Nursery helps to restore fauna

A volunteer-based nursery is cultivating native seedlings, offering Midland farmers the opportunity to benefit from the regenerated land while preserving the region’s unique landscape.

Nipaluna Nursery based in New Town is aiming to help protect and rejuvenate threatened and endangered species.

“The Midlands biodiversity hotspot is the driest part of Tasmania, and it’s the only hotspot in the state.

“It is one of 15 hotspots in Australia,” Nipaluna Nursery chair Nel Smit said.

“We are growing native plants for farmers, so we collect seeds from the hotspot, and then we grow them.

“We’ve grown about 15,000 plants this year to go up to the Midlands, and we’re also working with landcare groups and local schools here.”

About 40 volunteers have collected and germinated native seeds from the farms that have grown different flora, including eucalyptus, banksia marginata and lomandra.

“The understorey species are really critical in terms of small mammals like your bandicoots and your bushland birds because they need places to hide and shelter,” Ms Smit said.

“There are a lot of leading farmers who are really taking a lead role in terms of restoring a lot of these areas that have been cleared in the Midlands.

“We’re keen to link with the Aboriginal heritage and where the Aboriginal culture has been sustainable for over 40,000 years and we feel like we need to make those links and give back.”

The Hobart City Council granted the nursery a $15,000 to establish infrastructure, irrigation and benches.

In August, the volunteers will travel back to the midlands with palawa man Linton Burgess and have a field day where they will plant some of the plants.