The conservation of original vegetation remnants in the midlands, Tasmania in southern Tasmania

Abstract

Following 180 years of agricultural settlement, the Midlands area of Tasmania has been drastically transformed and 83% of the original area of native vegetation has been replaced. By comparing information from two recent intensive floristic surveys with historical botanical records, it was determined that 11.8% of the higher plant flora has vanished. With current rates of change and land tenure, it is probable that further extinctions will occur in this environment. Grazing was found to increase significantly native species richness on loams and clays, although the same relationship was not evident on sandy soils. The management of grassy remnants should include regular burning and/or grazing as a means of intermittently depleting the grass sward. Many herbaceous exotics are habitat specific, and it is suggested that their passive spread is not an immediate threat to native vegetation on well-drained land. The long-term viability of native vegetation may, however, necessitate the implementation of simple management programs designed to maintain native species diversity and to minimise the spread of the more vigorous woody exotics.