Sunday 7 September is National Threatened Species Day

In light of this day, we’d like to draw attention to the Central North Burrowing Crayfish (Engaeus granulatus), a species found nowhere else in the world but a tiny area in northern Tasmania between the Mersey River and Port Sorell.

The small, brownish crayfish rarely exceed 10 centimetres in length and live in seepages, wetlands, and stream banks. Often the only sign of their presence is a “chimney” of pelleted mud - the entrance to their burrows. Sadly, much of their original habitat has been cleared, leaving fragmented populations across less than 100 hectares.

The Central North Burrowing Crayfish is listed as endangered under both the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

How you can help protect them:

• Avoid clearing native vegetation
• Protect habitat with stock-exclusion fencing
• Restrict machinery use in sensitive areas
• Prevent complete inundation from new dam construction
• Protect natural water tables and drainage patterns
• Avoid chemical runoff

At Tasmanian Irrigation, we are proud to be taking extra measures to protect this species during the Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme Augmentation, which will begin construction later this year.

✅ Realigning works to avoid colonies wherever possible
✅ Using Horizontal Directional Drilling at 5m depth to bypass burrows (which reach about 3m)
✅ Relocating colonies safely if avoidance is not possible
✅ Restoring and rehabilitating habitat after construction

Protecting Tasmania’s biodiversity is a shared responsibility and today is a timely reminder of the importance of safeguarding our unique plant and animal species.