Norfolk Island’s largest native land snail Advena campbellii is one of the three Critically Endangered species

Land snails are underappreciated but play essential roles in recycling nutrients in soils and as food for many animals. Around 60 unique land snail species call Norfolk and Phillip Islands home. They come in a remarkable variety of shapes and colours but are facing threats from predators like rats and flatworms, and habitat loss. Currently, two species have become extinct while three species are Critically Endangered. Following the footsteps of Australian Museum researchers, PhD candidate Junn Kitt Foon of Western Sydney University is undertaking a three-year project to study:
(1) How are the last populations of these threatened snails genetically connected to each other?
(2) What habitats are best for native snails?
(3) How much are these snails affected by non-native predators?
(4) How might climate change affect these snails?

Answering these questions will hopefully help secure the long-term survival of these unique Norfolk and Phillip Island species. If you are keen to volunteer in future fieldwork or if you are a landowner interested to know what land snails can be found in the scrub on your land, please contact Junn by email: 22078036 AT SYMBOL student.westernsydney.edu.au or Junn.Foon AT SYMBOL Australian.Museum

We thank Junn Toon for this account of this important research.