Daintree Estuary

The area of the Daintree estuary reporting zone can be defined by the pre-cleared extent of mangrove and saltmarsh remnant vegetation which is characterised by species that require periodic inundation of sea water. This area extends approximately 5.5 km northeast and 6.4 km south-west of the river mouth along the coastline and extends approximately 12 km inland.

The area includes several coastal tributaries that drain into the Daintree River. The assessment area of riparian extent extends further up the river than the mangrove and salt marsh communities to the upper tidal limit and includes vegetation types that are more typical of freshwater environments.

Land use within and adjacent to the Daintree estuary area is dominated by cropping with some grazing and residential development. The Daintree village is approximately 16 km north-west of the river mouth. The lower Daintree River is listed in the Directory of (Nationally) Important Wetlands.

Key results for 2024-25

The Daintree estuary grade has remained ‘good’ with the score increasing from 64 to 70.

• Water quality remained ‘good’ and the score increased 70 to 80.
• Pesticide risk remained very low and the grade remained ‘very good’.
• Turbidity improved from ‘good’ to ‘very good’ whilst dissolved oxygen (DO) remained ‘very good’.
• Chlorophyll a improved from ‘poor’ to ‘moderate’.
• Mangrove and saltmarsh extent remained ‘very good’ with no recorded habitat loss since 2019.
• Riparian vegetation extent remained ‘poor’ with no recorded habitat loss since 2019.

The diagram below shows the detailed results for each indicator by year. Click on the timeslider to see data from previous years.