Biodiversity Hot Spot

The Midlands Biodiversity Hot Spot is in the centre of Tasmania, located between the Eastern and Western Tiers, creating a rain shadow. It is the driest part of Tasmania.

The Midlands was one of the first areas of Australia cleared for agriculture and still supports extensive agriculture and plantation forestry. Widespread land clearing has resulted in severe habitat fragmentation with only small and scattered remnants of native vegetation remaining.

In 2017 it was legislated that farmers were allowed to clear 100 hectares of land annually, without a permit. Vegetation loss and degradation, soil erosion, dryland salinity and invasion by weeds such as willows and gorse, are seriously threatening endemic invertebrates, native orchids and numerous nationally threatened plant species. The new threat posed by foxes and cats, is potentially devastating to local biodiversity, including the endangered Eastern Barred Bandicoot.

There are 32 nationally threatened species and more than 180 plants and animals listed as threatened at the state level. Less than 2 per cent of the area is protected. Nipaluna Nursery is working with leading farmers to support the connectivity of the landscape.

You can read the Northern Midlands background story here - An Island Home.