Gondwana Rainforests

"The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia comprises the major remaining areas of rainforest in south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales. It represents outstanding examples of major stages of earth’s evolutionary history, ongoing geological and biological processes, and exceptional biological diversity. There is a wide range of plant and animal lineages and communities with ancient origins in Gondwana. Many of these survive only within this area. The Gondwana Rainforests also provide the principal habitat for many threatened species of plants and animals," including many animals previously thought to be extinct such as the Hastings River Mouse and Parma Wallaby. "[F]or Aboriginal peoples the Gondwana Rainforests is a living cultural landscape that is rich in values associated with the lands and waters and plants and animals. It is a place of spiritual and cultural significance where their ancestors lived, where they used the rich resources of the rainforest and passed this information on to their descendants." Climate change is the biggest threat to the Gondwana rainforests, leading to altered rainfall patterns, increased temperatures, bushfires, and severe storm events. Increasing temperatures force cool-adapted species in these mountainous rainforests to lower parts of their range, causing populations to decline.