Styx Valley
Encyclopedia
The Styx Valley is located adjacent to the Tasmanian Wilderness
World Heritage Site
on the island of Tasmania
. The Styx River
is the main drainage system of the valley. It lies about 100 km northwest of Hobart
, with the nearest town being Maydena
.
Temperate wet eucalypt
forests in the region are home to the world's tallest flowering plant
s, Eucalyptus regnans
. Rainforest gullies are carpeted in moss
es and lichen
s and shaded by the tree ferns Dicksonia antarctica
, known locally as Man-ferns, and other rainforest tree species including Southern Sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum), Myrtle Beech
(Nothofagus cunninghamii) and Celery-top pine (Phyllocladus aspleniifolius).
In 2002, Australia's most massive tree, nicknamed El Grande
, was discovered. Unfortunately, it was killed in an autumn burn in 2003.
s, who have proposed the protection of the site as a National Park, and supporters of the logging
industry. One of their arguments, as well as the obvious environmental benefits, was that a tourism-based economy would be more beneficial for the local economy than logging the area.
Community blockades including tree sits
have been supported by Greenpeace
and the Tasmanian Wilderness Society. Gandalf's Staff, an 85 metre tall eucalypt, holds the world record for supporting the highest tree sit platform. The campaign was successful in gaining protection for the proposed clearfell coupe containing some of the tallest trees, and protection has recently been proposed by the Latham opposition in 2004 for an area of the northern Styx valley containing high conservation value old growth forest
.
Tasmanian Wilderness
The Tasmanian Wilderness is a term that is used for a range of areas in Tasmania, Australia.The World Heritage Areas in South West, Western and Central are the most well known. However, there are also other areas in Tasmania that have the elements of being known as wilderness areas, the Tarkine...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
on the island of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. The Styx River
Styx River (Tasmania)
The Styx River is a river in the centre of southern Tasmania. The upper reaches of the Styx River are located in the Tasmanian Wilderness, south west of Maydena. The river is a popular destination for river-rafting and canoeing....
is the main drainage system of the valley. It lies about 100 km northwest of Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, with the nearest town being Maydena
Maydena, Tasmania
-References:...
.
Temperate wet eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
forests in the region are home to the world's tallest flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s, Eucalyptus regnans
Eucalyptus regnans
Eucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria...
. Rainforest gullies are carpeted in moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es and lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s and shaded by the tree ferns Dicksonia antarctica
Dicksonia antarctica
Dicksonia antarctica, known as the Soft Tree Fern, Man Fern or Tasmanian Tree Fern, is an evergreen tree fern native to parts of Australia, namely south-east Queensland, coastal New South Wales and Victoria and Tasmania.- Anatomy and biology :...
, known locally as Man-ferns, and other rainforest tree species including Southern Sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum), Myrtle Beech
Myrtle Beech
Nothofagus cunninghamii, the Myrtle Beech, is an evergreen tree native to Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. It grows mainly in the temperate rainforests. It is not related to the Myrtle family....
(Nothofagus cunninghamii) and Celery-top pine (Phyllocladus aspleniifolius).
In 2002, Australia's most massive tree, nicknamed El Grande
El Grande (tree)
thumb|right|Named El Grande by the Wilderness Society.El Grande was a massive Eucalyptus in Tasmania and Australia's largest tree. It was located on a ridge in the upper Derwent valley, adjacent to the World Heritage Area of the Florentine Valley, approximately from Hobart. The tree stood in...
, was discovered. Unfortunately, it was killed in an autumn burn in 2003.
Conservation
The valley has been the site of an ongoing conflict between environmentalistEnvironmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
s, who have proposed the protection of the site as a National Park, and supporters of the logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
industry. One of their arguments, as well as the obvious environmental benefits, was that a tourism-based economy would be more beneficial for the local economy than logging the area.
Community blockades including tree sits
Tree sitting
Tree sitting is a form of environmentalist civil disobedience in which a protester sits in a tree, usually on a small platform built for the purpose, to protect it from being cut down...
have been supported by Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
and the Tasmanian Wilderness Society. Gandalf's Staff, an 85 metre tall eucalypt, holds the world record for supporting the highest tree sit platform. The campaign was successful in gaining protection for the proposed clearfell coupe containing some of the tallest trees, and protection has recently been proposed by the Latham opposition in 2004 for an area of the northern Styx valley containing high conservation value old growth forest
Old growth forest
An old-growth forest is a forest that has attained great age , and thereby exhibits unique ecological features. An old growth forest has also usually reached a climax community...
.