The influence of owners intentions on remnant bush conservation in Tasmania

The lowland temperate grasslands and grassy woodlands of Tasmania have become fragmented and degraded since European settlement. Conservation efforts need to be directed towards both representative vegetation remnants that are of high integrity, and those that contain rare and threatened species. Land clearance or conversion to other land uses are the most serious threats to these remnants. This paper reports on a survey of grassland landholder attitudes and how they relate to the threats to grasslands. The owners and managers of grasslands have attitudes that fall into four groups. The first group are from state and municipal agencies who saw that ignorance of the conservation values of grasslands posed a threat to their long term survival. The second group were graziers who highly prized their grasslands and saw themselves as the best managers in the long term to ensure conservation. They required extension services and management advice. A third group of farmers were not willing to be involved in off reserve conservation schemes; they retained native grasslands because the areas were too rocky or too marginal to warrant conversion to other land uses. The fourth group were willing to covenant their land or sign management agreeements. These groups need to be treated separately in actions directed towards conservation. Suggestions are made on strategies for conservation on land which is primarily managed for agriculture