Climate change damage to Queensland's world heritage rainforest 'as bad as Great Barrier Reef'

Management authority warns wet topics area is in 'accelerating decline' and endemic species under immediate threat

The wet tropics world heritage area in north Queensland has been damaged by climate change in a manner "equivalent" to coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, the area's management authority has said.

In an extraordinary statement issued on Monday, the authority's board said the tropical rainforest was in "accelerating decline" and that some of the area's unique species were at imminent risk of extinction.