australian tropical research foundation

The Daintree is one of the largest remaining expanses of rainforest in the Queensland lowlands due to its protected status as a World Heritage Area. Otherwise, it would be sugar cane, like the rest of the coast. It's one of the rainiest places on the continent, and never did the sky clear for long there, but there's something beautiful about the constant mist shrouding the canopy. The river mouth you can see there is the Daintree River. The forest as a whole supports one of the two largest remaining populations of cassowaries, as well as a number of crocodiles and forest dragons.

by Dr Hugh Spencer

Home to the southern cassowary, one of the world's largest flightless birds, crocodiles, fruit bats and a host of other animals and plants, the Daintree lowlands have become one of Australia’s most beautiful icons.

With an unbroken history of over 100 million years, the tropical rainforests of the Daintree lowlands are, miraculously, still surviving and inspiring people such as Robin. However their future is, like so much of the world's remaining rainforests, dire. The Daintree lowlands, for that is the really unique and unprotected area, is under immediate threat from, not logging, but piecemeal development.

Heeeey Huge, How are you?? I would be interested in knowing the current status of the Daintree in terms of threats to the ecosystems. What are the issues you face now in 2010? Are the lowlands still at risk by piecemeal development? If so could you share a bit about that? Any other threats? Thanks, Robin PS: My book will be out late this year. It's at the publishers right now. I am off to New York City in May to sign galley copies.