Daintree spatial patterns
- The Daintree rainforest is in northern Queensland, Australia and is part of a huge stretch of rainforest known as the Wet Tropics which runs parallel to the Queensland coast – alongside the Great Barrier Reef
extends from north of daintree river to south of cooktown - Wet Tropics area
- ranges from sea level to 700m above
- 1200 km square
Daintree - biophysical interactions
La Nina increasing of percipation over the Daintree with it having 130 inches per year
Geomorphic and hydrological -> oregrpahical rainfall whihc hits the great escaprment leaing to increased perciptation
-> Heavy flaura and florna leads to dry soil.
Daintree - weather and climate
- temperature constantly warm
- high sunlight, insolation and evaporation
- orographic rainfall -> The great escarpment
- rains 120 days a year, 2013 annual rainfall
- occurs in wet season - nov to march
- temp fluctuates between 25 to 32 degrees, avg 28
Daintree - geomorphic and hydrological processes
-> Physcial weathering by cyclones
- chemical weathering: vehicles and pesticides
- erosion: due to topography nutrients in top layer get stripped from cyclones, floods and winds - trees uprooted
Daintree - biogeographical processes
- invasion: wild boars (erosion), invasive vines (coconut trees), cane toad (toxic to predators)
- succession: land clearing for farming
- modification: defensive plants bend and adapt to cyclones (flexible to wind)
- wait-a-while vine: catches fallen trees
- resilience: high level of diversity
Daintree - facts about diversity
- 1/3 of Australia’s mammal species
- 16 reptile species
- 65% of Australia’s bat and butterfly
- 3000 plant species
- strong linkages between plants and animals (cassowary seed example)
Daintree - natural stresses
- floods: wet season, flash flooding, strips ecosystem, allows for rejuvenation
Tropical cyclones, such as the Category 3 Cyclone that hit the Daintree in 1999, cause significant damage to the forest. These powerful storms can topple trees, alter the forest structure, and create gaps in the canopy, which affect the light and moisture conditions on the forest floor
DAINTREE - logging
Parts of the rainforest are controlled by the Queensland Forestry Department
As population increases the demand for timber increases
Numerous timber mills have been built to log trees in the Daintree
-> leading to the fragmentation of the Daintree, Limits breeding populations making species ore vulnerable to extinction
-> intragenerational approach
Daintree - positive human impacts
canopy crane project
-> estimates suggesting that these forests can absorb approximately 2.4 billion metric tons of CO2 annuall
-> finding over 7,000 insect specimens from just 14 canopy trees, representing hundreds of species
-> The site experienced a Category 3 Cyclone in 1999, and studies using the crane have documented the forest’s remarkable recovery, providing valuable data on resilience and regrowth patterns in tropical rainforests
Daintree - value
- utility: $400 mil annually from tourism
- heritage: indigenous (kuku yulanji 70 other tribes) and education
Daintree - contemporary management strategies
- preservation: ‘lock out’ zones throughout tropics
- conservation: boardwalks, signs, ferry, fees, speed humps
- utilisation: farming previously, tourism - urbanisation
Daintree - traditional management
- taboos (sacred animals)
- native title
- fire stick farming
- nomadic lifestyle
- population control
A tanigi fire stick burning
Nearby the indigenous tribes of the Daintree
A tiangi(fire stick) used to light the fires to send the animals fleeing in the direction they wanted
Shapes the biodiversity of the region as it encouraged the germination of seeds
Promoted new growth + Attracted faunal species to the area
Evaluation:
Stewardship philosophy to management
Conservation approach to ecosystem management:
Caused short term destruction to the ecosystem however Long term floral and faunal diversity was enhanced Allows for rainforest and open grassland to e MODERATELY SUCCESSFUL
Management of wild pigs
Implemented by the government to ensure safe and regulated practices in order to reduce numbers
Fencing;
-> using fabricated sheep mesh
Trapping
-> Used for populated areas on smaller properties
-> Most useful when food resources are limited
Shooting:
-> Used in areas visable by the area
-> Ground shooting is used in small isolated and accessible areas
Effectiveness:
Conservation approach to management
Not effective
1,500 to remove 1 pig
-> only 1500 pigs have been removed out of the 60,000
Catastrophic to the environment as they have a short gestation period while having a high reproductivity
Wild pigs can’t be shot in natural park (zones A and B) and therefore they continue to destroy the environment.
