takayna / Tarkine wilderness in northwest Tasmania contains the largest area of cool temperate, Gondwana rainforest within Australia and it needs urgent protection. Our campaign raises funds to save it from mining, logging, and off-road vehicle damage, as well as lobbying to have this land and its Aboriginal assets listed as World Heritage National Parkland.
The Paddy Pallin Foundation supports For Wild Places and the Bob Brown Foundation in their effort to bring much-needed attention to this beautiful and unique part of Australia. In particular, we provide funding for the annual takayna Trail ultra-marathon event (established 2019), an epic 65km traverse of this ancient forest.
takayna / Tarkine has a rich array of flora and fauna species, as it contains the largest area of cool temperate, Gondwana rainforest within Australia and is home to the world’s largest living marsupial carnivore, the endangered Tasmanian Devil. It is also the ideal habitat for the Giant Tasmanian Freshwater Crayfish, the world’s biggest freshwater invertebrate that grows up to one metre in length and six kilograms in weight and the majestic Wedge-tailed Eagles.
takayna / Tarkine has been found to have outstanding heritage value and was recommended to be entered on the National Heritage List by the Australian Heritage Council. The Australian Government failed to list the full recommended area in 2013, with the Aboriginal heritage coastline that was placed on the National Heritage List still suffering severe damage to its cultural values due to off-road vehicles.
Along the takayna coast is the National Heritage-listed Western Tasmania Aboriginal Cultural Landscape, an area with globally significant Aboriginal cultural values, rich with the largest number, diversity, and density of Aboriginal hut sites in Australia.
Over 90% of the natural values in takayna / Tarkine are largely intact, making this Australia’s largest wilderness dominated by cool temperate rainforest. The area is home to some of the best-preserved flora fossils in the world, dating back 65 million years.
The significant values of this ancient wilderness are under threat from acid mine drainage, deforestation, and contamination of waterways by proposed new mines. As of mid-February 2022, activists from the Bob Brown Foundation are fighting for the right to peacefully protest for the protection of this unique environment with mining giant MMG recently receiving lease approval for access to South Marionoak for work on their proposed tailings dam, close to Rosebery mine.
Support the Tarkine Wilderness!
Photo credit: Ron Blakers