Premier Steven Miles confirmed areas of the cape in the far north had been nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list.

Miles on Thursday joined federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek in Cairns, saying the areas had been nominated for both their environmental and cultural values after working with traditional owners.

“This is monumental. It is the first step towards Queensland’s incredible Cape York Peninsula being formally recognised on the World Heritage list,” the premier said.

“I want iconic places like the cape to be protected for future generations to love and look after.”

The region is home to almost 20 per cent of Australian plant species and more than 300 threatened species including the green sawfish, the Cape York rock wallaby and the southern cassowary.

It also boasts a rich Indigenous culture including rock art paintings that detail traditional owners’ connection to country.

“Cape York is a special place, combining natural beauty and deep cultural history,” Plibersek said.

“With the support of traditional owners, I want to see it added to the World Heritage list to recognise it alongside our other precious places like the Great Barrier Reef.

“Tourists are attracted to World Heritage areas so this listing has fantastic economic potential for Queensland too.”

Australia currently has 20 World Heritage-listed areas including five in Queensland.

The next step for the Cape York Peninsula is World Heritage list nomination, a process that can take five years.

The federal and state governments said they would continue to work through the World Heritage process alongside traditional owner groups and the Cape York community.

“I reckon World Heritage will be good because it gives us more chance to look after the country how we need to look after it, forever,” Southern Kaantju elder Allan Creek said.

“So we don’t have to bend this way and that way every time the government change their mind or a big company tells us what we need to do.”

The state government nominated “Cultural Landscapes of Cape York Peninsula” for the World Heritage tentative list, naming several areas.

They include the Alwal, KULLA (McIlwraith Range), Ma’alpiku (Restoration Island), Olkola, Oyala Thumotang and Wuthathi (Shelburne Bay) National Parks plus Quinkan Country.

Miles said the nomination had been 10 years in the making.

Queensland places already on the World Heritage list include the Great Barrier Reef, K’gari (Fraser Island), the Gondwana rainforests, the Riversleigh fossil site and the Wet Tropics in the state’s northeast.