NRM South was recently awarded funding for two conservation projects targeting two endemic and endangered Tasmanian species – the Burgundy Snail and Southport Heath. These projects have been funded under the Tasmanian Government’s Threatened Species Fund, a $2 million/year funding commitment over the next four year to support priority threatened species.
Over the course of 2025, we will be working with project partners to help build a picture of the current situation for Burgundy Snail and Southport Heath and using survey data to inform recommendations for the future management and protection of these species. Both species are unique to Tasmania and have a very limited range, which puts them at high risk of extinction.
Securing the future for Southport Heath
Southport Heath (Epacris stuartii) is a small shrub with delicate five-pointed flowers, found only in one small area of Southport Bluff. Our Southport Heath project will be helping us get a sense of the impacts of a recently completed NRM South project on this critically endangered species. From 2020-2023, our federally funded Threatened Flora project implemented actions including weed control, protective plant caging and seed collection to help boost the survival rates for Southport Heath. As part of this new project, we will be carrying out updated surveys, assessing and managing infrastructure, weed control and biosecurity work and supporting volunteer training. We will also oversee the development of a report that includes future management recommendations,
A safe haven for the Burgundy Snail
Named after the famed natural historian, David Attenborough, the Burgundy Snail (Attenborougharion rubicundus) lives in wet forest areas of the Tasman and Forestier Peninsulas. This project marks the first time we’ve ever worked on this colourful and curious-looking ‘semi-slug’. Listed as rare, and with a very limited range, the Burgundy Snail is under threat from land clearing and bushfire. While surveys were carried out in 1999 and 2012, there have not been any follow-up surveys since then, and the impact of events such as the 2013 Dunalley bushfire and the pressures from ongoing timber harvesting and property development in the region are unknown. Through this project, we will provide recommendations for managing sites with Burgundy Snails to ensure any identified impacts are minimised.
To find out more about each of these projects, head to the Threatened Species Partnership Program page.
NRM South is supported by the Tasmanian Government.