NATIVE FAUNA PRESERVATION 
By CLIVE E. LORD F.L.S. 
The National Park brings vividly to 
mind fauna preservation, for the park 
is not merely a stretch of country pos¬ 
sessing scenery of the most noble type, 
but it is to be a living museum for our 
flora and fauna for all time. 
In many parts of the world attention 
is being paid to the subject of fauna 
preservation, not only from the scientific 
standpoint, but al?o on account of the 
economic importance of the subject. We 
are just beginning to recognise, how¬ 
ever dimly, the great wonder of the 
universal law which is so aptly describ¬ 
ed as “tlie balance of nature'*—the de¬ 
pendence of species on species. In many 
cases man, / destroying this balance, 
does untold harm. He may see the af¬ 
ter effects, hut 13 at a loss to account 
for the reason thereof. Certain coun¬ 
tries have instituted Biological Survey 
Departments, whose work is to investi¬ 
gate the problems which arise in every 
country from time to time in connection 
with its fauna. 
Nature's ways are secret, and the 
naturalist who attempts to solve even 
the problems which appear simple at 
first sight must be prepared for much 
research work if his conclusions are to 
prove correct. Unfortunately, we hav<* 
not a Biological Survey in Tasmania, 
much as it is needed. Even our Uni¬ 
versity has no special lecturers for such 
subjects as geology or botany, and this 
in a country which depends to such a 
large extent upon its natural produc¬ 
tions. 
Many of the current ideas concerning 
the economic value of our native ani¬ 
mals are incorrect, but they have become 
so imbued into the minds of the rural 
population in particular that it. will be 
many years before the true position is 
generally recognised. 
Apart from the economic importance 
of the furred and feathered inhabitants, 
there is the fact that our native animal.? 
are of absorbing interest, to. the scientist, 
representing, as many of them do, forms 
which have long become extinct in other 
parts of the world. 
The conservation of fauna is having 
attention paid to it in many countries, 
and those who are interested in this mat¬ 
ter would do well to study such books 
as "The Conservation of Wild Life in 
Canada,'• by the late C. Gordon Hewitt. 
In this way we can realise what Is 
being done in other places. In Tasmania 
the question has so far been more a 
matter of politics than of any proper or 
well-reasoned plan for dealing with flic 
matter. The outstanding exception has 
been the creation of the National Park, 
which, thanks to the activities of the 
ranger, is a sanctuary in effect as well 
as iu name. Here, within a space of 
38,.’no acres, as effective steps a* possible 
are taken in order that its furred and 
feathered inhabitants may live their 
lives undisturbed by the bush fire, the 
snare, the poison cart, and the gun, riot 
to mention dogs, cats, and other intro¬ 
duced species, which all levy their toll 
on the general fauna. It is a recog¬ 
nised fact by economic biologists the 
world over that domestic cats, especi¬ 
ally those which have gone wild, consti¬ 
tute one of the greatest menaces to bird 
life. The economic importance of bird 
life in relation to agriculture is as yet 
hardly realised, and, unfortunately, as 
far as Tasmania is concerned, a subject 
which thi? great mass of the rural popu¬ 
lation fail to study. 
The value of our fauna as a national 
asset is not yet realised. We need to 
extend the idea of the National Park 
end create larger reserves of slightly dif¬ 
ferent kind, wherein reasonable hunting 
would lie allow'ed under proper supervis¬ 
ion. Much of our land in Tasmania is 
unfit for agriculture, and unless mineral 
wealth is found thereon the land is, in 
many cases, of very little use. To make 
these lands bring in some return to the 
state the best method appears to be to 
develop, on scientific lines, the natural 
assets. Purest and game reserves, from 
which the products could he taken in 
such a way as to ensure both a regular 
and continuous supply, appears the best 
solution of the problem. Our present 
methods of dealing with the full pro 
ducts of our fauna and flora are most 
wasteful. As regards the former, its 
protection during even closed seasons Is 
more nominal than real, whilst in the 
open season thousands of animals are 
trapped for their fur, but no thought Is 
paid to the carcases, which are left to 
rot. Thousands of pounds of excellent 
32 
