Native snails in an urban environment - conservation from the ground up

The terrestrial molluscan fauna of Sydney and nearby areas is surprisingly diverse with over 80 species of native snails and slugs recorded. At least a third of them have not been formally described. In addition, at least 28 species of introduced snails and slugs have also been recorded from Sydney. Native snails are found in all vegetation types in and around Sydney, with some species, such as the Red Triangle Slug Triboniophorus graeffei commonly encountered in suburban gardens. Nearly all species are associated with specific vegetation or habitat types, such as the Cumberland Plain Woodland or limestone outcrops at Jenolan Caves. There is a number of species endemic to the Sydney region including the endangered Cumberland Plain Land Snail Meridolum corneovirens, which is only found in western Sydney. Most species have small ranges and can survive in small areas, therefore even small remnants of native vegetation can act as refugia. Thus from a native-snail conservation point of view, small patches of remnant vegetation are just as important as large ones for the conservation of Sydney's unique biodiversity