May 22 is International Biodiversity Day. This international celebration of our planet’s biological diversity teaches us more about why biodiversity is important and why it is at risk.
NRM South, Southern Tasmania’s natural resource management body, is marking the occasion by shining a spotlight on their efforts to help protect iconic and threatened Tasmanian species.
NRM South is supporting efforts to assist in the recovery of species such as the critically endangered Swift Parrot, Orange-bellied Parrot and Morrisby’s Gum, the rare and restricted Southport heath (whose wild population exists at only one location), and the nationally threatened Eastern Quoll (extinct in the wild on mainland Australia).
Through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, NRM South is throwing a valuable lifeline to species on the brink.
Reflecting on NRM South’s work across the southern region over the last two decades, NRM South CEO Nepelle Crane commented, ‘Tasmania is seen as the last frontier for many of Australia’s threatened species, some of which have gone extinct or have drastically declined on the mainland. We are continuing to work hard to protect our unique and precious species, as well as the land and seascapes that support them.’
NRM South’s projects range from community level initiatives such as feral cat control and domestic cat containment on Bruny Island, to supporting researchers on work to better manage threatened species, and helping individual landholders protect high conservation value areas on their properties and improve productivity.
In collaboration with partners, NRM South is working across landscapes, helping control the spread of weeds and restoring the health and function of ecosystems. Work is currently underway on projects at three internationally significant wetlands and threatened temperate saltmarsh communities in the southern region, which will bring benefits to water quality and marine health.
Nepelle believes that strong partnerships are key to the success of NRM South’s efforts to protect species and ecosystems across southern Tasmania. ‘We are working with over 40 key delivery partners. Through their support, NRM South is streamlining resources into rural and regional areas, and delivering on-ground action. Together, we will make a lasting difference to our natural areas, extraordinary landscapes and our iconic plants and animals.’
For more information about NRM South’s project work, explore our website or Facebook page https://nrmsouth.org.au/
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