Why are the Wet Tropics Rainforests World Heritage Listed?

The Wet Tropics fulfils four criteria for inclusion on the World Heritage List as a ‘natural heritage’ as defined under the World Heritage Convention:

I. It contains superlative natural phenomena of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;

II. It has outstanding examples representing the major stages of the earth’s evolutionary history;

III. It has outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial ecosystems and communities of plants; and

IV. It has the most important and significant habitats for in situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species.  (Goosem, 2002)

National Heritage List

The Wet Topics of Queensland World Heritage Area was also listed on the National Heritage List for its natural and cultural attributes on 21 May 2008 for the following criteria:

I. The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia’s natural or cultural history.

II. The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia’s natural or cultural history;

III. The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia’s natural or cultural history;

IV. The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of:

a. a class of Australia’s natural or cultural places; or

b. a class of Australia’s natural or cultural environments

V. The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group.