The Tamar Conservation Area covers approximately 4,633 ha on the

Tamar River The Tamar River, officially kanamaluka / River Tamar, is a estuary located in northern Tasmania, Australia. Despite being named a river, the waterway is a brackish and tidal estuary over its entire length. Etymology The Tamar River was named ...

estuary in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. It includes the Tamar Island Wetlands Reserve and a stretches through the upper part of the Tamar Estuary from St Leonards to the

Batman Bridge The Batman Bridge is a modern road bridge that carries the Batman Highway across the Tamar River, between Whirlpool Reach, Hillwood at its eastern end and Sidmouth / Deviot midpoint at its western end, in north Tasmania, Australia. The bridge ...

. It is a popular area for

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

and is about 15 minutes drive from Launceston. There are approximately 3.2 km of walking tracks at the wetlands including a boardwalk for easy access to the island. The site lies within the

Tamar Wetlands Important Bird Area The Tamar Wetlands Important Bird Area is a linear stretch of wetland habitat, with an area of 51 km2, extending along the upper half of the estuarine Tamar River in northern Tasmania, Australia. Description The Important Bird Area (IBA) ...

, identified as such by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

because of its importance in supporting over 1% of the world populations of

pied oystercatcher The pied oystercatcher (''Haematopus longirostris'') is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. The similar South Island pied oystercatcher (''H. finschi'') occurs in New Zealand. ...

s and

chestnut teal The chestnut teal (''Anas castanea'') is a dabbling duck found in Australia. It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. Taxonomy The chestnut teal was described by the English naturalist Thomas Campbell Eyton in 1838 under ...

s. The Tasmanian State of the Environment report in 2003 described the Tamar estuary as one of the five catchments statewide with the highest percentage area under urban and suburban land use.The Tasmanian State of the Environment report in 2003
/ref>

Proposed pulp mill

In May 2007 both major political parties in Tasmania attempted to push through the development of a 1.5 billion dollar

Bell Bay Pulp Mill The Bell Bay Pulp Mill, also known as the Tamar Valley Pulp Mill or Gunns Pulp Mill, was a proposed $2.3 billion pulp mill in which the former Gunns Limited was planning to build in the Tamar Valley, near Launceston, Tasmania. Gunns Lim ...

on the eastern bank of the Tamar River by

Gunns Gunns Limited was a major forestry enterprise located in Tasmania, Australia. It had operations in forest management, Woodchipping in Australia, woodchipping, sawmilling and Wood veneer, veneer production. The company was placed into liquidatio ...

. Within the Tamar River Conservation area is proposed the construction of a large and associated warehouse and wharf as well as the insertion of a supply pipe to be 'jet trenched' into the bed of the River.

References

External links

Tamar Island Wetlands Centre
Conservation areas of Tasmania Tamar River Important Bird Areas of Tasmania {{Tasmania-geo-stub