Brown tree frog

Biodiversity – or biological diversity – is the word used to describe the incredible diversity of all lifeforms on Earth, how they interact with each other and their environment.

It includes not just animals and plants, but also fungi, microbes, the genetic differences among them and the ecosystems in which they occur. It is the stuff of life.  

As a land owner, the City of Hobart is committed to working with the local community to retain, promote and enhance these natural values for the long-term environmental, social and economic benefit of the community.

The City’s fire and biodiversity team is critical to this mission, managing our bushland reserves and the wildlife they protect by controlling and where possible eradicating environmental weeds, reducing fuel loads to mitigate the risk of dangerous bushfire and restoring degraded landscapes to their natural state. 

Why is biodiversity important?

Humans rely on biodiversity to give us clean air, fresh drinking water and healthy soils in which to grow our food.

Plants renew Earth’s oxygen, trap sunlight and produce food for other species. Fungi and microorganisms create and maintain the soils of the world. Birds, insects and mammals pollinate plants and maintain nutrient cycles. 

Biodiversity also provides some insurance against disease, climate change, fire and drought, ensuring there are always robust species that can survive and rebuild ecosystems. We rely on the life-supporting ecosystem services nature provides us.