-MEDIA RELEASE-
Most people walking through bushland on the edge of Hobart would never know they’re there, but some of Tasmania’s smallest and rarest snails are the focus of a new conservation effort.
NRM South has launched Tasmania’s first-ever identification guide for micro-snails found in greater Hobart’s bushland fringe, helping land managers and ecologists identify the critically endangered Ammonite Snail, which is a species so small and similar to other native snails that even trained scientists can struggle to tell them apart.
The guide forms part of NRM South’s ‘Action for Ammonite Snails’ project, funded through the Australian Government’s Saving Native Species program, and provides information to public land managers, private reserve managers and other relevant stakeholders in greater Hobart’s peri-urban areas.
It has been developed in parallel with a set of management guidelines which describe how to manage threats and improve habitat condition and offers details on the types of habitat where Ammonite Snails have been found.
Project lead Dr Adam Cisterne said the Ammonite Snail lives in bushland on Hobart’s doorstep and remarked that there’s still a lot we don’t know about them.
‘These snails are found in the bushland fringe around greater Hobart, but they’re incredibly hard to spot and even harder to distinguish from other similar species,’ Dr Cisterne said. ‘Without clear guidance, they can easily be missed in ecological surveys, even by experienced field ecologists. There’s not much information out there on how to look after Tasmania’s micro-snails, and this guide has been designed to help fill this knowledge gap.’
NRM South’s Ammonite Snail project is now wrapping up but has highlighted how much hidden biodiversity still exists close to urban areas.
‘These are species living right on the edge of where people live and work,’ Dr Cisterne added. ‘If we don’t identify and protect them now, we risk losing them before most people even know they exist.’
Bringing together local and national experts, including the Australian Museum and local expert Dr Kevin Bonham, other project outcomes include improved insights into genetic identification techniques, distribution modelling for the species, and community engagement.
The identification guide and summary management guidelines are both available for download in NRM South’s resource library. For access to printed copies of the identification guide, contact NRM South directly.
This project is supported by NRM South through funding from the Australian Government’s Saving Native Species Program.
-ENDS-