It lies in northeastern Queensland. Scientists estimate that rain forests in the Daintree have existed for about 180 million years. The region is home to a great variety of animals and plants. The Daintree is named for British-born geologist Richard Daintree.
The Daintree covers approximately 460 square miles (1,200 square kilometers). Centered on the Daintree River, it stretches from an area near Mossman in the south to Cooktown in the north, and from the Great Dividing Range in the west to the Coral Sea in the east. The Daintree has an average annual rainfall of about 79 inches (201 centimeters). Temperatures in the region reach up to about 77 °F (25 °C) in the winter and about 91 °F (33 °C) in the summer.
Thousands of species (kinds) of plants live in the Daintree. Some of these species have lived in the region for tens of millions of years and can be found nowhere else in the world. The Daintree is also home to many animals, including rare types of bats, marsupial cats, kangaroos, and possums.
The Eastern Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people are the traditional owners of the Daintree. Today, most of the Daintree rain forest is part of the Daintree National Park. But some of the land in the Daintree is privately owned. Several small communities and private conservation organizations lie within the rain forest.
In 1988, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the Wet Tropics of Queensland area, which includes the Daintree, to its World Heritage List. The World Heritage List identifies sites of unique natural or cultural importance. The Wet Tropics Management Authority, an agency of the Australian government, develops policies for the management of the entire Wet Tropics of Queensland area, including the Daintree.
