Top 7 Oldest Forest In The World

The forestry areas cover around 30% of the surface of the earth at this moment. The forest gives food, medicines, and fuel source for more than 1 billion people worldwide. Across the globe, the forest provides 13.4 million jobs in the forest sector and another 41 million people with jobs revolving around it.

The World Bank estimated that roughly 3.9 million square miles of the forest have been destroyed since the early 20th century. In just the past 25 years alone the forestry areas have declined by 1.3 squared km. In 2018, The Guardian has reported that every second, vegetation the size of a football field will cease to exist on the face of the earth.

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You might be wondering on the location of the oldest forest in the world might be? Here we would like to share with you the top 7 oldest forest in the world that still remains. Maybe we will learn to appreciate it more while it still stands today.

7. Kakamega Forest (2 million years)

The Kakamega Forest is a tropical rainforest located in Kakamega and Nandi County, Kenya. The rainforest covers the northwest of Nairobi and nearby the borders of Uganda. It is one of the tropical rainforests in Kenya and said as the final remains of Kenya from the ancient Guinea-Congolian rainforest that once covers this region long ago.

In the Kakamega forest, there are more than 60 species of ferns, 150 species of shrubs and trees as well as 170 species of flowering plants including 60 species of orchids of which 9 of them are considered endemic in this forest.

6. Réunion National Park (2-2.5 million years)

The Réunion National Park was officially protected by the government on Réunion island in 2007. This rainforest was believed to be around 2 to 2.5 million years old.

Réunion Island is located at the hottest point of volcanic mountains and there are two volcanic mountains that can be found on this island in which one of which is active while the other is dormant.

At the edge of these mountains is where the dense amount of trees are located. The Reunion National Park is home to 43 out of 2000 species of vertebrates on this island and a big portion of 1600 species of natural vegetation have been recorded.

5. Amazon Rainforest (55 million years)

Generally, the Amazon rainforest is located in the regions of South America mainly Brazil(60%), Peru (13%), and Colombia(10%). A small portion of it can be found in countries like Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. This rainforest is believed to be more than 50 million years old.

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This might not be the oldest rainforest in the world but it is the biggest tropical rainforest in the world home to the most species out there. Around 10 of the world's well-known biodiversity including endemic flora and fauna as well as endangered species can be found in the Amazon rainforest.

4. Royal Belum Forest Reserve (130 million years)

The Royal Belum Forest Reserve was believed to have existed for more than 130 million years making it one of the oldest rainforests in the world far older than the Amazon rainforest.

Royal Belum Forest can be found in Perak, Malaysia it was originally gazetted as a national forest reserve in 1971 in 2007 and it was reshuffled in accordance with the Perak States Parks Corporation Enactment 2001.

3. Malaysia National Park (130 million years)

The Malaysia National Park was the first region to be officially protected in Malaysia as it was gazetted in 1938. The Sultan of Kelantan, Pahang, and Terengganu were all allocating the lands of each state to form the Malaysia National Park.

Similar to other rainforests on this list, the national park of Malaysia is also one of the most popular eco-tourism and one of its favorite spots of attraction will be the Canopy Walk which features a hanging bridge that stretches between trees 510 meters long.

2. Borneo Lowlands Rainforest (140 million years)

The Borneo Lowlands rainforest is estimated to be 140 million years old and covers a huge area of Borneo island which is being shared between Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. The areas of this rainforest are home to 15,000 plant species, 380 bird species, and many types of mammals.

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Unfortunately, the Borneo Lowlands rainforest becomes smaller as we speak due to deforestation, illegal poaching, and the transition to commercial lands. It was found that Borneo has lost around 30% of its rainforest over the past 40 years.

1. Daintree Rainforest (180 million years)

The Daintree Rainforest is the oldest forest in the world with an estimated 180 million years old. Aside from being the oldest, Daintree is also one of the biggest continuous rainforests in Australia covering an area of 460 square miles.

The Daintree rainforest is the habitat for 30% of frog species, reptiles, and Australian marsupials, 65% of bat species, and 18% of all bird species. This rainforest is also a place of attraction for many tourists around the world and it received around 400,000 visitors each year.

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