Some of the world’s natural forests are so old that scientists have struggled to date them. However, advanced scientific techniques are now able to approximate the age of some of the oldest forests in the world.

Across the continents, millions of years old forests continue to exist and have been inhabited by many species of animals and plants since time immemorial. Below is a list of forests from millions of years ago that still exist today, according to Oldest.org

Hyrcanian mixed forest in Caspian

The Caspian Mixed Ecological Forest is a relatively obscure name, but it is one of the most beautiful ancient forests in the world. In 2019, the Hyrcanian Forest in the Caspian was designated a unesco World Heritage Site between 25 and 50 million years old.

Stretching along the coast of the Caspian Sea and the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains, the Hyrcanian Forest spans five different provinces of Iran: North Khorasan, Golestan, Mazandaran, Gilan and Ardabil. The rest lies in southeastern Azerbaijan, including the Lankaran Lowlands and the Talysh Mountains.

Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon rainforest may not be the oldest forest in the world, but it is the largest and has the highest biodiversity. In fact, the Amazon is so large that it occupies more than half the area of ​​the remaining rainforests of the Earth. About 10% of the world’s known biodiversity, including endemic and endangered species of flora and fauna, inhabits the Amazon rainforest.

In addition to some native plants and animals, a large number of indigenous people still live in this forest. About 2.7 million people including 350 different ethnic groups live here, and more than 60 of them are still largely isolated. Although the Amazon rainforest is important to the world’s climate function, its area has been steadily decreasing over the past few decades because of deforestation.

Taman Negara Rainforest in Malaysia

Although not as old as the Daintree rainforest, the Taman Negara forest is often referred to as “the oldest rainforest in the world”. Although not the oldest, the Taman Negara forest is still on the list of the oldest forests with an estimated age of more than 130 million years.

Taman Negara is a popular tourist destination for its Taman Negara Canopy Walk, a 510-meter suspension bridge that spans the tall treetops in the forest.

Borneo Lowland Rainforest in  Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia

The Borneo Lowland rainforest has existed for about 140 million years and covers much of the island of Borneo. In the past, this forest used to completely cover the island. The Borneo Lowland rainforest, as well as the entire island where it exists, has an extremely rich ecosystem. It is home to more than 15,000 species of flowering plants, 3,000 species of trees, 221 species of terrestrial animals and 420 species of birds.

Despite being one of the largest and oldest forests in the world, much of the Borneo Lowland rainforest is being wiped out due to intense deforestation. It is estimated that Borneo has lost about 30% of its forest area over the past 40 years. This forest is the only place where the Bornean orangutan, one of only two species of orangutan left in the world, can be found in the wild.

Daintree Rainforest  in Australia

The Daintree Rainforest is estimated to be about 180 million years old, making it the oldest forest in the world. In addition to its long lifespan, Daintree is also one of the largest rainforests in Australia with an area of ​​​​about 1,200 square kilometers.

With a long and rich history, the Daintree rainforest is home to approximately 30% of Australia’s frogs, reptiles and marsupials, 65% of bats and butterflies and 18% of Australia’s bird species. the whole of Australia. Besides, there are more than 1,200 species of insects living in the Daintree Rainforest. These features make the Daintree rainforest a popular tourist attraction and welcome around 400,000 visitors a year.