Dr. Stephen Williams
James Cook University
Welcome to the Climate Change in the Rainforest expedition! You are about to begin a journey of discovery in the fascinating tropical rainforest environment of North Queensland, Australia. The global significance of these rainforests is recognised by their complete protection as a World Heritage Area. The expedition you are about to join will give you insight into the fragile nature of rainforest ecosystems, and will also give you an appreciation of their importance and an awareness of the threats our rainforests face with respect to global climate change.
Earth is warming up. Much of this warming can be attributed to the high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere produced by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. Preliminary studies examining the predicted impacts of global warming on the endemic vertebrates of the Australian tropical rainforests suggest that climate change could bring about catastrophic extinctions here, and by implication, in mountain systems around the world. For example, using an average prediction for climate change, 60% of rainforest species could become endangered or critically endangered during the course of this century. The situation for the 73 species of vertebrates that are found here and nowhere else in the world is even bleaker - 50% are likely to become extinct in the same time period.
As a volunteer, your help is essential, We need your help to collect vital data that will be used to build better models to predict the effects of climate change on this fragile habitat, and to give us the knowledge to help minimise these impacts. You will be involved at all levels, from helping to run the camp to hands-on fieldwork. We will need you to help spot, and sometimes catch, birds, reptiles, frogs and mammals during surveys at different altitudes from sea level to 1400 metres. We will camp in a beautiful, unspoiled, remote area and this, along with the fieldwork, will provide you will plenty of opportunities to observe native animals in their natural environment. You might be lucky and see a rare tree kangaroo hop through camp, or spot a snake basking on the roadside. Many of the animals are shy and difficult to observe, but others are naturally curious and if you sit still for long enough may approach within feet of you.
Thank you for choosing this project. My staff and I look forward to greeting you here in the World Heritage Area of the Australian Wet Tropics, and to sharing our knowledge and enthusiasm with you. We hope that you will have a rewarding and inspiring experience.