Gondwana Rainforest World Heritage Area
The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area contain remnants of the rainforests that once covered the entire area of Australia when it was still part of the supercontinent of Gondwana. As Australia moved north it became drier and eucalypts began to become the dominant tree species. Rainforests persisted only in the moister eastern highlands. These ancient forests contain unique flora and fauna with evolutionary connections back to the supercontinent and beyond. They give us a glimpse of what Australia looked like 10 million years ago.
The Gondwana Rainforest World Heritage Area consists of National Parks that stretch from the Barrington Tops of New South Wales to the Main Range in south east Queensland.The Macleay valley has the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, Werrikimbe National Park, Willi Willi National Park, New England National Park and The Castles Nature Reserve at the top of its catchment.
The Gondwana Rainforests were given World Heritage listing because
The Antarctic Beech ( Nothofagus moorei) in the cool temperate rainforests of Willi Willi and Werrikimbe and New England National Parks is seen in fossils found in Antarctica.
The Gondwana Rainforest World Heritage Area consists of National Parks that stretch from the Barrington Tops of New South Wales to the Main Range in south east Queensland.The Macleay valley has the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, Werrikimbe National Park, Willi Willi National Park, New England National Park and The Castles Nature Reserve at the top of its catchment.
The Gondwana Rainforests were given World Heritage listing because
- the forests represented examples of on-going evolution of rainforest biotas;
- the forest contained many examples of organisms with distinct "Gondwanic" connections;
- the properties within the WHA provided viable representatives of the various vegetation types that had confronted European settlers;
- the associated landscape features (the Great Escarpment) provided examples of the way in which different physical environments were maintained over long periods of time and what were the environmental consequences ; and
- the fauna and flora included species of great evolutionary significance: basal group representing deep-seated ancient linages.
The Antarctic Beech ( Nothofagus moorei) in the cool temperate rainforests of Willi Willi and Werrikimbe and New England National Parks is seen in fossils found in Antarctica.
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gondwana-rainforests-australia-world-heritage-area-brochure-2017.pdf | |
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