Elise Archer,Minister for the Arts
The Hodgman majority Liberal Government is a strong supporter of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) and the great educational impact it has on our community.
As part of its role educating Tasmanians, a team of TMAG scientists is heading to the east coast next week for TMAG’s third ‘Expedition of Discovery’, hoping to unearth some new and fascinating plant and animal species.
The Expeditions of Discovery program investigates scientifically underexplored corners of Tasmania to search for new species and to document local biodiversity.
These scientific expeditions collect animal and plant specimens, and highlight the importance of species discovery in understanding and managing Tasmania’s unique flora and fauna.
This work is critical to building our understanding about which species occur and where, that informs the ongoing protection and management of our natural environment.
This year TMAG’s scientists will be based at Spring Bay Mill in Triabunna and will survey areas of reserve in and around the mill property – and will conduct marine surveying for the first time.
TMAG’s first Expedition of Discovery in 2017 recorded nearly 1 000 species of plants and animals at the east coast property, Wind Song. These included several species new to science, as well as others that were previously unrecorded for Tasmania.
The 2018 expedition at the Musselroe Wind Farm collected 4,481 specimens, representing 1,385 species at the property, including several new species of lichens and a new land snail.
TMAG’s Expeditions of Discovery program has been made possible with the generous support of the Friends of TMAG and the land owners and managers at the respective host sites.
The third Expedition of Discovery will take place at Spring Bay Mill in Triabunna from 18-22 November 2019.
