takayna / tarkine
Australia’s largest temperate rainforest is a wilderness area in the north-west of Tasmania. It is dripping with moss and lichen, home to majestic trees, wild rivers, endangered wildlife and abundant with culturally significant Aboriginal sites. Sadly, this ancient and unique old-growth forest is still under threat from logging and mining and remains unprotected despite meeting the criteria for World Heritage listing.
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The Tarkine is an English version of the word for the Aboriginal people that once lived on this land.
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takayna is the recorded word for the Aboriginal people that lived here and has been revived by Aboriginal people to describe this place.
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It is amazing to learn that a language that was lost when Europeans invaded is currently being reawakened. The link below is a fascinating insight into this process.
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https://tacinc.com.au/tasmanian-aboriginal-place-names/
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takayna/Tarkine is under threat from mining and logging, in particular the proposed tailings dam.
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This will not only destroy the forest in that area, but also the habitat of the masked owl and other animals that make this forest their home.
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Please follow this link, scroll to the bottom and sign the petition to our federal minister Tanya Plibersek to oppose the construction of the tailings dam.
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The Huon pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii) is only found in lutruwita/Tasmania. These ancient majestic trees were logged excessively with just a few left here and there. Recently an untouched stand of Huon pine trees was found deep within takayna/Tarkine that are thought to be 2,000 years old. They are in an area that is at risk from mining.
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The north-west coast and Sandy Cape area is rich in Aboriginal heritage. There are petroglyphs, shell middens and hut depressions. The number of sites found in this area is greater than other parts of Australia, making it of great cultural importance.
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Mycena toyerlaricola is just one of the many fungi that proliferate in the takayna/Tarkine rainforest. It is a joy discovering each and every one of them. Fungi contribute so much to the ecosystem that it seems crazy that historically they have been mostly overlooked when it comes to conservation. There is now an IUCN red list detailing endangered fungi.
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takayna/Tarkine is home to numerous threatened species of plant and animal life. lutruwita/Tasmania itself has more than 650 species that are listed in the schedules of the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995. You can view the list below. It is interesting to note that while management plans are in place for those most at risk, it seems the threat from forestry and other human activity is still great.
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There are some great organisations campaigning to bring awareness to the plight of our threatened forests, flora and fauna.
The Bob Brown Foundation petitions politicians on behalf of our trees and wildlife, here are ways you can take action through them. They have several petitions you can sign to help advocate for the swift parrots, the masked owls, takayna forests and other issues pertaining to TAS and NSW for example, salmon farming and Koala habitat destruction:
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https://bobbrown.org.au/get-involved
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takayna/Tarkine is full of lichen, no idea what this one is, however, there is a wealth of information about lichen here:
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https://www.anbg.gov.au/lichen/index.html
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If you like fungi, there are some great projects happening to raise awareness of them and to catalogue them. Fungi Map is a citizen-science project that maps fungi in Australia.
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The iNaturalist app is a good way to seek IDs (not just fungi) and upload your observations to share with the greater community (and fungi map).
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If you are in NSW, you can use your political power, that of your vote, to speak for the trees. The NSW federal election is in March 2023, use this as an opportunity to find out what your local candidates think about these issues and if they have the best interests of our environment and our future at heart.
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Support takayna/Tarkine by visiting this amazing place. It is stunning, I've never been anywhere like it. Going there, you realise how valuable it is, and how much will be lost if it continues to be logged, mined and developed.
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https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/places/north-west/takayna-tarkine/
2023 & 2024 Calendar with wooden stand