Lakefield National Park, Queensland, Australia Photograph by John Morrison   Cape York Peninsula in northeastern Australia Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands   44,900 square miles (116,300 square kilometers) -- about the size of Pennsylvania Relatively Stable/Intact

· Unspoiled Wilderness
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Unspoiled Wilderness

An overwhelming diversity of life can be found here. Many different types of habitat make up this peninsula: rain forests, tall open forests, low woodlands, freshwater wetlands, coastal wetlands and mangroves, and monsoonal vine thickets. In the thick, damp rain forests, emerald pythons hang on the branches of kwila trees÷large, attractive trees with bushy crowns and white flowers. Although the thick canopy lets little light in, it is hard to miss male Cape York birdwing butterflies, with their emerald and black coloring and enormous six-inch (15 cm) wingspans, fluttering through the thin understory.

Special Features

This is a stunning and isolated wilderness that remains virtually inaccessible during the hot, humid summer months because of heavy monsoon rains. Cape York is known for incredible species richness, harboring 60 percent of Australiaās butterflies. It is also renowned for invertebrates, freshwater fish, mangrove plants, and orchids. The entire region is remarkably unspoiled, containing some of the largest continuous areas of wilderness in Australia, as well as pristine river systems.

The northern quoll is seriously threatened and possibly extinct on Cape York Peninsula as a result of the spread of poisonous cane toads. Cane toads are native to the Americas and were introduced to Australia in the 1930s to prey on cane beetles, which are considered a pest by the sugar cane industry. However, they proved unsuccessful at this task and have been spreading ever since, with disastrous consequences for the native carnivores. The toads made it to the tip of the Cape York Peninsula by 1994. The northern quoll, which normally preys on frogs, cannot tell that the cane toads are deadly.

Wild Side

Because the Cape York Peninsula was linked to New Guinea during the last Ice Age, many of the animals found in the peninsula also live in New Guinea. Two species of cuscus are found in the rain forest habitat here and in New Guinea. The cuscus is an arboreal marsupial with a round, bare face and large eyes that is sometimes mistaken for a monkey. Found only in Australia, the northern quoll is another arboreal marsupial, which prefers eucalyptus forest, particularly the Darwin woolybutt tree÷a dominant tree known for its fuzzy orange blossoms. The sugar glider is a squirrel-like marsupial that can be seen throughout Cape York. It launches itself into the air from the canopy, gliding from tree to tree. The endangered golden-shouldered parrot nests only in termite mounds on the Cape York Peninsula. This ecoregion is home to two bird of paradise species also found in the tropical forests of New Guinea, the glossy black trumpet manucode and the iridescent magnificent riflebird. Another brightly colored rain forest inhabitant, the white-lipped frog, is apple green with a white stripe along the lower lip.

Cause for Concern

This region is currently remote and unspoiled, but development and invasive species pose serious threats. The major land use is cattle and sheep grazing, which can and often does lead to vegetation degradation. Plans for development include timber and sugar cane plantations. Invasive species such as weeds and cane toads threaten native species. Conservation groups are lobbying to preserve the entire peninsula and enforce existing laws. Because many of the regionās inhabitants are Aborigines, this ecoregion represents an important opportunity to address native land rights and conservation together.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.