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Q2. Why was the Wet Tropics World Heritage Listed? Click here to view a page with tips on how to complete the activities Question 2 Activity 2.5: In the Rainforest Go to one of the more accessible rainforest areas of the Wet Tropics. You could go to Josephine Falls near Babinda, Mossman Gorge, Lake Eacham on the Atherton Tablelands or take one of the trails near the Barron Falls at Kuranda. If you’re stuck for a place, try the Wet Tropics website which will give you a list of things to do and walks to go on. Once you’re there, sketch a scene from the rainforest. For your sketch, try to add those things that helped the Wet Tropics become World Heritage listed. To remind you why it was listed, read to the Wet Tropics Nomination Report. You might like to include things like the awe-inspiring mountain ranges
(Criteria 1), the delicate freshwater streams (Criteria 2), the majesty
of the kauri pines (Criteria 3) or a swarm of flies pollinating the rare
vine Austrabaileya (Criteria 4).
The timber industry had some real concerns over jobs, the survival of local communities and the management of the Wet Tropics. They argued that decisions affecting the Wet Tropics would have broader consequences on the whole community. Where would Australians now get some of their timber? Timber is used in many ways and is often taken for granted. Your job is to do a timber audit of your classroom. If your school is really old, it’s probable that some of the timber came out of the Wet Tropics! Create a list of all those products found in your classroom that are
made of timber. Don’t forget that products made of chipboard are
still derived from timber. You might find timber on desktops, shelves,
windows, noticeboards and doors.
Where do Australians get their timber from in the 21st Century? People still admire rainforest timbers for things like kitchens and floors. In fact, you can even buy Laminex kitchen benches made to look like red cedar. Conservation groups like the Wilderness Society are worried that Australians now get their rainforest timber from poorer countries. Why poorer countries? Well, you could argue that rainforest trees in places like Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Malaysia aren’t protected like the Wet Tropics. For a good discussion of these issues read the Good Wood Guide. Answer the following questions:
Our nearest neighbour Papua New Guinea has about 26 million hectares
of rainforest. It’s interesting to note that there are no World
Heritage sites in this country. At this stage you should have a pretty good idea of how World Heritage listing works. You should also have a fair understanding of the natural criteria used to determine World Heritage listing. (To remind yourself of the criteria, go to the Wet Tropics website.) Based on the brief information on the Wilderness Society’s website,
do you think Papua New Guinea’s rainforests would fulfil any of
the World Heritage criteria? Which ones? Justify your answer in the space
below:
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