Australia’s Tropical Rainforests are an exceptional, natural environment. To protect these rainforests and ensure they are preserved for future generations, they were placed on the World Heritage list in 1988.

To qualify for natural World Heritage status a site must fulfil one of four criteria, Australia Tropical rainforests satisfy all four natural criteria, which are:

1. Represents a major stage of the earth’s evolutionary history - The rainforests of Tropical North Queensland are like a window on how the world once was;
2. Provide outstanding examples of ongoing environmental processes - The rainforest landscape contains clues as to how our world continues to evolve;
3. Contain the highest quality of natural occurrences, or areas of natural beauty - Australia’s Tropical Rainforests are a place of exceptional natural beauty;
4. Contain the most important natural areas for the conservation of the variety of life - Australia’s Tropical Rainforests are home to many rare and endangered plants and animals.