What is the New Leaf Project?
View our Skullbone Plains New Leaf DVD here
In June 2010 Gunns announced the sale of their 28,000 hectare native forest estate.
This is the largest property offering ever made in Tasmania and, if we can secure it all, will be the biggest private conservation deal in Australia's history. In total the properties will cost just over 23 million dollars. The initiative is so significant that we have named it the New Leaf project.
A group of Australian environmental philanthropists led by Jan Cameron's Elsie Cameron Foundation and Rob and Sandy Purves Environmental Trusts are providing initial gifts to the TLC to make the purchase possible. We need you to be a part of this pivotal project too.
How are we going to manage a project of this magnitude?
This project is many times greater than any previous campaign of the TLC. However, we have the support and backing of major Australian philanthropists, in particular Jan Cameron and Rob and Sandy Purves.
Jan, Rob and Sandy are providing substantial gifts to start the fundraising efforts and are making loans to the TLC to enable the purchase to proceed while we seek the additional funds needed.
Although Jan, Rob and Sandy are committed to seeing all of this land pass into conservation ownership and management, their resources, like our own, are limited. It is only by combining our resources and by some carefully planned on-selling with covenants of some properties that we can hope to bring enough money together for the financing and ongoing management of all these properties.
Vast forested landscapes
The land covered in the New Leaf purchase is vast; it ranges from serene, ancient old-growth rainforests in the Blue Tier of the north-east, through sub-alpine forests perched high in the mountains around Ben Lomond, and sweeping landscapes of towering trees, lakes and wild rivers in the central highlands, to stunning lowland forests located close to Launceston and intimate forested valleys in the southern midlands.
The huge properties of the central highlands in particular provide opportunities to manage whole forested landscapes for conservation, encompassing entire watersheds and wild river valleys. The forests in this region contain mosaics of wetlands, rivers and highland grasslands. They are vast habitats for endangered Tasmanian devils and house at least seven active nests of endangered Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles.
Many of the properties have been used for commercial forestry and provide us with an opportunity to restore full, high quality habitat for wildlife over extensive areas.
Skullbone Plains
Within the New Leaf landscapes, some of the properties are world heritage quality jewels. Skullbone Plains near Bronte Park is a shining example. This 1600 ha property of exquisite open valleys, old-growth forests, native grasslands, cushion plants and rare, endangered sphagnum moss beds, provides critical wild habitat for a species of endangered fish, the Clarence galaxias. Sharing a 16 kilometre boundary with the Tasmanian Wilderness Heritage Area and its mosaic of wetlands, lakes and streams, Skullbone Plains is one of the world's most rare and beautiful places.