Tropics 180 million years old: five of the world's oldest forests
Trees have an incredibly long life span, some of them live for over a thousand years! Together, they form forests that have existed for many generations, contributing to the development of ecosystems that span significant periods of time.
Today, the world values and preserves forests that have survived many historical civilizations. Here are five of the oldest forests, from the oldest to the youngest, known around the world," writes News Bytes.
- Daintree rainforest
It is known that the Daintree Rainforest, hidden in Australia, is approximately 180 million years old, marking the evolution of plant life on Earth.
Experts have found that this forest has more ancient families of flowering plants than anywhere else in the world. Stretching over a vast area of 1200 square kilometers, it is home to many plants and animals that are found only here.
- Borneo Lowland Rainforest
The Borneo Lowland Rainforest, which is about 140 million years old, is the second oldest forest in the world and covers most of the island of Borneo.
It is home to more than 15,000 species of flowering plants, 3,000 species of trees, 420 species of birds and 221 species of land animals! Unfortunately, over the past 40 years, the island has lost about 30% of its forests.
- Taman Negara
Taman Negara is a tropical rainforest that stretches over an area of 4,343 km². It is the third oldest forest in the world, as it came into existence approximately just over 130 million years ago.
Located in Malaysia, it is home to several rare species of animals such as the Malayan gaur, Malayan tiger, red jungle bird, great argus and Malayan peacock pheasant.
- Amazon rain forests
A giant green belt stretching over 5.5 million square kilometers, the Amazon rainforest is ranked fourth in the list of the world's oldest forests.
Considered one of the most biodiverse forests, it offers shelter to numerous endemic and endangered species of fauna and flora. The forest is also home to indigenous ethnic groups of people who are largely isolated.
- Caspian-Hyrcanian mixed forests
The Caspian-Hyrcanian mixed forests are between 25 and 50 million years old and stretch over a staggering area of 55,100 square kilometers. This is why it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.
Geographically, the forest stretches along the Caspian Sea coast and covers five different Iranian provinces, namely: North Khorasan, Golestan, Mazandaran, Gilan and Ardebil.