The wet tropics of Queensland ( Wet Tropics of Queensland ) - a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the northeast coast of mainland Australia , in the territory of Queensland . The facility represents a wilderness area covered by tropical rainforests and featuring a wide variety of terrain (rivers, gorges, waterfalls, mountains). Located in the Daintree River Valley , covering an area of 8940 km². Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1988 .
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Queensland's Wet Tropics [* 1] | |
|---|---|
| Wet Tropics of Queensland [* 2] | |
 | |
| A country |  Australia |
| Type of | Natural |
| Criteria | vii, viii, ix, x |
| Link | 486 |
| Region [* 3] | Asia-pacific |
| Turning on | 1988 (12th session) |
Three main geographical regions are distinguished on the territory of the object: the plateau of the Great Dividing Range , the area of the Great Cliffs in the east and the coastal plains. The plateau has a strongly eroded relief, formed both as a result of erosion and past volcanic activity. Separate lava cones and crater lakes have been preserved. The Great Cliffs area is a very rugged area that has undergone catastrophic erosion. There are numerous gorges and waterfalls, including the highest waterfall in Australia - Wallamen . Vast areas of coral reef are located in the northern part of the World Heritage Site.
The climate varies from humid to very humid. Two seasons are distinguished in the year: relatively dry winters and rainy summers. The average annual rainfall ranges from 4000 mm near the coast to 1200 mm in the western part. The average maximum temperature in the summer off the coast is 31 ° C, in the winter months - 5 ° C lower. On the plateau and in the cliff area, the temperature in summer ranges from 28 to 17 ° C, in winter - from 22 to 9 ° C. [one]
The world of flora and fauna is extremely rich: about 380 species of plants and 102 species of animals that are endangered or considered rare are recorded in forests. 30% of Australia's marsupial species , 58% of bat species , 29% of frogs , 20% of reptiles , 58% of butterflies, and 40% of bird species inhabit the forests. [2] From a scientific point of view, local tropical forests are important because they represent a huge accumulation of the ancient vegetation of Australia, formed at a time when the modern mainland was still part of the Gondwana supercontinent. [2] There are vast mangroves with an area of approximately 136 km².
Local forests are a traditional place of resettlement of Australian Aborigines who settled in the region more than 50 thousand years ago. [2]
Notes
- ↑ Wet Tropics of Queensland (inaccessible link) . UNEP-WCMC. Date of treatment April 12, 2009. Archived January 14, 2009.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Wet Tropics of Queensland . Australian Government. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Date of treatment April 12, 2009. Archived March 29, 2012.