Plan to protect Hobart’s diverse bushland biology

Published on 07 September 2019

HOBART’S biodiversity “hot spots” have been mapped in a plan that highlights the importance of the city’s bushlands in the protection of threatened animal and plant species.

To coincide with National Threatened Species Day, the City of Hobart has today released its action plan for protecting local bushland habitat for some of Australia’s and Tasmania’s most threatened species.

Protecting our Wild Heart identifies high-value conservation areas across the city’s 4600-hectare bushland reserve network. They range from native grasslands on the Queens Domain to nationally important forests and woodlands in Knocklofty and Waterworks reserves, Bicentennial and Ridgeway parks.

“There are very few capital cities anywhere in the world that have such an abundance of biodiversity in their backyards, as we do in Hobart,” Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said. “We are lucky to live in a city that is surrounded by bushland that provides habitat for countless native species – many of which are endemic to our island state.”

A number of the threatened species identified in the action plan are found only in Hobart, including the Knocklofty leek-orchid, Mt Wellington eyebright, silky snail and the Ammonite snail.

“If they are not protected here, they could become globally extinct,” Cr Reynolds said.

Eleven native animal species and ten plant species that are listed as threatened on Australia’s national threatened species list can be found in Hobart’s bushland reserves. They include:

• eastern barred bandicoot: one of Australia’s most endangered species and considered extinct in the wild on the mainland
• masked owl: the largest of Tasmania’s nocturnal birds, they are dependent on large old hollow-bearing trees
• swift parrot: critically endangered in Australia, the swift parrot is dependent on blue gum and black gum dominated forests

“Our natural areas are critical for maintaining healthy ecosystems and environments for people and all other species, including hundreds of native animal, bird and insect species,” Cr Reynolds said.

Biodiversity “hot spots” identified by the plan include:

Knocklofty Reserve: Home to a very large stand of old growth trees and threatened species found nowhere else on Earth. It protects nationally endangered eastern quolls and is a local stronghold for the endangered Tasmanian chaostola skipper, a type of butterfly.

Waterworks Reserve: Very large old trees found within the reserve provide significant habitat for a number of threatened species, and the threatened vegetation community black peppermint forest and woodland on sandstone.

Queens Domain: A stronghold for nationally listed threatened grasslands the Queens Domain supports a number of threatened species including the eastern barred bandicoot.

Wellington Park: The diversity of micro climates on the mountain produces a diverse range of flora with more than 500 native plant species recorded in Wellington Park, including the Mt Wellington eyebright, which is found nowhere else on earth. Also endemic to the mountain, the silky snail is found only on the eastern and southern slopes of kunanyi/Mt Wellington.

The plan identifies four key threats to these areas: habitat fragmentation and degradation, invasive species, fire and climate change.

“Our rich biodiversity brings with it a responsibility – we are custodians of this biodiversity and we all have a responsibility to help protect our native plants and animals for future generations,” Cr Reynolds said.

“Unfortunately, we are living through an age where biodiversity is under threat from many challenges, including habitat loss, spread of invasive species, uncontrolled wildfire and climate change.

“By recognising the risks, we can take steps to protect our bushland and its inhabitants.”

Protecting our Wild Heart can be viewed at hobartcity.com.au/wildheart.