The conservation status of freshwater macro-invertebrates in the Buckland Military Training Area, southeastern Tasmania

The freshwater macro-invertebrate fauna of the Buckland Military Training Area near Triabunna on the east coast of Tasmania was investigated in April 1991. A total of 97 taxa were identified from ten sites, of which only about half could be assigned to species level and given a conservation status. Only one of these was deemed significant from a conservation viewpoint; at least eight others plus all the unknown species require further investigation to clarify their status.
About half of the species were found at only one site; the most similar sites were from permanent water at lower altitudes (although in different catchments). Species from lowland sites were well known and could be readily identified (often having broad distributional ranges over southeastern Australia).The upland site from a rainforest creek contained a high proportion of species not found elsewhere in the study, as did other upland temporary water bodies. Introduced fish and forestry activity are likely to represent the most serious threats to the faunal assemblage in the area.