Central Plateau Conservation Area

Central Plateau Conservation Area
Name	Central Plateau Conservation Area
Location	Tasmania, Australia
Nearest city	Launceston, Tasmania
Area	3560 km2
Established	1978
Governing body	Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service

Central Plateau Conservation Area The Central Plateau Conservation Area is a highland protected region in central Tasmania, Australia encompassing extensive upland plateaux, alpine moorlands and endemic wetland systems. The area is notable for its proximity to Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Great Lake (Tasmania), and the Western Tiers (Tasmania), and for containing elements of Tasmania's unique Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area biota and cultural heritage. Management involves coordination among the Tasmanian Government, Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service and conservation NGOs such as the Tasmanian Land Conservancy.

Geography and boundaries

The conservation area lies within the central north–south spine of Tasmania, bounded to the northwest by the Mersey River catchment and to the southeast by the headwaters of the Derwent River (Tasmania), incorporating parts of the Great Western Tiers, Central Highlands (Tasmania), and numerous glacially formed lakes including Great Lake (Tasmania), Arthurs Lake, and Bradys Lake. Elevations range from ~500 m at lowland riparian zones to over 1,200 m on peaks such as Mount Ossa and Barn Bluff, with complex geology including Precambrian sediments, Jurassic dolerite intrusions and Quaternary glacial deposits. Access corridors link to transport nodes at Devonport, Tasmania and Hobart via the Midland Highway and a network of forestry tracks historically associated with the Hydro-Electric Commission (Tasmania).

Ecology and biodiversity

The area contains mosaic habitats: button grass moorlands, subalpine coniferous woodlands dominated by Athrotaxis selaginoides, temperate rainforest pockets with Nothofagus cunninghamii and Atherosperma moschatum, and sphagnum-rich peatlands supporting endemic invertebrates and vertebrates. Faunal assemblages include threatened mammals such as the Eastern barred bandicoot (introduced elsewhere) and endemic marsupials like the Tasmanian devil, Bennetts wallaby, and Tasmanian pademelon; avifauna includes the Tasmanian nativehen, Black currawong, and migratory populations of waders associated with shallow lakes. Aquatic systems support cold-water fishes including Galaxias species and populations of Macquarie perch affected by historical translocations. The conservation area preserves significant populations of cryptogamic flora including lichen assemblages and peat-forming Sphagnum complexes recognized for carbon sequestration.

History and conservation management

The plateau lies within the traditional lands of Tasmanian Aboriginal groups including the Ben Lomond Nation and Paredarerme (Oyster Bay) people, with archaeological evidence of seasonal use, stone artefacts and cultural sites. European exploration by figures associated with the Van Diemen's Land Company and surveys by John Glover (painter)-era bushrangers preceded 19th-century sheep grazing and timber extraction. Twentieth-century infrastructure works by the Hydro-Electric Commission (Tasmania) altered hydrology through impoundments and irrigation-linked dams, prompting conservation responses by organizations such as the Australian Conservation Foundation and litigation invoking elements of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area framework. Current management integrates statutory instruments administered by the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, conservation covenants by the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, and scientific advisory input from universities including the University of Tasmania and research institutes like the CSIRO.

Access and recreation

Public access is provided via designated trails connecting to established huts maintained by the Overland Track network and shorter loop walks from roadside trailheads near Miena and Breona (Tasmania). Recreational activities include alpine hiking, birdwatching targeting species reported in surveys by the BirdLife Australia network, fly fishing in regulated waters under licence from the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water, and winter snowcraft activities when conditions permit. Infrastructure is managed to balance visitor use and conservation values, with permits for guided tours issued by licensed operators linked to the Tourism Tasmania accreditation system.

Threats and environmental challenges

The plateau faces multiple pressures including altered fire regimes influenced by historical suppression and deliberate burns associated with nearby pastoral practices, invasive species such as gorse and introduced trout affecting native fish, and hydrological modification from historic damming by the Hydro-Electric Commission (Tasmania). Climate change models projecting warming and altered precipitation patterns threaten alpine peatlands and endemic taxa, with studies by the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation indicating shifts in distribution. Political debates involving the Tasmanian Government and conservation NGOs over land-use planning, mining exploration licences, and renewable hydro proposals have shaped adaptive management responses.

Research and monitoring

Ongoing research programs involve long-term ecological monitoring by the University of Tasmania, population studies funded by the Australian Research Council, and carbon-stock assessments coordinated with national inventories submitted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change reporting. Collaborative projects between the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, Parks and Wildlife Service, and community science initiatives such as those organized by BirdLife Australia and the Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club monitor species trends, peatland condition and water quality metrics. Remote sensing by agencies including the Geoscience Australia and climate projections from the Bureau of Meteorology inform adaptive management, while peer-reviewed work published in journals such as Australian Journal of Botany and Wildlife Research supports evidence-based decisions.

Category:Protected areas of Tasmania