Spectacular Fan Palms Galleries (Part 2)
Rri01 Fan Palm (Licuala ramsayii) dominated forest on alluvial/colluvial material derived from mixed metamorphic/granitic material.
This scientific designation gives little indication of the awe-inspiring grandeur and sensational beauty of the Fan Palm forests of Cooper Creek Wilderness.
Amongst the one-hundred-and-fifty classified vegetation communities within the greater Daintree bioregion, they are unequivocally unique. In terms of soil type, they are closest to some of the fan palm forests of the Mission Beach area, but most of the constituent associated species are rare and many are also endemic to the Daintree area. In particular Endiandra grayi, Idiospermum australiense, Ristantia pachysperma and Beilschmedia bancroftii predominate throughout the Cooper Creek Wilderness Licuala forests.
Most Fan Palm galleries are swampy areas on gleyed podzolics, with palms prominent on raised hummocks. This is common elsewhere in the Daintree lowlands, however the ‘Grand Fan Palm Gallery’ of Cooper Creek Wilderness appears to have well-drained soil.
The upper canopy is a mix of rainforest giants, primitive flowering species that only occur in isolated pockets in the Daintree. A secondary canopy of Fan Palms effectively blocks out light so that the under-story is sparse and stunted. A specialist community of rare and endemic shade-dependent species has survived for more than 100,000,000 years. Haplostichanthus species Cooper Creek, Mesua lanarchia and Cliestanthus myrianthus are primitive species that are part of our Gondwana inheritance.
The Fan Palm galleries are believed to be mobile communities, with a decaying population usually at one end of the community and a successional population at the other. This is due to the changing conditions of drainage in these types of areas over time.
When you participate on a Cooper Creek Wilderness guided interpreted walk, you will be astonished by the range of strategies employed by Fan Palms to increase their share of the average 5 metre annual rainfall. You will also be impressed by the ability of the Fan Palms to exist on a variety of soil types and in various concentrations.
In general, the structural forest type of Cooper Creek Wilderness is complex mesophyll vine forest, type 1a. This is the ultimate expression of rainforest in Australia, having the highest level of biodiversity. When this forest type includes Licuala ramsayii, there is a level of rarity that requires the utmost respect.
Our impacts are kept to a minimum through limitations on numbers and strict supervision. Visitors to Cooper Creek Wilderness can only see this amazing forest in the company of a local expert, who can explain its significance.
The rewards of participation, beyond the awe-inspiring, yet humbling experience of the Daintree’s most magnificent rainforest, include the knowledge that payments contribute to the conservation of one of the world’s invaluable treasures.
Cooper Creek wilderness has successfully integrated residency, conservation and sustainable ecotourism to achieve a working model of World Heritage management that protects the biological diversity and ecological integrity without cost to the taxpayer. This style of tourism is subordinate and subservient to the rainforests of the Daintree.