Daintree Rainforest

The Daintree Rainforest is a tropical rainforest region on the north east coast of Queensland, Australia north of Mossman and Cairns. At around 1,200 km2 the Daintree is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest on the Australian continent. Along the coastline north of the Daintree River, tropical rainforest grows right down to the edge of the sea.

Description

The rainforest is named after Richard Daintree, an Australian geologist and photographer (1832-1878).

The area includes the Daintree National Park, some areas of State Forest, and some privately owned land, including a residential community of upwards of 5 people. Some of the privately owned land north of the Peninsula Range is being progressively purchased for conservation purposes under a $15 government scheme involving equal contributions from the municipal (Cairns Regional Council, which includes the former Douglas Shire council), State (Queensland) and Australian Federal governments. As of May 2011, 72% of the properties earmarked for buyback or compensation had been secured. These 'buyback' areas of tropical rainforest included 215 blocks of land purchased by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, and 13 purchased by private conservation agencies.