Editing Southwest National Park (section)

==Wildlife==
In an area that is rich in terms of ecological flora communities, the Southwest National Park is also a wilderness area that is uniquely rich in biodiversity in terms of the variety of fauna species that either have all of their Tasmanian population or a majority of their population inhabiting the park. Within this national park alone there are, as noted by Driessen and Mallick 2003,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Driessen and Mallick|first=MM and SA|date=2003|title=The vertebrate fauna of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area|journal=Pacific Conservation Biology}}</ref> three species of terrestrial mammals, 10 terrestrial bird species, seven reptile species, three frog species, four freshwater fish and or marine fish that are endemic to this 600-thousand-hectare national park.

However, more pertinently the park is an important habitat to several species, including the [[orange-bellied parrot]] (''Neophema Chrysogaste''r) and freshwater fish [[Pedder galaxias]] (''Galaxias pedderensi''s), that are listed as critically endangered and extinct in the wild respectively under both Australian Commonwealth and Tasmanian legislation.

=== Birds ===
Of the threatened, endangered and the eight species that are simply endemic to the park, such as the [[fairy tern]], [[Wedge-tailed eagle|wedge-tail eagle]], [[green rosella]] and [[dusky robin]] respectively, the species that adds to the park's cultural and conservation uniqueness is the ''Neophema Chrysogaster,'' or more simply the Orange-bellied Parrot.
[[File:Neophema chrysogaster male - Melaleuca.jpg|thumb|Orange-bellied parrot, Melaleuca Lagoon]]

As noted under the Commonwealth's National Recovery Plan 2016<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.environment.gov.au/resource/national-recovery-plan-orange-bellied-parrot-neophema-chrysogaster.|title=National Recovery Plan for the Orange-Bellied Parrot, Neophema chrysogaster|last=Department of Environment|first=Australia|date=March 2016|website=National Recovery Plan for the Orange-Bellied Parrot|publisher=Australian Department of Environment|access-date=16 May 2016}}</ref> listed as Critically Endangered under Commonwealth ''[[Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999]]'', Endangered under New South Wales ''[[Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995]]'', South Australia's ''[[National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972]]'', Tasmania's ''[[Threatened Species Protection Act 1995]]'' and Threatened under Victoria's ''[[Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988]]''. At an international level the species has also been listed as Critically Endangered under [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources]] [[IUCN Red List|Red List]] (IUCN).

What makes the area unique is that this National Park, or more specifically within 10 kilometres of Melaleuca Lagoon, remains the only known significant breeding ground of this parrot. This occurs primarily between November and March with the birds migrating back to the coast of South-East Australia over winter following a route along the west coast of Tasmania and [[King Island (Tasmania)|King Island]].<ref name=":4">{{cite journal |last=Holdsworth, Dettmann and Barry Baker|first=M, D, and G|year=2011|title=Survival in the Orange-bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) |url = http://www.publish.csiro.au/mu/MU09071 |journal=Emu|doi=10.1071/MU09071|access-date=14 May 2016|volume=111|issue=3|page=222|s2cid=84727121 }}</ref> This breeding ground remains significant as there are currently only 50 Orange-bellied Parrots remaining in the wild with another 320 in captivity.<ref name=":3" />

Additionally, although the numbers in captivity appear to suggest the program is working, despite efforts made in undertaking the captive breeding program,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Smales, Brown, Menkhorst, Holdsworth and Holz|first=I, P, P, M, and P |year=2000|title=Contribution of captive management of Orange-bellied parrots (Neophema chrysogaster) to the recovery programme for the species in Australia|journal=International Zoological Yearbook }}</ref> the breeding success, in particular, the egg fertility and genetic diversity, as noted in the National Recovery Plan, is lower in the captive population than the wild population. As such it has been seen as critically imperative to ensure that the remaining numbers in the wild and quality habitat is retained, particularly in regards to the breeding program. Fortunately, through regular monitoring, supplementary feeding, artificial nest boxes and protection of their nesting and foraging habitat in the park, this appears to be occurring despite the existing potential threats posed by fire, climate change and damage to habitat.

=== Mammals ===
With the number of mammal species that inhabit the park, the only one that appears threatened is the [[Arctocephalus forsteri|New Zealand fur seal]], which as noted by the Melaleuca-Port Davey Plan, only regularly visits the offshore [[Maatsuyker Island]] during the breeding season.

=== Fish ===
Another unique aspect to this park is the freshwater community, particularly the fish. As noted by Tasmania Parks and Wildlife, the aquatic system in the park has had no introduced fish species recorded, which gives it high conservation value as there are few systems in Australia where this has occurred.

Although fish are relatively well studied within the park, that is, 37 percent of species have been discovered once,<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Edgar, Last, Barrett, Gowlett-Holmes, Driessen and Mooney|first=GJ, PR, NS, K, M and P|date=2010|title=Conservation of natural wilderness values in the Port Davey marine and estuarine protected area, south-western Tasmania|journal=Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems|doi=10.1002/aqc.1079|volume=20|issue=3|pages=297–311}}</ref> the numbers and research undertaken suggests that there is potentially a relatively large number of undescribed or undiscovered fish species that are endemic to the park. With such potential for discovery of new species, that alone would indicate that it remains a significant area for increased biodiversity amongst the marine life and warrants conservation.

However, of those fish species discovered such as the [[cusk-eel]] (''Microbrotula'' sp.) and [[maugean skate]] (''Zearaja maugeana'') which are endemic to the park,<ref name=":5" /> there is one species of fish, known as the freshwater fish Pedder galaxias (''Galaxias pedderensis'') that has been listed both at a Tasmanian and Commonwealth level as endangered in 1995 and extinct in the wild in 2009 respectively. Once endemic to [[Lake Pedder]] within the national park, the Pedder galaxias is unfortunately no longer found within the park with the population only found at two translocations<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Chilcott, Freeman, Davies, Crook, Fulton, Premck, Jarvis, and Sanger|first=S, R, PE, DA, W, H, D and AC|date=2013|title=Extinct habitat, extant species: lessons learned from conservation recovery actions for the Pedder galaxias (Galaxias pedderensis) in south-west Tasmania, Australia|journal=Marine and Freshwater Research|volume=64|issue=9|pages=864|doi=10.1071/mf12257}}</ref> which were part of conservation management program undertaken in the 1980s to protect the species. Alongside the now extinct [[Thylacine]] in Tasmania, this case is indicative of ensuring that conservation measures are taken to protect species that are endemic to a particular area and have high conservation value, such as the Southwest National Park.

=== Reptiles and amphibians ===
Alongside a number of bird and mammal species, there are several reptile and frog species that are uniquely endemic to the park alone. These include three reptiles, the [[Tasmanian tree skink]], [[Carinascincus ocellatus|ocellated skink]] and [[she-oak skink]], and amongst the frogs, the [[Tasmanian tree frog]], [[Tasmanian froglet]] and recently discovered [[moss froglet]].<ref name=":0" />