Mole Creek Karst National Park

Mole Creek Karst is a national park situated in the North of Tasmania, Australia, 168 km northwest of Hobart.

[2] The Mole Creek Karst National Park is characterised by its numerous and spectacular cave networks, which attract many tourists each year.

[1] The Mole Creek Karst National Park features a wide range of flora and fauna, of varying conservation status.

The glow worms Arachnocampus tasmaniensis inhabit many of the caves present in the Mole Creek Karst National Park, and also provide one of the main tourist attractions to the area.

[4] The karst system is also home to many other protected cave species, such as crickets Micropathus cavernicola, and Parvotettix geode; beetles, Tasmanotrechus cockerilli; harvestman, Hickmanoxyomma gibbergunyar; and pseudoscorpions Pseudotyrannochthonius typhlus.

[2] The Giant Freshwater Crayfish species Astacopsis gouldi is also considered vulnerable by the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

[2] Some of the national park has been affected by its surrounding rural environment, as blocks of flora have been modified by fire regimes and grazing on private land.

[2] South Esk heath (Epacris exserta) is also determined by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to be endangered.

[8] A large aspect of tourism that effects cave environments is the need to build structures, and provide lighting in order to accommodate tourists and visitors.

Banbury and de Freitas found that carbon dioxide builds up in caves over time, and can reach levels that are dangerous for humans.

[8] The future success of the Mole Creek Karst National Park as both a tourist attraction, and as a conservation refuge is dependent on a combination of management and protection practices.

[4] Monitoring systems to assess the changes in baseline microclimate aspects would also be a worthwhile investment in the continued protection of fragile cave ecosystems.

Timely knowledge of changes in air pressure or intensity, condensation and humidity levels, and temperature of caves could help to thwart potentially catastrophic effects to cave-dwelling organisms caused by changes in their microclimate.

[4][9][11] The caves present in the Mole Creek Karst National Park are significantly important in scientific, conservation and recreational aspects.

[2] The national park itself as an entirety contains a wide and diverse range of flora, fauna and landforms, many of which are rare, threatened or endangered.

[4] Protection of the national park ensures the preservation of these species and unique landforms, to be studied and enjoyed by future generations.