RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.
Collections of 23 macroinvertebrate taxa associated with Durvillaea antarctica holdfasts and 58 invertebrate taxa associated with artificial substrata collectors are described from shallow-water and intertidal habitats at Heard Island. The fauna sampled possessed strong biogeographic affinities with the Kerguelen Island fauna and, to a slightly lesser extent, the fauna recorded at Macquarie Island but negligible affinity with the Antarctic. Experiments involving the offshore tethering of D. antarctica holdfasts indicated that epifaunal invertebrates rapidly abandoned detached holdfasts, but that the few species surviving after one day could probably survive long periods adrift.
Royal Society of Tasmania, RST, Van Diemens Land, natural history, science, ecology, taxonomy, botany, zoology, geology, geography, papers & proceedings, Australia, UTAS Library
Published Papers
The Royal Society of Tasmania acknowledges, with deep respect, the traditional owners of this land, and the ongoing custodianship of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania. The Society pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge that Tasmanian Aboriginal Peoples have survived severe and unjust impacts resulting from invasion and dispossession of their Country. As an institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, the Royal Society of Tasmania recognises Aboriginal cultural knowledge and practices and seeks to respect and honour these traditions and the deep understanding they represent.
On 15 February 2021, the Royal Society of Tasmania offered a formal Apology to the Tasmanian Aboriginal people.