Fraser Island Rainforest

Dense, lush forest

In Northern Australia, I visited Fraser Island, which is World Heritage Listed due to the many different habitats that are available on the island.

To get to the rain forest, we were in a 4WD vehicle, and our tour leader was giving us information. He told us all about how they used to log the forests, and at one point eucalyptus trees meet the rain forest, which was done as an experiment. However, this is very harmful, because eucalyptus trees poison the ground around them to fight off competing trees for the soil, and rain forests use their shading to fight off competitors. Therefore, the eucalyptus trees are potentially causing damage to the rain forest in either not allowing it to expand or in keeping it contained to the area it already is and possibly making it smaller.

Rain forests are so few and far between, and there are many plant and animal species that have yet to be discovered, and may never be discovered if we keep treating them like we are currently. We should be preventing them from drying out or being invaded by other species and working with them to increase the life that is already contained in them.

Barry's Response - environmental catastrophe? It seems so, but maybe not. I'm sure we've seen one species take over another many times in the history of the world before mankind came around to observe it.

Just my own thought. Thanks for you story.



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