Wildlife

View larger image Some animal species associated with rainforest in Queensland - wompoo fruit-dove, red-necked pademelon, southern angle-headed dragon and the Herbert river ringtail possum. Enlarge image
Some animal species associated with rainforest in Queensland. Clockwise from top left: wompoo fruit-dove, red-necked pademelon, southern angle-headed dragon, Herbert river ringtail possum.
Graeme Chapman, L. Hogan

Potential to conserve wildlife

Rainforest are famously diverse ecosystems. This diversity is apparent both in the number of plant and animal families and species supported, as well as the diversity of life forms represented. The biodiversity of Queensland's rainforests includes numerous rare species and many listed as threatened with extinction (e.g. the Nangur skink Nangura spinosa which is found in dry rainforest). Some types of Queensland rainforests are also listed as threatened ecological communities or endangered regional ecosystems.

View larger image Images of some plant species associated with rainforest in Queensland. Enlarge image
Some plant species associated with rainforest in Queensland. Left: Austrobaileya scandens. Centre: Bunya pines Araucaria bidwillii. Right: small bolwarra Eupomatia bennetii 
Queensland Herbarium, W. Harris

Rainforests support ancient plant lineages such as the Kauri, Bunya and Hoop Pines (Agathis and Araucaria spp.), Bowenia spp., Austrobaileya scandens and Eupomatia spp. A typical hectare of rainforest will support more than 30 tree species, even in some drier rainforest types. Vines and epiphytes, including orchids, bryophytes and ferns, are also more common in rainforest ecosystems than any other vegetation type.

Mammals associated with dry and wet rainforest include the fawn-footed melomys Melomys cervinipes, bush rat Rattus fuscipes, red-necked pademelon Thylogale thetis and red-legged pademelon T. stigmatica. Tree-dwelling mammals found in tropical wet rainforest include the lemuroid ringtail possum Hemibelideus lemuroides, green ringtail possum Pseudocheirus archeri and Lumholtz's tree kangaroo Dendrolagus lumholtzi.

Many birds are associated with wet rainforest including the rose-crowned fruit-dove Ptilinopus regina and wompoo fruit-dove Ptilinopus magnificus, catbirds Ailuroedus spp., regent bowerbird Sericulus chrysocephalus, riflebirds Ptiloris spp. and the black-breasted button-quail Turnix melanogaster. Bird species frequently recorded from dry rainforest include Lewin's honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii, grey and rufous fantails Rhipidura spp., the fairy gerygone Gerygone palpebrosa and Australian brush-turkey Alectura lathami (note that another name for dry rainforest is ‘turkey scrub’).

Reptiles associated with wet rainforest include the skinks Eulamprus murrayi, E. tigrinus and Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae, and the southern angle-headed dragon Hypsilurus spinipes.

Australian rainforests (wet and dry) are also particularly rich in land snails.

View larger image A table summarising limits to wildlife conservation for rainforest. Enlarge image
A summary of limits to wildlife conservation for rainforest

Limits to wildlife conservation

Most management actions that will accumulate carbon in rainforest (such as excluding fire and grazing, and not clearing) will also benefit wildlife by reducing threats. The re-establishment of a closed canopy and the development of a mid-canopy and understorey are also very important for wildlife.

Habitat features that will help to conserve wildlife in rainforest include different types of shelter for wildlife, a good (and varied) supply of food, and the removal or control of weeds and feral animals. Landscape features, including the size and shape of habitat patches and their distance from each other, also have an influence on the potential of a site to conserve wildlife.

View larger image Image illustrating rainforest habitats Enlarge image
Rainforest habitats

Habitat for wildlife

The tables below summarise key aspects of rainforests as habitat for wildlife, as sources of shelter and food, and as parts of living landscapes.

Shelter and food

FeatureBenefits for wildlifeUsed by
A large variety of plant species Conserves many plant species

Nesting, shelter, feeding and courtship sites

Some animal species only feed on one plant species, or a small number of plant species

A diversity of plant species flowering and fruiting at different times can provide a continuous food supply (e.g. fruit, nectar, pollen and insects) for animals

Trees, vines, shrubs and epiphytes (air plants)

Birds, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, frogs

Tree hollows, cracks and crevices Shelter, nesting, a place to find food Parrots, bats, gliders, small mammals, reptiles
Large old trees and fallen timber Shelter, basking and feeding areas Invertebrates, fungi, mosses, liverworts, lichens, birds, reptiles, frogs, mammals
Leaf litter Shelter and feeding areas Birds, invertebrates, reptiles, frogs, mammals
Rocks Shelter, basking and feedings areas; habitat for plants Invertebrates, reptiles, frogs, mammals, plants
Invertebrates Food, pollination, seed dispersal Birds, reptiles, frogs, mammals, plants
Fungi Food, beneficial relationship with plants Mammals, invertebrates

Landscape features

FeatureBenefits for wildlife
Large patch size Support larger populations of plants and animals

Support animals that need large territories and/or occur in low population densities

May also support more species of wildlife

Small edge-to-area ratio Patches that are rounded in shape suffer fewer ‘edge effects’ than patches of a similar size that are long and thin

Edge effects include increased weed invasion, predation, wind, sun and temperature, and all of these can have important impacts on wildlife

Close to other patches Allows animals and plants to disperse between patches

Reduces the risk of predation for animals when they move between patches

Improves the exchange of pollen between patches

Species diversity tends to be greater in rainforest patches that are close to, or connected to other patches by corridors, than in more isolated patches

How much of the landscape is cleared Birds and mammals are negatively affected if more than 70% of the landscape is cleared of suitable habitat

A rainforest patch surrounded by intensive agriculture is likely to support fewer forest-dependent animals than one surrounded by a modified landscape that includes forest patches (e.g. a mosaic of crops and managed forests)

There is also an interaction between grazing and how much of the landscape is cleared, as cattle tend to gather in the remaining patches of woody vegetation

If most of a landscape, or vegetation type, has been cleared, any remnants are very important for wildlife conservation, even if they are small or in poor condition. These remnants may provide valuable source populations for restoring other parts of the landscape

Threats to wildlife

ThreatImpacts on wildlifeWildlife affected
Weeds and feral animals Competition, predation

Some management actions to control weeds and feral animals can also have negative impacts on native species

Many different types of plants and animals
Exotic grasses Replacement of native plant species

Changes in habitat structure

Increased intensity and frequency of fire

Plants, birds, reptiles, mammals
Grazing pressure Can reduce shelter and food for wildlife by slowing and preventing the recruitment and growth of rainforest plants, and by trampling and reducing the amount of litter and fallen timber Many different types of plants and animals
Clearing Removes many plant and animal species

Removes food and shelter for animals that depend on the plant species and structure found in rainforest

Many different types of plants and animals
Fire Many rainforest plant species have limited capacity to resprout after fire

Fire destroys features such as litter, fallen timber and hollows which are important for many animal species

Fire is a major threat to the many species of land snails which are associated with rainforest

Many different types of plants and animals