The Peter Murrell Conservation Area is located in Huntingfield, Tasmania, approximately south of the state's capital city, Hobart. The conservation area has an area of and is one of three reserves within the Peter Murrell Reserves. Also within these reserves are the Peter Murrell State Reserve () and a Public Reserve (). These reserves and the Conservation Area lie at the base of the Tinderbox Peninsula, between the suburbs of Kingston, Howden and Blackman's Bay. The Peter Murrell Conservation Area surrounds the northern, western and southern sides of the Peter Murrell State Reserve.
Area description Lying within the Derwent Estuary – Bruny Catchment of Southern Tasmania, the Peter Murrell Conservation Area comprises a number of small creeks and streams. These drain land from South Arm up to Old Beach on the eastern side of the Derwent Estuary, and from Granton to Gordon and Bruny Island on the western side. Within the catchment area, the North West Bay River is the only major river, flowing from the southern side of Mt. Wellington into North West Bay, at the southwestern corner of the Peter Murrell Conservation Area.
This Conservation Area is part of the South East Tasmania Bioregion, with a protection level of between 15.01 and 30%, under the National Reserve System. Bioregions are areas of Australia classified into large distinct bioregions based on common climate, geology, landform, native vegetation and species information, and are the reporting unit for assessing the status of Australia's native ecosystems and the level of protection in the National Reserve System.
Ecology
Flora
The dominant vegetation types in the Peter Murrell Conservation Area are dry heathlands and heath-shrub black peppermint woodland and forests. In the buttongrass along the east/west creek lines, small areas of peat exist. Within the Conservation Area, nine major vegetation units have been identified. These include the dominant black peppermint (Eucalyptus amygdalina) coastal forest and woodland, with a heath understorey. A small area of buttongrass also exists along Buttongrass Creek. Inhabiting the down-slope areas within the Conservation Area are damper vegetation types.
Within the Peter Murrell Conservation Area, 250 native flowering plants have been recorded, comprising approximately 15% of Tasmania's flowering plants. Of these 250 plants, 13 are endemic to Tasmania. The area also provides habitat for 113 introduced plant species, only a small number of which are troublesome weeds, however. During late winter and early spring, numerous shrubs of the wattle and pea families produce colourful displays.
Within this Conservation Area, 37 orchid species exist. The area is known for its orchid diversity, with one of the highest densities of orchid species anywhere in Tasmania. Of the vast number of orchid species inhabiting the Peter Murrell Conservation Area, five endemic orchid species exist, including the trim leek-orchid (Prasophyllum continuum) and the dark-finger-orchid (Caladenia atrata). In recent years it appears that the orchid diversity and abundance has been declining. A potential explanation for these declines are infrequent burning events, absence of rain following prescribed burns, and firebreak slashing during key flowering periods, October to early December.
Two threatened plant species inhabit the Peter Murrell Conservation Area, the twisting rapier sedge (Lepidosperma tortuosum) and the gentle rush (Juncus amabilis). Both of these species are listed as rare at the Tasmanian state level.
Fauna
Mammals
In 2010, it was reported that 13 mammal species inhabited the Peter Murrell Conservation Area. Other reports list 24 mammal species living in the area, 19 of which are native to Tasmania, while the remaining 5 are introduced species. Some of the 24 species reported have not been seen in the Conservation Area for a number of years. For example, platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) were once regularly seen in Heron Pond but have now not been seen since 2010.
Other native mammals listed as inhabiting the Peter Murrell Conservation Area include: the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus), southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus), eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunnii), common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus), sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps), common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecular), long-nosed potoroo (Potorous tridactylus), Tasmanian bettong (Bettongia gaimardi), Tasmanian pademelon (Thylogale billardierii), Bennett's wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus), Gould's wattled bat (Chalinolobus gouldii), chocolate wattled bat (Chalinolobus morio), lesser long-eared bat (Nyctophilus geoffroyi), southern forest bat (Vespadelus regulus), little forest bat (Vespadelus vulturnus), water rat (Hydromys chrysogaster) and swamp rat (Rattus lutreolus).
Five introduced mammals have been identified as inhabiting the area, including: the cat (Felis catus), house mouse (Mus musculus), brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), black rat (Rattus rattus) and European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).
Of all the mammal species inhabiting the Peter Murrell Conservation Area, one is listed as vulnerable under the commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, the eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunnii). This is a small terrestrial marsupial, found in south-eastern Australia. The species has a high fecundity, with up to five litters per year, an average of 2-3 young per litter, a gestation period of 12 days, and sexual maturity reached a 3 months (females) and 5 months (males). Once having a fairly large distribution on the south-eastern part of mainland Australia, the distribution and abundance of this species has declined significantly since European settlement, primarily due to the invasive predatory fox (Vulpes vulpes). The total number of individuals of this species is now considered to be less than 200 on mainland Australia. Wild populations of the eastern-barred bandicoot still exist, and are stronger, in Tasmania, but distributions are limited to the north and southeast of the state. However, it is thought that those factors threatening populations of the eastern barred bandicoot on mainland Australia also pose significant threats to Tasmanian populations. Consequently, eastern barred bandicoot populations in Tasmania are too believed to be declining, with the species now listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Birds In 2012, eBird recorded 100 bird species. Other reports list that only 70 species are present, but this is a false underestimate. It is one of the last few places where the endangered Forty-spotted pardalote is still found. This species can be found in white gum, in the car park and the trees around the ponds, though Juvenile Spotted pardalote have been mistaken.
Other bird species which have been recorded there are the Australian wood duck, pacific black duck, chestnut teal, hoary-headed grebe, brown quail, common bronzewing, cuckoos, tawny frogmouth, Tasmanian native hen, Eurasian coot, Australasian swamphen, masked lapwing, swamp barrier, laughing kookaburra, yellow-failed black-cockatoo, green rosella, superb fairywren, eastern spinebill, little wattlebird, yellow wattlebird, honeyeaters, pardalotes, striated fieldwren, brown thornbill, black-faced cuckoo shrike, grey shrike thrush, golden whistler, dusky wood swallow, grey butcherbird, Australian magpie, grey currawong, grey fantail, satin flycatcher, forest raven, scarlet robin, dusky robin, welcome swallow and European goldfinch.
Invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians As is the case with birds of the Peter Murrell Conservation Area, recent comprehensive information on invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians is lacking. Extensive reports and observation in the late 1990s found there to be six reptile, three amphibian and 151 invertebrate species extant in the area.
The chaostola skipper (Antipodia chaostola), a species of butterfly, is listed as endangered under Tasmanian state legislation. While found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, the Tasmanian populations of this species are considered to be a separate subspecies, Antipodia chaostola leucophaea. A study into the ecology and conservation of the Tasmanian sub-species, conducted in 2000, found that the Tasmanian habitat of the Chaostola skipper has been significantly reduced over the past two hundred years, both in extent and quality. Furthermore, this habitat decline is thought to be ongoing. The continued fragmentation and destruction of the Chaostola skipper's habitat was considered to be the main cause behind its population declines. Additionally, while not listed at the state or national level, twelve insect species in the Peter Murrell Conservation Area have been listed as rare or endemic.
Geology and landforms The parent materials within the Peter Murrell Conservation Area include sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. The soils in the area are typically sandy. On sloped areas, these soils are well drained. Two ponds, Penrhyn and Heron ponds, exist in the northwestern portion of the Conservation Area.
Environmental threats and issues
Land use and development The Peter Murrell Conservation Area is located in the municipality of Kingborough, an area of primarily low density, residential land use, as well as commercial, retail and administrative land use. The area supports local industries including fish processing, aquaculture, tourism, viticulture, boat building and civil engineering.
With these land uses prominent in the area, the primary source of land use impacts in and surrounding the Peter Murrell Conservation Area is urban development, particularly future developments. With regard to industrial development, some land use conflicts exist because the Conservation Area, and associated reserves, border the Huntingfield industrial area. Consequently, there is no capacity for extension of this industrial area. Similarly, a major residential development has been proposed for an area south of Huntingfield, however the proximity of this to the Peter Murrell Conservation area places environmental pressure on this proposal.
Significant problems are also associated with storm water management, with large amounts of sediment being deposited on Coffee Creak, on the western side of the Conservation Area. This deposition damages native vegetation and habitat. These impacts also mean that there are indirect considerations involving development upstream of the Conservation Area. For example, development upstream and adjacent to Coffee Creek, on the Conservation Area's western side, could detrimentally effect the Conservation Area and its associated reserves. Local water courses are particularly sensitive to pollution and sedimentation.
Introduced species A number of invasive plant species inhabit the Peter Murrell Conservation Area and threaten native vegetation. These invasive plant species include gorse (Ulex europeaus), Spanish heath (Erica lusitanica), English broom (Cytisus scoparius), canary broom (Genista monspessulana), boneseed (Chrysanthemoides monilifera), blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), blue-butterfly-bush (Psoralea pinnata) and introduced wattles (Acacia spp.). Invasive species such as these can threaten ecosystems as they can displace native species, contribute to land degradation and lessen overall productivity.