Australia’s largest tropical rainforest wilderness protected in Cape York

The Wilderness Society Inc
Media Release
6th August 2008

The announcement of the protection of Australia’s largest tropical-rainforest wilderness in Cape York is an immense win for the environment and the local Indigenous community said the Wilderness Society today.

The Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh will be announcing the creation of the Aboriginal-owned Kulla (McIlwraith Range) National Park on Cape York today.

The new National Park has extraordinary environmental values and is comparable to existing treasures such as Lamington National Parks and the Daintree. It has outstanding scenic and environmental qualities, with a high diversity of striking landforms and vegetation types, including spectacular gorges, tall rainforests and near pristine coastline.

“The announcement represents a huge gain for the future of conservation on Cape York Peninsula and for land justice in Queensland,” said Alec Marr of The Wilderness Society.

“Not only will the park protect the largest tropical rainforest in Australia, but it will also provide a path for employment for the local community with jobs creation in the emerging conservation economy,” he continued.

A joint management agreement for the area will ensure that this special region will be managed to the highest standards of nature conservation and in a way that is consistent with the Aboriginal traditions and customs of the area.

“The Kaanju, Ayapathu, Lama Lama and Umpila peoples have persevered over many years to see their land returned and properly managed,” Mr Marr said.

The McIlwraith Range area has the greatest diversity of Australia’s orchid species and over half of its butterfly species.  It is also home to endangered species such as the Cassowary and other species found nowhere else in the world like the Cape York Nursery Frog and McIlwraith Leaf-tailed Gecko.

This is the second major land return since the Cape York Heritage Act, 2007 passed last year with the support of environmental and Indigenous organisations. This breakthrough opened the way to resolving the future tenure and management of nearly 2 million hectares of land acquired by the Queensland Government for the dual purpose of conservation and Aboriginal land return.