**These truly great scientists and lifetime protectors of the wild, graciously shared with me their thoughts on why the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is irreplaceable and why we need to protect and revere this sacred place on Earth. I am humbled in their presence and grateful for all they have done and do to create awareness of the natural world around us. I thank them from my heart. Robin
Dr. Michael Soule':
"We love nature because it is luxuriant, vital, beautiful, and diverse--and there is no part of nature more luxuriant, vital, beautiful, and diverse than tropical rainforests. These forests contain at least two-thirds of all terrestrial (land) species. Half of these forests have been removed since 1950, and the remnants will be gone by 2050 unless you and I do something about it. Among the most unique and threatened are Queensland's tropical rainforests. Please join us in their protection now; time is running out."
Dr Michael Soule' has written over a hundred articles and books on topics including evolutionary biology, biodiversity policy, and ethics. He is widely recognized for being one of the founders of the Society for Conservation Biology and the Wildlands Project.
Dr. Peter Raven:
"The tropical Daintree Lowland Rainforests of Queensland, Australian are world treasures, rich in archaic plants and animals that in many cases go back to the age of dinosaurs in the Mesozoic Era. They should be protected for the study, use, and enjoyment of future generations, and not logged off, developed or spoiled for short-term advantage. They are priceless, their unique inhabitants the products of millions of years of adaptation to non-seasonal moist, warm climates that provide unusual opportunities for survival.”
Dr. Peter H. Raven, director of the MO Botanical Gardens was a member of President Clinton's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology, which is the highest level, private sector advisory group guiding the President on science and technology matters. Raven also continues to direct much of his efforts to the preservation of biodiversity, conservation of natural resources, and protection of the ecosystems of the world. Described by Time magazine as a "Hero for the Planet," Dr. Raven champions research around the world to preserve endangered plants and is a leading advocate for conservation and a sustainable environment. Raven is chairman of the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration. He is President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest organization of professional scientists.
Dr Brendan Mackey:
"Lowland, coastal rainforest is among the world's most endangered ecosystems. This is a global phenomena due to the high density of human development that occurs on the coastline, and is a phenomenon that has also been repeated in Australia. In a series of papers I published in international scientific journals I demonstrated that the lowland coastal landscapes in the Wet Tropics of Queensland are characterized by a particular set of environmental conditions that prior to European settlement supported the Complex Mesophyll Vine Forest formation. This forest type is notable for possessing the highest vascular plant species diversity of any of the 32 major rainforest types found in this World Heritage region. Unfortunately, most of these lowland, coastal landscapes have now been cleared and developed for intensive agriculture. Thus, very little of this once extensive, lowland Complex Mesophyll Vine Forest remains. Of the remnants, precious little is included within the boundaries of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, and much of what is left is in private ownership. Given the rarity of this ecosystem, every small residual occurrence has great conservation value - far more than their fragmented nature might suggest. An astute conservation purchasing scheme, focused on the remaining Daintree area lowland rainforest, represents a precious opportunity to secure what is a nationally and globally endangered ecosystem, along with its extraordinary levels of endemic biodiversity."
Dr Brendan Mackey is reader in ecology and environmental science Faculty of Science, The Australian National University. He is Project Leader, Ecosystem Vulnerability to Change, Collaborative Research Center for Greenhouse Accounting, a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law, and the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication, a member of Catholic Earthcare Australia, the environmental advisory council to the Australian Catholic Bishops Council.
Dr. Paul Gadek:
The rainforests of north Queensland are a diverse assemblage of terrestrial habitats and biological communities, containing one of the highest concentrations of primitive plants in the world. These are very important links in our understanding of the history and tempo of plant evolution on earth. Of the 100 or so rainforest genera of primitive flowering plants and gymnosperms in Australia, more than three quarters are found in the north Queensland wet tropics. Indeed, it is the region's contribution to floral genetic diversity that makes it particularly significant.
Some 105 regional ecosystems have been identified and described within the wet tropics. 24 are regarded to be endangered, and the great majority of these occur on lowlands, ecosystems that were once extensive but are now widely developed for agriculture. A number of lowland rainforest types are not represented in the present reserve system, and will continue to be threatened by land clearing activities.
It is vitally important that there is continued activity directed toward the preservation of the remaining tracts of tropical lowland forest in the Daintree. These ecosystems represent a living collection of unique plants from a region that is still poorly represented in other reserves. They will provide the basis for the preservation of genetic resources that may well include new and novel medicines and food for our future, they will be an important center for research and training of future generations of botanists, and a considerable indirect contribution to our economic and social fabric in the future.
Dr. Paul Gadek - Head, Tropical Plant Sciences, James Cook University. Member - Australian Institute of Biology, Australian Systematic Botany Society, Ecological Society of Australia, Botanical Society of America, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, International Association for Plant Taxonomy, International Organization of Plant Biosystematics.
* There are many other learned scientists and environmentalists who have shared their knowledge and expertise with me, no less valid. I deeply thank you all. (RE)