Conserving Native Biodiversity on Private Land 9/11/07

In March this year Phil Collier and Robin Garnett bought a 19 hectare private conservation reserve to the east of Devonport in Northern Tasmania from the Tasmanian Land Conservancy. Noted particularly for its rare orchids, this property seemed just right for them especially as Phil had already written a field guide to Tasmanian orchids! They named the reserve Rubicon Sanctuary as it is situated in the Rubicon Catchment area in North Central Tasmania.

Rubicon Sanctuary is comprised of open swampy areas dominated by sedges and grasses, wetter areas with Black Gums and Swamp Gums, lightly wooded areas dominated by Black Peppermints and drier heathland.  Over 200 different plant species have been recorded on the property, including 39 different species of orchid. Threatened species recorded include: Black-tongue Finger-orchid, Caladenia congesta, Robust Fingers, Caladenia tonellii (endemic to Tasmania), Marsh Leek-orchid, Prasophyllum limnetes (endemic to Tasmania), Pretty Leek-orchid, Prasophyllum pulchellum (endemic to Tasmania), Holmes’ Sun-orchid, Thelymitra holmesii, Swamp Wallaby-grass, Amphibromus neesii, and Hairy Brooklime, Gratiola pubescens. The area is also the home of a threatened crustacean, the North coast burrowing crayfish, Engaeus granulatus which can be identified by the rough patches on top of its pincers.

Framework for protection

These Protected Areas are specially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and are aimed at protecting genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity by developing comprehensive, adequate and representative (CAR) protected area systems using Protected Area Management Categories with outlines of management methods for each category (The World Conservation Union). By 2004 Australia had established 7,720 reserves as part of the National Reserve System and nine Protected Area systems. 

Rubicon Sanctuary is one of the private covenanted reserves protected as a ‘Habitat/ Species Management Area’ and is designated mainly for conservation through management intervention. The land comes with a Nature Conservation plan outlining the conservation values of the land, the management action required to maintain and enhance them and also a set of criteria that the Department can use to monitor the owners’ management policies.  The criteria for monitoring success includes continued regeneration of native flora, no significant decline in native species, decrease in weeds, and no introduction of the root disease Cinnamon Fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi.

Robin and Phils’ management of their land began with the task of updating and ratifying their plan for submission to the Department of Primary Industries and Water for approval. Since then they have worked at defining which of the 154 Tasveg communities and sub communities are present on their land; counting yabbie holes along transepts; and with the support of the local fire brigade they have commenced a 5-10 year mosaic burn cycle in the swamp areas and a 10-20 year cycle in the woodland areas.

Their management plan states that fire should be the main tool used to protect and maintain biological diversity and already Robin and Phil have been confronted with some of the difficulties of environmental management using fire. Fire can have a detrimental effect on Black Gum and Swamp Gum woodland while lack of fire can have a detrimental effect on the number of orchids – and fires at different times of the year have different effects. It requires knowledge and a fine balancing act to get it right.

To carry out the burns neighbours have to be informed and firebreaks around the designated areas have to be slashed and raked etc. It involved a lot of hard work but two months after the fire Robin and Phil were rewarded with the sight of rare leek orchids!

One acre of the property has been designated as a domestic zone where Robin and Phil aim to build an eco friendly house and possibly establish a demonstration domestic garden using only plants that grow in the area naturally.

Rubicon Sanctuary is fortunate indeed to have such dedicated and wise owner/ caretakers.

Geraldine Harris