Cradle Coast NRM

10/06/2026

W**d Wednesday: New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax)

New Zealand flax is an emerging environmental w**d that can invade bushland, waterways, and coastal areas, displacing native vegetation and reducing habitat for native wildlife.

Looking for native alternatives?

🌿 Tasman Flax-Lily - Dianella tasmanica

This beautiful Tasmanian native, features wide, glossy, bright green strap-like leaves. In spring, it produces delicate blue-purple flowers followed by stunning large, glossy, deep-blue berries. It doesn't like full sun as it is mostly an understory plant in native bushland.

🌿 Spiny-Headed Mat-Rush - Lomandra longifolia

A very hardy Australian native that forms bold, dense tussocks of tough, evergreen foliage, hereby creating an excellent, multi-level shelter for small birds, frogs, and lizards (such as skinks and blue-tongues) to hide from predators. Small birds frequently use the dense tussocks for nesting or foraging for ground insects. Fragrant cream to yellow flower spikes appear in spring, tolerates full sun.

Be alert, avoid disturbing New Zealand flax, and report sightings via iNaturalist or to your local council NRM officer to help protect Tasmania's native ecosystems.

The Cradle Coast Regional Priority W**ds Project is supported by the Tasmanian Government.

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10/06/2026

Kicking off soon: Sign up for Soils for Life's ‘Ask Me Anything’ webinars to air your burning questions and connect with pasture and nutrition specialists, consultants and fellow dairy farmers🐄

Join our ‘Ask Me Anything’ webinars to connect with pasture and nutrition specialists, consultants and fellow dairy farmers in a relaxed online discussion.

The free online sessions run from 6-15 July.
🐮 Building Resilience Through Soil Health in Dairy Systems with Chris Eggert – Mon 6 July, 12pm AEST
🐮 Starting Out with Foliars and Managing Transitions with John Moor – Tues 7 July, 12pm AEST
🐮 Pasture Nutrition with Emily House – Mon 13 July, 12pm AEST
🐮 Multispecies Pastures: Establishment and Grazing with Jade Killoran – Wed 15 July, 12pm AEST

Register here 👉 https://loom.ly/yUeGr5k

We look forward to seeing you there!

This project is jointly funded through Soils for Life and the Australian Government through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust.

Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Oxhill Organics Healthy Farming Systems Maffra & Districts Landcare Network Cradle Coast NRM Lower Blackwood Landcare South Gippsland Landcare Network Healthy Land & Water

08/06/2026

Building Partnerships to Tackle Priority W**ds on Tasmania’s West Coast 🌿

A few weeks ago, our team visited Tasmania’s West Coast to meet with local stakeholders working on emerging and priority w**ds in the region.

We brought together West Coast councils, state agencies and mining partners to strengthen collaboration and coordinate efforts on w**d management 🤝

Key species discussed included African feather grass, Elijah’s tears, Himalayan honeysuckle, lupins and New Zealand flax.

Early action and strong partnerships are essential to protecting the West Coast’s unique landscapes and biodiversity. It was great to see a shared commitment to working together on these challenges.

We look forward to building on this momentum and continuing collaborative w**d control efforts across the region. 💪

The Cradle Coast Regional Priority W**ds Project is supported by the Tasmanian Government.

05/06/2026

In celebration of World Environment Day, Cradle Coast NRM showcased the Our Natural Advantage project's on-farm natural capital accounting demonstration at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) Dairy Research Facility, highlighting industry sustainability frameworks, natural capital enhancement, and on-ground actions that support both farm productivity and biodiversity outcomes.

Delivered in partnership with the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, the demonstration aims to clarify the confusion around what natural capital accounting is and what role it could have in supporting farmers. The demonstration shows how an on-farm account on a working dairy farm can support farm business planning, including meeting supplier and industry expectations, emerging market opportunities, boosting productivity and farm economic and climate resilience.

The demonstration shows that there are simple ways farmers can improve natural capital on their farms from protecting and enhancing the vegetation that is currently on farm, planting new shelterbelts, controlling w**ds and considering agroforestry.

The event concluded with planting 400 seedlings, commencing one of many practical on-farm actions being undertaken to strengthen natural capital and support resilient farming landscapes.

Find out more here: https://cradlecoast.com/on-farm-demonstrations/

This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program and delivered by Cradle Coast NRM, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel in partnership with Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture with support from Dairy Australia - Tasmania and Lactalis-Mainland Dairy

04/06/2026

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: AI Technology Protecting Tasmania’s Wildlife

A major conservation goal is now within reach, thanks to an Australian Government-funded “Gamechangers” project supported by the Saving Native Species program. Delivered by Cradle Coast NRM, Biosecurity Tasmania and Thylation, the project is helping pave the way for Felixer cat grooming traps to be safely used across mainland Tasmania.

Felixers use AI technology to identify feral cats while avoiding non-target species. A key challenge in Tasmania has been ensuring Tasmanian Devils are not mistakenly identified as cats.

Over the project, more than 3000 images of devils were collected to train the AI model. In a recent trial, Felixers successfully identified every Tasmanian Devil as a non-target.

With Biosecurity Tasmania and Tasmania’s NRM organisations now committed to extending the project, this game-changing technology is one step closer to helping protect native wildlife from feral cats across Tasmania.

Read more about this project on our recent Cradle to Coastlines:

https://cradlecoast.com/resources/cradle-to-coastlines-autumn-edition-2/

This project received grant funding from the Australian Government’s Saving Native Species Program.

03/06/2026

🌿 W**d Wednesday: Ragwort

Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) is a biennial or perennial herb that flowers from November to April, producing clusters of bright yellow, daisy-like flowers. In its first year it forms a rosette of deeply divided leaves, before sending up tall flowering stems. It’s often found in high rainfall areas, especially in neglected pastures and disturbed sites.

This declared w**d poses a serious risk to agriculture and the environment. Ragwort forms dense infestations that reduce pasture productivity and is highly toxic to livestock and humans, even when dried in hay. It spreads easily via wind-blown seeds and movement through water, animals, vehicles, and contaminated materials, allowing infestations to persist for years.

Be alert, avoid disturbing the plant, and report sightings to iNaturalist and/or your local council NRM officer to protect Tasmania’s native ecosystems.

The Cradle Coast Regional Priority W**ds Project is supported by the Tasmanian Government.

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01/06/2026

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT | Dung Beetles Delivering Big Benefits 🪲🌱

Tiny insects are making a big impact across Tasmania’s grazing systems. Dung beetles help break down and bury cattle dung, improving soil health, increasing water infiltration, reducing fly breeding, and returning valuable nutrients back into pasture systems.

Through an ongoing dung beetle exchange, Cradle Coast NRM is working to establish the winter-active dung beetle species Bubas bison across northwest Tasmania. Over the past five years, thousands of beetles have been imported annually from South Australia and released at 10 Tasmanian sites, with successful establishment now confirmed at two locations.

This year alone, 16,000 Geotrupes spiniger beetles were trapped as part of the exchange program with South Australian beef farmer Matthew Robertson.

Improving year-round dung beetle activity across Tasmania will help support healthier soils, cleaner waterways, more productive pastures, and more sustainable livestock systems for the future.

This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program and delivered by Cradle Coast NRM, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.

Find out more in our latest Cradle to Coastlines:
https://cradlecoast.com/resources/cradle-to-coastlines-autumn-edition-2/

29/05/2026

Over the past few months, our field team has been busy ticking off a major milestone, successfully soil sampling 49 sites across Tasmania’s north-west, from King Island to Marrawah, rolling farmland and along the wild West Coast. Our sites spanned an impressive range of landscapes, including grazed paddocks, carrot fields, plantations, pristine forest, button grass plains, and even the occasional randomly allocated 25 × 25 m blackberry jungle!

Each site came with different challenges to keep things interesting, working around unpredictable weather, steep slopes, thick vegetation, and some memorable 4WD adventures.

There were 36 degree days, leeches, dense mosquito swarms, and plenty of physical effort but a great team made the hardest days better. This work has been done under the National Soil Monitoring Program (NSMP), a CSIRO-led initiative designed to build a consistent, national picture of soil health across Australia.

At each site, the team collected 15 soil cores within a 25-metre plot, sampling down to 1 metre depth and 30 cm for biological cores, all extracted manually. The data collected will help strengthen soil knowledge, support landholders and researchers, and inform future land management decisions. The experience has brought new skills, deeper knowledge, shared memories and the satisfaction of getting the job done together. Completing all 49 sites is something we’re incredibly proud of!

Landholders who took part are now receiving early results on their soil's chemistry, biology, and physical properties, along with detailed information to use with their advisers and plan with confidence. A regional report will follow once all sites are complete.

The same sites will be resampled every five years over 20 years. That gives us something we've never had before: real evidence of whether our soils are recovering or declining, and what management practices are making the difference. Soil that holds more carbon holds more water. Healthy soil means more productive farms and more resilient landscapes through the dry seasons ahead.

Learn more about this project 👇

https://cradlecoast.com/projects/national-soil-monitoring-program/

Read a full project update in our latest newsletter:

https://cradlecoast.com/resources/cradle-to-coastlines-autumn-edition-2/

Project partners:
CSIRO , NRM North , NRM South


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The National Soil Monitoring Program has been supported by funding through the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) in collaboration with CSIRO.

28/05/2026

A major milestone for Maugean Skate conservation has been reached, with two adult skates from the IMAS ‘skate park’ facility in Taroona now successfully released back into Macquarie Harbour.

The male and female skates were collected from Macquarie Harbour in 2023 and played a vital role in the Captive Management Program during their time in captivity. The female laid more than 400 eggs, producing 85 viable hatchlings and providing researchers with remarkable new insights into the species’ reproduction and genetics.

After helping establish an important insurance population, the adult skates recently completed a carefully managed acclimation and transport process before being released at Table Head in Macquarie Harbour. The process included oxygen training, live feed trials, environmental acclimation and transport to Strahan ahead of their return home.

The successful release marks an exciting milestone for the Captive Management Program, the West Coast community and the future conservation of this unique and endangered species.

Find out more from our latest Cradle to Coastlines:

https://cradlecoast.com/resources/cradle-to-coastlines-autumn-edition-2/

Or you can read more about the skate from the latest ABC article:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-27/maugean-skates-released-into-macquarie-harbour-imas/106726458




Threatened Species Commissioner Parks Australia Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania

This project is funded by the Australian Government's Natural Heritage Trust, Saving Native Species Program and Maugean Skate Program and delivered by Cradle Coast NRM, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.

27/05/2026

🌿 W**d Wednesday: Himalayan honeysuckle (Elisha’s tears)

Himalayan honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa) is a fast-growing shrub that can reach up to 3 metres tall. It’s easy to spot thanks to its hollow stems and distinctive drooping clusters of white flowers framed by deep purple-red bracts, which later develop into dark berries.

This invasive species thrives in moist environments like creeklines, roadsides, and disturbed bushland. It spreads quickly through seeds carried by birds and water, forming dense thickets that outcompete native plants and reduce biodiversity. Its ability to regrow after cutting makes it particularly challenging to manage without follow-up control.

Be alert, avoid disturbing the plant, and report sightings to iNaturalist and/or your local council NRM officer to protect Tasmania’s native ecosystems.

The Cradle Coast Regional Priority W**ds Project is supported by the Tasmanian Government.

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