Author: Kristine Crous, Senior Lecturer, School of Science and Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University

On the east coast of Australia, in tropical North Queensland, lies the Daintree rainforest – a place where the density of trees forms an almost impenetrable mass of green. Stepping into the forest can feel like stepping back in time. It contains many ancient plant families dating back to the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. The air is warm and thick with humidity, carrying the earthy scent of wet leaves and soil. Sunlight filters through the dense canopy in scattered beams, while ferns and seedlings carpet the forest floor. The Daintree and other tropical rainforests, including those in the Amazon, the…